Lilly Library arranges books using the Library of Congress (LC) Classification System. The LC system groups books into 21 broad subject categories, which are identified by a letter of the alphabet. Additional numbers and letters are added to represent specific subjects and other bibliographic information.
The Library of Congress (LC) Classification System uses call numbers to uniquely identify materials in our collection. Call numbers allow you to locate specific materials in stacks and browse related materials by subject.
Anatomy of a Call Number: Call numbers include a set of letters and numbers, and represent the broad subject, specific subject, identifying information like authors or geographic location, volume or edition number (if applicable), and publication date.
Search for materials in th library catalog. For your chosen item, note the availability, location, and call number.
Once you have identified the collection and call number, check the the library map to find which floor the book is located. The General Collections NA section, for example, is located on the second floor on the NW side of the building.
1. Broad Subject 2. Specific Subject 3. Cutter 4. Date |
N 258 .G467 1967 |
NA 7 .H7 2007 |
NA 710 .C38 2007 |
NA 7120 .R93 1989 |
NA 7120 .W3 1968 |
NB 258 .G467 1967 |
NB 258 .G467 1989 |
1. Broad subject letters are in alphabetical order (N, NA, NB).
2. Specific Subject numbers are in numerical (whole) order (7, 710, 7120).
3. Cutter letters and numbers are in alphabetical and numerical (decimal) order (.C347,.C38, .C4, .D34)
4. Date of publication is in chronological order (1967, 1989, 2010)