Call Numbers

734 tells me that this is in the nonfiction 700 / fine arts section AND tells me that the author's name begins with "And" as in "Anderson."

If the first line of the call number is a series of numbers, the book is in the nonfiction section of the library. Nonfiction books contain information that is true. All books with the same number are about the same topic.

The second line of the call number is the beginning letters of the author's last name. If the Dewey numbers are exactly the same for two books, those two books will be in alphabetical order by the second line of the call number.

Books in the nonfiction section are in numerical order using the Dewey Decimal System.

FIC stands for Fiction and LOW stands for the author's last name.

If the first line of the call number of the book is FIC, the book is a fiction book. Fiction books are stories that are not factual or not true.

The second line of the call number is the beginning letters of the author's last name, often the first three letters. These letters are a clue as to the author's name. Many books may be written by different authors with names that start with the same letters (LOWRY and LOWMAN, for example) so it is important that you know the complete last name of an author and/or the title to quickly and accurately locate the book on the shelf.

Since all fiction book call numbers have the exact same first line (FIC), they are put in alphabetical order by the letters in the second line which stand for the author's last name.

If the first line of the call number is REF, it belongs in the reference section of the library. Encyclopedias, atlases, dictionaries, and almanacs are the kinds of book in this section. Some books are in the reference section because they do not circulate like other library books, meaning you can only use them in the library.

The second line of the call number is the Dewey number that indicates the subject of the book. It is the same as books on the same topic in the nonfiction section.

The third line of the call number is the beginning letters of the author's last name. 

Books in this section are in numerical order using the Dewey Decimal System. Books with the same Dewey number are shelved in alphabetical order by the letters in the third line.

SC stands for story collection. POE stands for the author's last name.

The first line of this call number stands for story collection. This is the section of the library where short stories are shelved.

The second line of this call number is the beginning letters of the author's last name.

Since all short story books have the exact same first line in the call number, they are shelved in alphabetical order by the author's last name.