Books

Most of Lindell Library's print books are arranged on shelves by Library of Congress (LC) Classification System. The LC Classification number is also called the call number, indicating where it is on the physical shelves on the third floor (call numbers starting with A through K) or lower level (call numbers starting with L through Z).

LC Classification numbers are actually a mix of letters and numbers that help put books in order based on topics and alphabetically by book title and authors' names.

Here is an example:

HT725.U6 W55 2020

You'll find the number on the lower part of the book's spine, often broken across a few lines like this:

HT725

.U6

W55

2020 

To find a book on the shelves with the LC Classification number, start with the first letter(s). Look for the range of shelves that contain books in that alphabetical range. The numbers that follow the first letter(s) immediately are whole numbers arranged in order. This means, for example, that 5 comes before 23.

The next letter follows a period (.) in the call number. Books are arranged alphabetically by that letter, and then by the number following it as a decimal. This means, for example, that .U263 will be filed before .U6.

There may be a third set of letters and numbers, which should be read alphabetically for the letter and then as a decimal for the number.

Finally, there may be a four-digit number at the end, which is the year of publication for the book.

For more information, visit these websites:

• How to read a call number (University of Louisville Libraries)
• Credo Reference Video Tutorials
  • Library of Congress Classification System Part 1
  • Library of Congress Classification System Part 2
  • Library of Congress Classification System Part 3
• Map to call numbers by floor at Lindell Library
• More about the Library of Congress Classification System at the Library of Congress website

* Note that a section of our literature collection is filed on the shelves with modified Dewey Decimal Numbers that begin with 8. Consult our English subject guide for help on finding books with these numbers.