Skip to Main Content

How to Read Call Numbers: Home

Describes how to read a Call Number on a book or while in the stacks. Describes the Library of Congress Classification system.

Overview

Library of CongressThe Library at Worcester State University uses the Library of Congress (LC) classification system to organize the books, journals, and media materials acquired by the library.  The purpose of the classification system is to shelve items on the same topic together, thus allowing researchers to browse areas of the collection relevant to their topics.  This system is used by the Library of Congress and many academic and research libraries in the United States.

The LC system categorizes materials into 21 broad subject categories indicated by a letter of the alphabet and then further divides each subject category into more specific subject areas by adding additional letter(s) and number(s). Each item acquired by the library is given a unique Call Number based on the LC classification system.

The chart below lists the general subject areas and major subdivisions of the Library of Congress Classification System. To see a more detailed breakdown of subject classes, view the Library of Congress Classification Outline [http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/] posted by the Cataloging and Acquisitions Office of the Library of Congress.

                                                 

 

Chart

A     GENERAL WORKS
    AE Encyclopedias
    AY Almanacs
B     PHILOSOPHY.  PSYCHOLOGY.  RELIGION
    B-BD Philosophy
    BF Psychology
    BH-BJ Aesthetics & Ethics
    Bl-BX  Religion
C     AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF HISTORY
    CB History of Civilization
    CC Archaeology
    CT General Biography
D     HISTORY:  GENERAL AND OLD WORLD
    D World History
    DA-DR European History
    DJK-DK Eastern Europe, Russia & Poland
    DS  Asia 
    DT  Africa
    DU Australia, New Zealand
E-F   HISTORY:  AMERICA
    E 11-143 America 
    E 151-     United States History (includes African-American Studies at E 185)
    F 1-975  United States Local History (includes St. Louis at F 474 & Missouri at F 466)
    F 1001-  Other Countries (includes Canada, & countries of Central & South America)
G     GEOGRAPHY.  ANTHROPOLOGY.  RECREATION
    G-GB  Geography
    GE  Environmental Sciences
    GF  Human Ecology
    GN Anthropology
    GT Manners & Customs
    GV Recreation & Leisure
H     SOCIAL SCIENCES
    HA  Statistics
    HB-HD Economics
    HE Transportation & Communication (includes radio & television broadcasting)
    HF Commerce (includes business administration, accounting, advertising & marketing)
    HG Finance
    HJ Public Finance
    HM-HS Sociology
         HM      General Sociology (includes mass media communication, public opinion, & public  relations)
         HQ      Family, Marriage, & Women
    HT Communities, Classes, & Races
    HV Social Pathology, Social & Public Welfare, & Criminology
    HX Socialism, Communism, & Anarchism
J     POLITICAL SCIENCE
    JF  Constitutional History & Government Administration
    JK  United States
    JS  Local Governments (municipal, etc.)
    JX International Law & International Relations
K     LAW
    KF United States Law
L     EDUCATION
    LA   History of Education 
    LB Theory and Practice of Education
    LC Education of Exceptional Individuals
M     MUSIC
N     FINE ARTS
P    LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
    P Philosophy & Linguistics (includes mass media communication, composition, & rhetoric)
    PA Classical Languages and Literature
    PB Celtic Languages and Literatures
    PC Romance Languages (Italian, French, Catalan, Spanish & Portuguese)
    PD Germanic Languages (Old Germanic, Norwegian, Icelandic, Danish & Swedish)
    PE English Language
    PF West Germanic Languages (Dutch, Flemish, Friesian & German)
    PG Slavic (includes Russian), Baltic & Albanian Languages and Literature
    PJ-PM Oriental Languages & Literatures (includes Egyptian, Coptic, Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, & American Indian)
    PN Literary History & Collections (includes prose, poetry, drama, speech, debate & journalism)
    PQ Romance Literatures
    PR English Literature
    PS American Literature
    PT Germanic Literatures (includes German, Dutch, Flemish, Afrikaans & Scandinavian)
    PZ Children's Literature
Q    SCIENCE
    Q General Science
    QA Mathematics (includes computer science)
    QB Astronomy
    QC  Physics (includes light, spectroscopy, meteorology & climatology)
    QD Chemistry
    QE Geology
    QH Natural History & General Biology
    QK Botany
    QL Zoology
    QM Human Anatomy
    QP Physiology
    QR Microbiology
R    MEDICINE
    R General Medicine (includes Biomedical Engineering at R856-857)
    RA Aspects of Medicine (includes public health & toxicology)
    RC Practice of Medicine (includes speech & language disorders, psychiatry & geriatrics)
    RF Ear (includes audiology), Nose & Throat
    RJ Pediatrics (includes autistic, hyperactive & learning and behaviorally disordered children)
S     AGRICULTURE
T     TECHNOLOGY
  T GeneralTechnology
    TA General Engineering
    TD Environmental Technology
    TJ Mechanical Engineering & Machinery
    TK  Electrical Engineering, Electronics, & Nuclear Engineering
    TL Motor Vehicles, Aeronautics & Astronautics
    TP Chemical Technology (includes biotechnology)
    TR Photography
    TS Manufacturers (includes production, industries & products)
U     MILITARY SCIENCE
V     NAVAL SCIENCE

Z     BIBLIOGRAPHY (All subjects).  LIBRARY SCIENCE

Last Updated

May 9, 2011.

Subject Guide

Profile Photo
William Lundmark
Contact:
Learning Resource Center Room 226
508-929-8897

Attribution

Original text and guide attributed to Georgia Baugh, Saint Louis University.