Verifying Call Numbers in the Shelflist
(When Cataloguing)


Document sections

Introduction Double-cuttered LC call numbers
Single-cuttered LC call numbers Problems and special situations


Introduction

Scope of document

This document focusses on verifying Library of Congress (LC) call numbers as part of the cataloguing process.   While most of the basic procedures and principles are the same as those involved in verifying call numbers in other classification systems (such as Dewey or local physical-format-based call numbers), the examples used are all for LC call numbers.

The focus is also on non-literary call numbers.  While, again, a number of the basic procedures and principles of call number searching are the same for all LC call numbers, literary call numbers present special problems and are handled in separate documents:

For some basic information on the LC classification system, see LC's Classification and Shelflisting Manual or our document "Introduction to Library of Congress Classification."

Please note:  Examples, while sometimes taken from actual cataloguing situations, may be imaginary.

Terminology

An LC call number consists of a classification number and a final cutter, usually followed by a date in call numbers for monographs (locally, for books).

LC Classification (class) number:
Should represent the topic or primary topic of the work.  It functions to group together works on the same topic.  It includes the entire 050 ‡a or 090 ‡a subfield portion of the call number.

In single-cuttered call numbers, the class number includes a letter or combination of letters, followed by a number.   Some examples:

DS 495(Nepal:  general works on its history to 1768)
QL 76(zoos:  general works about them)
F 1408.3(Latin America:  Social life and customs; intellectual life)

In double-cuttered call numbers, the class number also includes the first of two cutters.  Some examples:

GN 799 .T6 (works about prehistoric tools)
F 2849.22 .G85(Argentina:  history from 1955 to the present; biographies about Ernesto “Che” Guevara)
DA 566.9 .C5 (Great Britain:  20th-century biography and memoirs; works by and about Winston Churchill)

In some cases, when a second cutter reflects a subject focus (e.g., a place or the subject of a biography), the first part of the second cutter also functions as part of the class number.  An example:

call numberHX 315.7 .A8 ‡b K47 1997
main entrySnyder, Timothy
subject:Kelles-Krauz, Kazimierz, 1872-1905

In this case, in the class number:

HX 315.7socialism or communism in Poland
A8individual biography
K4(second cutter, first part)the subject of the biography
7(second cutter, end)the main entry

For literature, in place of topic, the class number may represent an aspect of literature such as a literary genre common to all works in that number, literature of a particular place, or works by and about the same literary author.  Some examples:

PS 555U.S. literature:  collections of literature of the Gulf states
PQ 7503Honduran literature:  history and criticism of Honduran drama
PQ 4835 .I7Italian literature:  works by and about Luigi Pirandello

Final cutter:
The cutter called the main entry cutter, book cutter, or final cutter is in the ‡b subfield.  Its function is to identify a particular work, distinguishing it from others on the same topic.


A.    Single-cuttered LC call numbers

To verify a call number in the shelflist:

Shelflist search Comparison of cutter
Comparison of classification

  1. Perform a shelflist search.

  2. Compare the topics (subjects) of other records with the same class number.     (050/090 ‡a)

    If your search retrieves any records:  Compare several of them to see whether the primary topic is the same as your book, or whether their topics fit into the same more general category.  To try to determine the topic:

  3. Compare the final cutter numbers of any cutters beginning with the same letter.     (050/090 ‡b)

    If the shelflist includes any records with a final cutter beginning with the same letter as yours:  Check carefully to make sure that your record would file in the correct order.  Usually, the records within the same class number should file alphabetically by main entry – i.e., by 1xx author field if present, or by 245 field if there is no 1xx field.  (For types of cutters other than main entry cutters, see “Final cutters not based solely on main entry.”)

    E.g.
    .C37    Carter, Henry
    .C38    Cawlish, Gertrude
    .C66    Conroy, Ferdinand
    .C86    Cummings, Martha

    E.g.
    .P47    Pérez, José A.
    .P65    Political developments in Central America
        [collection, with no author; no 1xx]
    .P67    Porrúa Hidalgo, Antonio

    Tip:  It is safest to check at least a couple of records before as well as a couple after the point where your record’s call number would file, in case any records are filed out of sequence in the shelflist.

    Filing order:  Some points:

    E.g.
    Guatemala.     [110 main entry]
    Guatemala. Departamento del Censo.     [110 main entry]
    Guatemala. Ministerio de Agricultura    [110 main entry]
    Guatemala    [245 main entry]
    Guatemala 1989
    Guatemala 2000
    Guatemala : Analysen und Überlegungen ...
    Guatemala en cifras
    Guatemala : entre el dolor y la esperanza
    Guatemala today

    For more information on filing order, see LC’s Classification and Shelflisting Manual, section G100, “Filing rules.”

    Accepting final cutters:  In general, accept final cutters as long as they do not create a conflict and are not clearly incorrect.  You can accept a cutter even if it only consists of one numeral.

    E.g.
    .C36     Castañeda ...    [in shelflist]
    .C4     Ceceña ...    [your record]
    .C57     Cisneros ...    [in shelflist]

    The “.C4" can be accepted.

    For shelflisting problems, see section 3 below, "Problems and special situations."

    For an exception to the general rule of accepting final cutters -- when you are changing the class number itself -- see below.


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B.    Double-cuttered LC call numbers

Many LC call numbers are constructed with two alphabetic cutters:

Search techniques for double-cuttered numbers generally follow the same steps as those for single-cuttered numbers, except for the following provisions, which are generally helpful:

  1. First include the entire first cutter.  If you find any match, copy cataloguers do not need to worry about possible first-cutter conflicts elsewhere in shelflist.

    E.g.    DA 670 .N6        for a book about Norfolk, England

    Retrieves other books about Norfolk.

    You may accept this first cutter.

  2. If there is no match, Voyager should quickly respond and tell you, in which case you can go back and expand the search by deleting the numerical portion of the cutter, leaving only the letter.

    E.g.   DA 670 .N79 ‡b R64 1998      A book about Northumberland, England

    Search key:     DA 670 .N79

    Retrieves no hits:
    The message "No matches were found for this search" displays.

    Repeat the search with just:    DA 670 .N

    ...
     DA 670 .N73 H69 1984    for a book about Northern England
    [DA 670 .N79 R64 1998    for your book about Northumberland]
     DA 670 .N89 T66 1973     for a book about Nottinghamshire
    ...

    .N79 would file between .N73 and .N89, just as "Northumberland" would file between "Northern" and "Nottinghamshire."

    You may accept this first cutter.

  3. If there is still no match, search by the class number without any part of the first cutter.

    E.g.    Your book is on children's art in Europe

    Call number in record:    N352.2.E85 ‡b T38 1999

    Search key:  N 352.2 .E85

    Retrieves no hits:  The message "No matches were found for this search" displays.

    Repeat the search with just:    N 352.2 .E

    Still retrieves no hits.

    Repeat the search with just:    N 352.2

    (Results below)

    Tip:  If, based on experience, you suspect that your main class number does not have many entries in our shelflist, you may want to skip the second of the three steps above.  For example, in the last example, you could go straight from searching "N 352.2 .E85" to searching "N 352.2" alone.

Determining whether a double-cuttered number is correct:

If you find a mixture of single- and double-cuttered call numbers under the same general class number:  see "Inconsistent pattern of single vs double cuttering" below.


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C.    Problems and special situations

Cutter conflicts Inconsistent pattern of single vs double cuttering Final cutters not based solely on main entry
Clearly incorrect cutters Incorrect class number Print serial title changes

  1. Cutter conflicts:

    Categories of cutter conflicts Translation cutters
    Sliding cutter

    Categories of cutter conflicts:  A cutter conflict occurs if:

    Solutions:

    Existing shelflist problems:  If the existing entries in the shelflist are already quite out of order, not following any of the above filing rules:

    E.g.    under HC 144:

    .G77 1990Guatemala, cuentas nacionales[245]
    .G79 1989Guatemala. Presidencia de la República [110]
    .G8135 1987Guatemala 1986[245]
    .G8193 1993Guatemala : Analysen und ... [245]
    .G82Guatemala 1963[245]
    .G825Guatemala, social and economic ...[245]

    Please check with your trainer if you are not sure how to resolve the problem.


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  2. Clearly incorrect cutters:  An incorrect portion of a cutter would involve the alphabetic part of the cutter, not the numbering part.  In other words, a cutter is clearly incorrect if it is based on the wrong element.  (In copy cataloguing, you are not required at this point to check the cutter table to adjust the numerical portion of an existing cutter.)

    E.g.   main entry:    López Anaya ...
    title:    Historia ...

    Any cutter with “.L ...” that does not create a conflict would be correct, even “.L23" (which would be too early following the cutter table).

    A cutter beginning “ .A ...” (from Anaya) or “.H ...” (from Historia) would be incorrect.

    E.g.   main entry:  Aste Daffós, Juan.
    title:  Transnacionalización de la ...

    call no.:    HD 9506 .P42 ‡b T73 1997

    Other call numbers under this class number show final cutter based on main entry.

    Cutter should begin with “A” for “Aste,” not “T” (which probably came from the 245 title, “Transnacionalización ...”).

    One exception to the general rule of accepting final cutters that begin with the correct letter:  If you need to change a class number anyway, you may also change the final cutter even when there is no conflict, if it seems awkward or potentially out of place.


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  3. Inconsistent pattern of single vs double cuttering

    Under the same numeric class number, you may find that some call numbers are constructed with single cutters, while others are constructed with double cutters.

    If your number follows the same pattern followed, or predominantly followed, in the shelflist under the same class number:  You may accept the structure of the number.  In other words:

    However, if your number follows a different pattern from the one followed, or predominantly followed, in the shelflist under the same class number:  A potential problem is present.  In other words:

    Note that a mixture of single and double cutters may occur because of developments over time and obsolete patterns still present in our shelflist, or they may be legitimate by current patterns.  For example, under a number for history of a place within a particular period:  general histories may be single-cuttered while biographies are double-cuttered.  Even though the structure of the different numbers is somewhat different, they should still file in a single alphabetical sequence based on the first or only cutter, whether it represents a subject or a main entry.

    E.g.
    F 2848 .T49 1989book with main entry Textos y documentos
    F 2848 .T6 R56 1996book about Torre, Lisandro de la, ‡d 1868-1939
    F 2848 .T616 1973book by (with main entry) Torres, José Luis

    Solution:

    If the cuttering pattern of the call number in your record is problematic:  Treat as a classification problem.


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  4. Incorrect class number:

    If the primary topics of other books with the same class number do not seem to correspond to the topic of your book:  You will need to look further to verify an appropriate class number.  Consult with your trainer if you are not certain how to do so.

    Further steps in verifying appropriate class number:  Briefly:

    Accepting final cutters:  exception:  In general, as indicated above, accept final cutters as long as they do not create a conflict and are not clearly incorrect.  However, an exception:  If you need to change a class number anyway, you may also change the final cutter even when there is no conflict, if it seems awkward or potentially out of place.

    E.g.    call number:    QL 99 .G9 ‡b N3361 1996

    correct class number:    QK 99 .G9

    There are no other final cutters beginning with “N” under this correct class number.

    Even after the final “1" (one) is deleted, a three-digit cutter is more extended than necessary for the correct class number (even if it might have been necessary under the original, incorrect class number).  Since you are editing the number anyway, you may also delete the "6":

    QK 99 .G9 ‡b N33 1996

    E.g.    call number:    DA 690 .O9 ‡b R68 1989
    author:    Renfrew, Basil
    subject:    Oxfordshire

    correct class number:    DA 670 .O9

    There are no other final cutters beginning with “R” under this correct class number.

    Since the cutter of R68 is far from the Cutter-table version of R46 for "Ren," it might create problems in future shelflisting.  You may change the cutter to R46.


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  5. Final cutters not based solely on main entry:

    There are certain categories of call number structure using double cuttering in which the second cutter does not clearly reflect the main entry.  Examples include:

    Solutions:


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Draft, 14 January 1997; rev. draft 21 December 1998, 18 November 1999, 13 April 2003, 9 May 2007, 13 October 2009

HTML document last reviewed:  25 January 2010