Introduction | Double-cuttered LC call numbers | |
Single-cuttered LC call numbers | Problems and special situations |
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).
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) |
call number | HX 315.7 .A8 ‡b K47 1997 | |
main entry | Snyder, Timothy | |
subject: | Kelles-Krauz, Kazimierz, 1872-1905 |
HX 315.7 | socialism or communism in Poland | |
A8 | individual 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 555 | U.S. literature: collections of literature of the Gulf states | |
PQ 7503 | Honduran literature: history and criticism of Honduran drama | |
PQ 4835 .I7 | Italian literature: works by and about Luigi Pirandello |
A. Single-cuttered LC call numbers
To verify a call number in the shelflist:
Shelflist search | Comparison of cutter | |
Comparison of classification |
This search method is the more straightforward and tends to be the more efficient approach for most shelflisting.
(A note: By not filtering your search, you will catch any LC call numbers that were coded incorrectly.)
Generally, only include the classification number (050/090 ‡a) in your search key. Spacing and capitalisation are optional when searching on the ‡a portion.
If the number alone pulls up a large number of records, you may prefer to search again including the cutter letter, without the numerical part of the cutter.
A “browse” search can be helpful if the “find” search has retrieved nothing, for giving your classification number a general subject context of similar numbers. However, the response time for it is generally slower, it often requires paging down or up multiple times, and it should be used with caution unless you have been trained in its quirks and in interpreting the results.
(A note: By not filtering your search, you will catch any LC call numbers that were coded incorrectly. In shelflisting, it is also safer not to limit your browse by location, to avoid potential call number conflicts, although there are other situations in which the locations filter can be helpful.)
Generally, only include the classification number (050/090 ‡a) in your search key. Spacing and capitalisation are optional when searching on the ‡a portion.
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:
When the titles do not make the topic, or the scope of the topic, clear, then:
DS 495 .F48 1946 | Nepal at a crossroads | |
DS 495 .R75 1988 | Nepal, from an ambassador's notes |
Tip: If there are only a few records with your class number, you will probably want to check all of them, at least in the index, to determine a pattern for the topic. If there are many with the same class number, it is helpful to focus on the area around your cutter letter, so that you can use the same records to determine the classification pattern and to compare the cutter (see next step).
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.”)
.C37 | Carter, Henry |
.C38 | Cawlish, Gertrude |
.C66 | Conroy, Ferdinand |
.C86 | Cummings, Martha |
.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:
F 2849.22 .G85 S22 1997 | Salas, Osvaldo, 1914- Ernesto Che Guevara ... |
F 2849.22 .G85 S25 1997 | Salas, Osvaldo, 1914- Imágenes ... |
If different editions of the same work are involved, the basic cutter should be the same for each one, with dates used to to distinguish them.
F 1435 .H86 | Hunter, C. Bruce. A guide to ancient Maya ruins. |
[1974 ed.] | |
F 1435 .H86 1986 | Hunter, C. Bruce. A guide to ancient Maya ruins. |
2nd ed., rev. and enlarged. c1986. |
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.
.C36 | Castañeda ... | [in shelflist] |
.C4 | Ceceña ... | [your record] |
.C57 | Cisneros ... | [in shelflist] |
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.
B. Double-cuttered LC call numbers
Many LC call numbers are constructed with two alphabetic cutters:
Note: The same biographical cutter will sometimes be used for the collected or selected works of the person, including autobiography. The second cutter then comes from a table.
DA 566.9 .C5 ‡b A3 1996 | autobiographical work by Winston Churchill |
DA 566.9 .C5 ‡b A5 1988 | speeches of Winston Churchill |
DA 566.9 .C5 ‡b G448 1994 | work about Winston Churchill by: Gilbert, Martin, 1936- |
DA 670 | = | history and description of regions, counties, etc. in England |
.N6 | = | Norfolk |
N 352.2 | = | children’s art, by region or country |
.E85 | = | Europe |
JL 1409.2 | = | special topics in Central American politics |
.D42 | = | Decentralization in government |
GN 799 | = | special topics in prehistoric archaeology |
.T6 | = | Tools |
P 26 | = | Festschrifts on philology, by honoree |
.C65 | = | Collinder, Björn |
NA 5470 | = | churches in London |
.W5 | = | Westminster Abbey |
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:
... | |
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 |
... |
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:
For double-cuttered call numbers that match on the first cutter in our shelflist, you need to check two sequences when confirming whether the second cutter fits into our shelflist:
If so, you may accept the final cutter without further checking, unless it is clearly incorrect.
N 352.2 .G3 A78 1986 | title: | Art of Jewish children, Germany |
N 352.2 .R8 D48 1989 | first subject heading: | Children’s art ‡z Russia (Federation) |
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.
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 |
Categories of cutter conflicts | Translation cutters | |
Sliding cutter |
Categories of cutter conflicts: A cutter conflict occurs if:
Note: If the titles of the two books are the same, it is likely that you have either a different edition of the same work or a duplicate record. The catalogued record should be examined to determine whether it is for the same work. For the use of dates or cutter supplements to distinguish editions, see the Classification and Shelflisting Manual, “Preferred shelflist order” (section G65; table formerly entitled "Distinguishing Editions of a Work”) and “Dates” (section G140).
If the titles are different, examine the catalogued record to determine whether it represents a different work or simply a different edition of the same work with a different title.
If you are not sure about the situation, please check with your trainer.
Solutions:
Please note: There are no hard-and-fast rules for choosing a cutter number to break a conflict. Although the Cutter table may be helpful in deciding what cutter number to assign, the existing order in the shelflist takes priority over the Cutter table.
Generally:
M38 | Mejía | j | ||
k [unusual] | ||||
l | ||||
m | ||||
[M384 | Mena] | n [most “n” after Mena] | ||
o | ||||
p [common] | ||||
q [unusual] | ||||
r [very common] | ||||
M39 | Mességué | s [very common; most “s” before Mességué] |
“Mena” would be a little less than halfway between “Meji...” and “Mess ...”
Tips:
The number of digits used tends to be based on the existing pattern and on how tightly packed that section of the shelflist is. If we see 3-4 digits, even if there is no 2-digit number between them, we tend to avoid a 2-digit number by itself, because that number may already have been used by LC.
In sliding cutters, it is all right for copy cataloguers to use most final digits; however, do not use:
Finally, do not panic! Cuttering is something that one develops a feel for over time, and in any situation two different people could come up with two different results, either of which would be appropriate.
If you have a cutter conflict and adding a translation cutter will resolve that conflict, consult the translation table and add a translation cutter.
Note for OCLC member-copy cataloguing: Even if you do not have an actual cutter conflict, if you know that a book represents a translation and the record for the original-language version is available in Voyager or in a DLC record, generally use the cutter for the original work and add the appropriate translation cutter. |
Existing shelflist problems: If the existing entries in the shelflist are already quite out of order, not following any of the above filing rules:
.G77 1990 | Guatemala, cuentas nacionales | [245] | ||
.G79 1989 | Guatemala. Presidencia de la República | [110] | ||
.G8135 1987 | Guatemala 1986 | [245] | ||
.G8193 1993 | Guatemala : Analysen und ... | [245] | ||
.G82 | Guatemala 1963 | [245] | ||
.G825 | Guatemala, social and economic ... | [245] |
Please check with your trainer if you are not sure how to resolve the problem.
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.
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:
Since your call number’s pattern fits the predominant, single-cuttered pattern, and since the final cutter would fit into our shelflist, the number can be accepted.
Since your call number’s pattern fits the predominant, double-cuttered pattern, and since the final cutter would fit into our shelflist, the number can be accepted.
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.
F 2848 .T49 1989 | book with main entry Textos y documentos | |
F 2848 .T6 R56 1996 | book about Torre, Lisandro de la, ‡d 1868-1939 | |
F 2848 .T616 1973 | book 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.
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:
Generally, search in Classification Web when available; otherwise, consult the most recent available paper Gale cumulation.
Confirm the meaning and scope of a class number found in your bib record or in Voyager.
If you need to find a more correct alternative number, you may also search the schedules and their indexes. If you find a promising candidate, perform a shelflist search on that number.
Perform Voyager subject heading search(es) on the heading(s) for primary topic(s) if you need to find a more correct alternative class number. Our Voyager catalogue, while a good source of examples, is not authoritative regarding current practice.
Occasionally, you may want to perform subject keyword searches in OCLC on the heading(s) for primary topic(s) if you need to find a more correct alternative class number. Bib records in OCLC, while a good source of examples, are not authoritative regarding current practice.
Classification Web can also be used for subject heading searches.
In subject authority records, you may cautiously check for the presence of class numbers in 053 fields. If you find an 053 class number, double-check it in the class schedules to make sure that its application and scope are appropriate.
Check for any use, particular any pattern of repeated use of a number in bib records.
If you find a promising candidate, perform a shelflist search on that number.
In this manual, section G300 provides a "Regions and Countries Table" that can provide geographic cutters when you need to add one and have no model in the shelflist for that place. However, precedent in the shelflist takes priority over numbers listed in the Regions and Countries Table.
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.
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:
DC 146 | biography of individuals during the French revolutionary and Napoleonic period | |
.L25 | La Maisonfort | |
A3 | autobiography and memoirs — from the Biography table. |
HX 315.7 | socialism or communism in Poland | ||
A8 | individual biography | ||
K4 | (second cutter, first part) | the subject of the biography | |
7 | (second cutter, end) | the main entry |
Solutions:
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HTML document last reviewed: 25 January 2010