Understanding Call Numbers
Books and scores in the University of Michigan Music Library are organized according to the Library of Congress (LC) classification system. LC classification divides the branches of knowledge into broad classes that are represented by capital letters:
A -- GENERAL WORKS
B -- PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY, RELIGION
C -- AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF HISTORY
D -- HISTORY (GENERAL) AND HISTORY OF EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, ETC.
E-F -- HISTORY: AMERICA
G -- GEOGRAPHY, ANTHROPOLOGY, RECREATION
H -- SOCIAL SCIENCES
J -- POLITICAL SCIENCE
K -- LAW
L -- EDUCATION
M -- MUSIC
N -- FINE ARTS
P -- LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
Q -- SCIENCE
R -- MEDICINE
S -- AGRICULTURE
T -- TECHNOLOGY
U -- MILITARY SCIENCE
V -- NAVAL SCIENCE
Z -- BIBLIOGRAPHY, LIBRARY SCIENCE
These main classes are further divided into subclasses designated by an additional capital letter. M (Music) has two subclasses. Thus, music materials are organized into three broad classification areas:
| M | music (scores) |
| ML | literature on music (music history and criticism) |
| MT | musical instruction and study (theory, analysis, music education, pedagogy, instrumental technique, etc.) |
How To Read a Call Number
Each item in the library has its own unique call number. A call number may consist of as few as two elements, but call numbers often have four or more elements.
| M1500 | The first element, the "class," consists of one or two letters and a number. Items are filed alphabetically by the initial letter(s): GV, LB, M, ML, MT, PN, Z. The number is read as an integer: 3, 3.1, 7, 25, 218, 1495 ... |
| .M9 | The next element, the "Cutter," consists of a letter followed by one or more digits. Cutters are read first alphabetically, and then in decimal numeric order. For instance, .M875 precedes .M9. |
| D7 | Some call numbers have another Cutter as the next element. |
| 1991 | The final element of many call numbers is a date, representing the year of publication. |
Each element of the call number indicates something about the item, as with this full score of Mozart's opera Don Giovanni:
| M1500 | the classification for full opera scores |
| .M9 | represents the composer's last name (Mozart) |
| D7 | represents the title of the work (Don Giovanni) |
| 1991 | the publication date |
To find an item on the shelf, you must properly read each element of the call number. The following call numbers are in the proper order:
| M 452 .D26 Q3 1962 |
M 1001 .P13 S82 1996 |
ML 410 .B355 F72 1988 |
ML 410 .B36 S25 |
ML 3561 .J3 H733 |
ML 3561 .J3 K26 1966 |
Last modified: 11/02/2011
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