The Library of Congress Call Number System
Books in this library are shelved according to the Library of Congress Classification System. The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a classification system that was first developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to organize and arrange the book collections of the Library of Congress. Over the course of the twentieth century, the system was adopted for use by other libraries as well, especially large academic libraries in the United States. It is currently one of the most widely used library classification systems in the world.
The system divides all knowledge into twenty-one basic classes, each identified by a single letter of the alphabet. Most of these alphabetical classes are further divided into more specific subclasses, identified by two-letter, or occasionally three-letter, combinations. Each subclass includes a loosely hierarchical arrangement of the topics pertinent to the subclass, going from the general to the more specific. Individual topics are often broken down by specific places, time periods, or bibliographic forms (such as periodicals, biographies, etc.). Each topic (often referred to as a caption) is assigned a single number or a span of numbers. Listed below are the classes (with subclasses) and their corresponding letters.
A General Works
AC Collections
AE Encyclopedias
AG Dictionaries
AI Indexes
AM Museums
AN Newspapers
AP Periodicals
AS Academies and societies
AY Yearbooks. Almanacs. Directories
AZ History of scholarship
B Philosophy Psychology Religion
B Philosophy (General)
BC Logic
BD Speculative philosophy
BF Psychology. Parapsychology. Occultism
BH Aesthetics
BJ Ethics. Social usages. Etiquette
BL Religions. Mythology
BM Judaism
BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc.
BQ Buddhism
BR Christianity
BS Bible
BT Christianity: Doctrinal theology
BV Christianity: Practical theology
BX Christian denominations
C Auxiliary Sciences of History
C General
CB History of Civilization
CC Archaeology
CD Diplomatics. Archives. Seals
CE Technical chronology. Calendar
CJ Numismatics
CN Inscriptions. Epigraphy
CR Heraldry
CS Genealogy
CT Biography
D History: General and Old World
D General
DA Great Britain
DB Austria. Hungary. Czechoslovakia
DC France
DD Germany
DE Mediterranean region - Classical
DF Greece
DG Italy
DH Low Countries: Belgium. Luxemburg
DJ Netherlands (Holland)
DJK Eastern Europe
DK Soviet Union. Poland
DL Northern Europe. Scandinavia
DP Spain. Portugal
DQ Switzerland
DR Balkan Peninsula. Turkey
DS Asia
DT Africa
DU Oceania. Australia. New Zealand
DX Gypsies
E-F History: Western Hemisphere
E America
F U. S. local history. Canada. Latin America
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation
G General. Atlases. Maps
GA Mathematical geography. Cartography
GB Physical geography
GC Oceanography
GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography
GN Anthropology
GR Folklore
GT Manners and customs
GV Recreation. Sports. Games
H Social Sciences
H General
HA Statistics
HB Economics
HC Economic History
HD Land. Agriculture. Industry. Labor
HE Transportation and communications
HF Commerce
HG Finance
HJ Public finance
HM Sociology
HN Social History
HQ Family. Marriage. Women
HS Societies. Clubs
HT Communities. Classes. Races
HV Social pathology. Social service. Criminology
HX Socialism. Communism
J Political Science
J General legislative and executive papers
JA Political science - General
JC Political theory. The state
JF Constitutional history - General
JK Constitutional history - United States
JL Constitutional history - Canada. Latin America
JN Constitutional history - Europe
JQ Constitutional history - Asia. Africa. Australia. Oceania
JS Local government
JV Colonies and colonization
JX International law. International relations
K Law
K General
KD United Kingdom and Ireland
KDZ America. North America. OAS
KE Canada
KF United States
KG-KH Latin America
KJ-KK Europe
L Education
L General
LA History of education
LB Theory and practice of education
LC Special aspects of education
LD Individual institutions - United States
LE Individual institutions - Other Americas
LF Individual institutions - Europe
LG Individual institutions - Asia. Africa. Oceania
LH College publications
LJ Student fraternities and sororities
LT Textbooks
M Music
M General
ML Literature of music
MT Music instruction
N Fine Arts
N Visual arts (General)
NA Architecture
NB Sculpture
NC Drawing
ND Painting
NE Print media
NK Decorative arts. Applied arts
NX Arts in general
P Language and Literature
P Philology and linguistics
PA Classical languages and literature
PB Celtic languages
PC Romance languages
PD Germanic languages. Scandinavian languages
PE English language
PF West Germanic languages. Dutch. German
PG Slavic, Baltic, Armenian languages and literature
PH Finno-Ugrian languages and literature
PJ Oriental languages and literatures
PK Indo-Iranian languages and literatures
PL East Asian languages and literatures
PM American Indian languages. Artificial languages
PN Literature. General literary history and collections. Performing arts.
PQ Romance literatures
PR English literature
PS American literature
PT Germanic literatures
PZ Juvenile belle lettres
Q Science
Q General
QA Mathematics
QB Astronomy
QC Physics
QD Chemistry
QE Geology
QH Natural History. Biology
QK Botany
QL Zoology
QM Human anatomy
QP Physiology
QR Microbiology
R Medicine
R General
RA Public aspects of medicine
RB Pathology
RC Internal medicine
RD Surgery
RE Ophthalmology
RF Otorhinolaryngology
RG Gynecology and obstetrics
RJ Pediatrics
RK Dentistry
RL Dermatology
RM Therapeutics. Pharmacology
RS Pharmacy. Materia medica
RT Nursing
RV Botanic, Thomsonian, eclectic medicine
RX Homeopathy
RZ Other systems of medicine
S Agriculture
S General
SB Plant culture
SD Forestry
SF Animal culture
SH Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling
SK Hunting
T Technology
T General
TA Engineering - General and civil
TC Hydraulic engineering
TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
TE Highway engineering
TF Railroad engineering
TG Bridge construction
TH Building construction
TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
TK Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering
TL Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics
TN Mining engineering
TP Chemical technology
TR Photography
TS Manufactures
TT Handicrafts. Arts and crafts
TX Home economics
U Military Science
U General
UA Armies
UB Military administration
UC Maintenance and transportation
UD Infantry
UE Cavalry. Armored cavalry
UF Artillery
UG Military engineering. Air forces. Air warfare
UH Other services
V Naval Science
V General
VA Navies
VC Naval maintenance
VD Naval seamen
VE Marines
VF Naval ordinance
VG Minor services of navies
VK Navigation. Merchant marine
VM Naval architecture. Marine engineering
Z Bibliography: Library Science
Z Books. Book industries. Library science. Bibliography
Library of Congress call numbers grow more and more detailed when divided into topics and subtopics.
Understanding Library of Congress Call Numbers
Because materials are classified by subject, you can often find similar books located next to one another on the shelf. Physically browsing the shelves, therefore, can be very productive if you are looking for books on the same subject.
Library of Congress call numbers are arranged alphabetically and numerically. Read call numbers from left to right and from top to bottom.
Letters in the first line of the call number are alphabetical:
H45
.E37
1984
HA155
.A5
1944
HB21
.A33
1982
HC13
.S47
1990
Numbers in the first line of the call number are in numerical order:
B53
.D476
1990
B785
.L44
M67
1991
B1201
.B44
W64
1997
B1246
.R66
1986
Letters in the second line are alphabetical:
KF240
.B265
1981
KF240
.C538
1989
Numbers in the second line of the call number are in decimal order. It is important to remember that there is an “invisible” decimal point between the letter and the number:
L901
.C33
L901
.C34
1971
L901
.C343
1976
L901
.C37
1996
There may be a third line of letters and numbers. These will also be in alphabetical and decimal number order.
The last line of a call number may be a year. This indicates the publication date.
Catalog Records and indexed fields
A short history of Asia
Mason, Colin, 1926-
