(Image Source: iStock Photos, Kirpal Kooner©)
Libraries use unique call numbers to organize resources by subject areas. The call number of a resource acts like a house's street address. It is a unique identifier that locates the item sequentially within a larger group of similar resources (much like the other houses on a block may have a similar design, shape, size, etc.).
The National Library of Medicine employs MARC (MAchine-Readable Cataloging) Coding to standardize the format of call numbers in bibliographic records. For information on formatting call numbers in bibliographic records, visit the NLM Policy on Classification.
NLM call number: 060 00 $a WA 540 AA1 $b B8p 1972 v. 32
In a MARC bibliographic record, an NLM call number (e.g., 060 00 $a WA 540 AA1 $b B8p 1972 v. 32) consists of the following basic components, when applicable:
Call Number Label | Example |
---|---|
Classification Number | WA 540 |
Table G (Geographic Notation) | AA1 |
Cutter Number | B8 |
Workmark | p |
Year of Publication | 1972 |
Volume or Issue Number | v. 32 (Note: volume or issue number may also precede year of publication) |
We will discuss how to determine the first two components of a call number:
Classification Number and Table G (Geographic Notation).
For information about the rest of the components of a call number, visit this page on Shelflisting Procedures.