Villa Maria College Library, like many academic libraries in the U.S., uses Library of Congress Classification for call numbers. This system uses a combination of letters and numbers to arrange materials by subjects.

Reading Call Numbers

What does the call number mean?

Remember that Library of Congress Classification arranges materials by subjects. The first sections of the call number represent the subject of the book. The letter-and-decimal section of the call number often represents the author's last name. And, as you recall, the last section of a call number is often the date of publication.
example:

Why is this important to know?

Because books are classified by subject, you can often find several helpful books on the same shelf, or nearby. For example, within the same call number LB2395, there are other guides for college study.

Location Suffixes

Many books have call numbers that start with a suffix that provides you with location information on where a book is shelved in the Library.

example: AG243 .G87 1992 Ref

The Ref suffix indicates that this book is shelved in the Reference Collection.

Location suffixes mean that book is shelved in a special place, and may have loan restrictions. The most commonly encountered location suffixes at Villa Maria College Library are listed below.