General and Background Reading--Choosing a Call No. from Copy--Verifying the Call No. Construction-- Local, Temp. Call Nos.--Shelflisting--Marc Tagging of Call No.--Writing the Call Number
All new materials are classified by the Cataloging Unit in the Library of Congress Classification scheme, according to the Subject Cataloging Manual : Classification (SCM:Class) and the Subject Cataloging Manual : Shelflisting (SCM:SL), both now available on Cataloger's Desktop.
Relevant pages from the Subject Cataloging Manuals that were included in the Cataloging Manual Print Supplement are now available in Cataloger's Desktop. Please read: SCM:Class section 10, and SCM:SL sections G060 and G140.
First choice: LC call numbers in an 050 field. These are assigned by LC or another agency according to LC practice, and should be accepted as is, after verification in the schedules. If there is a potential conflict between the call number in the 050 and call numbers in our shelflist:
Second choice: LC call numbers assigned by agencies locally. These are in the CALL field or LCAL field of the RLIN HOLdings screen. These call numbers must be carefully verified against LC Classification Schedules and, if necessary, the SCMs to confirm that they have been constructed correctly.
Do Not choose:
Use with caution:
If you have a call number in an 050 field, verify it in the schedules and check it against our local classification policies. If it follows our local policies, skip to the Shelflisting section. If it doesn't, assign a call number according to our local policies or give the item to the Cataloging Librarian.
If you have an LC call number in a CALL or LCAL field, or a choice of different call numbers in these fields in different records, its construction must be carefully verified.
Verification usually consists of three steps to see that it correctly relates to the subject matter of the item, has the correct alpha-numeric sequence, correct cutters, correct number of cutters, etc.:
But it's the only use of that call number in our library? Sometimes an item will be shelved in our library looking like it's the only one in that area; since we are a specialized library, this will happen. Usually the schedules will show you if that item really belongs in that area or not. However, sometimes the call number is just wrong, or old, or there's another problem.
Do not assign a call number that is listed in the schedules within a parentheses, e.g.:
Islamic law (Fiqh)
(140) Periodicals. Societies, etc.
(141) Collections
These call numbers have been canceled; they are no longer valid, no longer used by LC, and should never be assigned. They are still listed in the schedules, because some libraries have chosen not to reclassify their collections, or are continuing to assign those numbers to some materials. (In this particular case, LC hasn't created a class schedule to replace BP140! See below!)
Not all of the law schedules have been written. When LC puts "LAW" in the 050 field of their records, it's because the appropriate class schedule hadn't been written at the time the item was cataloged.
In our library, we have materials with numbers like "KJ M25" or "KJ0 M25" for areas where the schedules weren't written at the time the items were cataloged.
When this is the case, the 050 will say "LAW" and other libraries' call numbers will tend to vary wildly, or the call number may not relate to the primary subject heading of the book. Give these to the Cataloging Librarian, as candidates for a temporary call number.
Temporary call numbers assigned since Jan. 1, 1994, will always begin with an alphanumeric sequence, and will always end with "temp. call no." They are being tracked in a file called "Future Projects: Reclassification."
Canon Law KCB Islamic Law KCL Jewish Law KCN
Example:
AUTHOR De Seife, Rodolphe J. A TITLE The shar'ia : an introduction to the law of the Islam / Rodolphe J.A. De Seife CALL NUMBER KCL447|b.S537 1994 temp. call no
Avoiding conflicts: Do not ever assign the same entire call number to two items. The difference may exist at the volume or copy number level, but there must be a difference. Try to shelflist according to LC Filing Rules. This is the ideal, but in tight areas it's awfully hard to achieve.
Call numbers are generally formatted according to the following examples in the CALL field on the RLIN HOLdings screen (these may not be real, they're for illustration purposes only):
KF7865$b.N75 1999 (One cutter) Z4563.4$b.P66 1995 (One cutter after a decimal) HQ798.J754$bF46 1990 (Two cutters) F456.34.L86$bH33 1987 ( Two cutters after a decimal) KWX897.4$b.H56 1987 v.3:4 Suppl.2 (Volume, etc., info after the call no.) KCL453$b.L43 1993 temp. call no. (Our local, temp. call no.)
Write the call number on the item's title page verso, or front page, as appropriate, as follows:
Ref KF 6789 K38 F45 1994 v.1:3 c.2
Note: Any location other than "law" is noted at
the top of the call number.
Note: Special shelving locations, e.g., "Shelved in Library Director's
Office," are written above the call number.
Note: Barcodes will be inserted in the items at the point of labeling.