BOOK NUMBERS
Since the publication of the Library of Congress book number (previously called author number) table in Cataloging Service Bulletin 104, p. 7-8, a third letter table (no. 5 below) has been developed and is being applied in the Shelflisting Section. The following is the full text of the latest revision of the table:
Library of Congress call numbers consist, in general, of two [sic. now 3] principle elements: class number and book number [and date of publication] , to which are added, as required, symbols designating a particular work.
Library of Congress book numbers are composed of the initial letter of the main entry heading, followed by Arabic numerals representing the succeeding letters on the following basis:
| After initial vowels | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the second letter: | b | d | l-m | n | p | r | s-t | u-y | |
| use number: | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| After the initial letter S | |||||||||
| For the second letter: | a | ch | e | h-i | m-p | t | u | w-z | |
| use number: | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| After the inital letters Qu | |||||||||
| For the third letter: | a | e | i | o | r | y | |||
| use number: | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | |||
| For names beginning Qa-Qt | |||||||||
| use: | 2-29 | ||||||||
| After other initial consonants | |||||||||
| For the second letter: | a | e | i | o | r | u | y | ||
| use number: | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||
| When an additional number is preferred | |||||||||
| For the third letter: | a-d | e-h | i-l | m | n-q | r-t | u-w | x-z | |
| use number: | 2* | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| * (optional for third letter a or b) | |||||||||
The arrangements in the following examples illustrate some possible applications of these tables:
Names beginning with vowels:
| Abernathy | .A2 |
| Adams | .A3 |
| Aldrich | .A4 |
| Ames | .A45 |
| Appleby | .A6 |
| Archer | .A7 |
| Astor | .A84 |
| Atwater | .A87 |
| Austin | .A9 |
| Quadriri | .Q2 |
| Quabbe | .Q3 |
| Quick | .Q5 |
| Queist | .Q6 |
| Qureshi | .Q7 |
| Quynn | .Q9 |
| Saint | .S2 |
| Schaefer | .S3 |
| Seaton | .S4 |
| Shank | .S45 |
| Simmons | .S5 |
| Smith | .S6 |
| Southerland | .S64 |
| Springer | .S66 |
| Steel | .S7 |
| Storch | .S75 |
| Sturges | .S8 |
| Sullivan | .S9 |
| Carter | .C3(7) |
| Cecil | .C4(2) |
| Childs | .C45 |
| Cinelli | .C5(6) |
| Corbett | .C6(7) |
| Croft | .C7(6) |
| Cullen | .C8(4) |
| Cypress | .C9(6) |
| Cabot | .C3 |
| Cadmus | .C32 |
| Caffrey | .C33 |
| Callahan | .C34 |
| Campbell | .C35 |
| Cannon | .C36 |
| Carter | .C37 |
| Cavelli | .C38 |
| Cazalas | .C39 |