Libraries use classification systems to arrange related materials on the shelves. One that you might be familiar with from your local school or public library is the Dewey Decimal System. We use a different system here at MtA called the Library of Congress system, and it is one you can expect to see in university and academic libraries across North America.
To help identify materials within the classification system and to help locate them on the shelf, each item has a call number, which is a series of letters and numbers which acts like an address you can use to go find it on the shelf. Let's see how they work!
| ML | The first line with a letter or letters indicates the class of material. Almost everything you will see in the Music Library is classed under M (M for scores, ML for books about music, and MT for music theory & technique). You'll see other letter classes in the R.P. Bell Library. |
| 205 | The first set of numbers is a sub-class which groups related materials together. Read it as a whole number (e.g., 205, 206, 210, 256) |
| .M8 | The third line will start with a decimal and include letters and numbers. This is the Cutter number and helps alphabetical filing within the subclass. Read these alphabetically by letter and then like a decimal for the numbers (e.g., .M6, .M63, .M639, .M72, .M78, .M9) Sometimes there will be a second cutter number. Treat this with the same rules as the first |
| 1995 | The final line will indicate the year of publication |
Here are some more call numbers as they would appear in shelf order:
| M | M | M | M | ML | ML |
| 452 | 457.4 | 1001 | 1001 | 410 | 410 |
| .C327 | .N44 | .M7 | .M92 | .C54 | .C54 |
| E54 | P5 | T43 | K. 85 | Z3189 | Z33 |
| 1958 | 1966 | 1940 | 1978 | 1996 | 1980 |