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Browse Items by Library of Congress Call Number

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Ruth edited this page Apr 26, 2024 · 42 revisions

The Call Number is used to organize books and similar materials on the shelf and group like items in their primary topical area/with other books. Browsing by Call Number is similar to shelf browse and one way to find books related to the book in which one was interested. The most common Call Number comes from the Library of Congress (LC) and is used for most materials. Because PSU Libraries' materials are spread across over more than two dozen physical libraries, this function allows one to see related materials (including Annexed items) in ways which aren't possible in the current catalog (which requires one to limit browse to just the current library) or on the physical shelf.

Although we have other call number schemas, began with LC and Dewey, as these were the most common and easiest (respectively).

Indexing

Our indexing process identifies base call numbers; transforming them into a way that we can use them for search/browse and movement backward/forward. This is called in the main traject but runs through a set of local processes. Relevant indexing files:

Identify Base Call Numbers

A base call number is the call number without any extra volume, number, etc. data. A record will have one or more BASE call numbers depending on how items in it are classified and shelved at our various libraries.

To identify a base call #, take the 949a fields, cut off the extra stuff at the end, and determine the 1 or more base call numbers which should be assigned for search/browse purposes:

  • If an item location ONLINE, ignore in this item call number processing
  • Exclude the following exact words or forms (as qualified) from base call numbers:
    • Beginning with xx( which are system-generated placeholders. eg. xx(32861539.1) - this should only happen for things being acquired and cataloged and so our criteria of "In the Library" should exclude it. But if not, exclude it.
    • Periodical - exact word match
  • If record has only one item, 949a is the base call number
  • If record has more than one item, uniq the call numbers (949a)
    • If only one unique call number, this is the "base" call number
    • If more than one unique call number:
      • for each unique call number cut off the extra stuff at the end - current extra stuff laid out in base call number creation
      • uniq call numbers, resulting call numbers are the "base" call numbers, process accordingly

Call Number Types

949w field

Code Type status notes URLs for guidance
LC Library of Congress in production most widely-used https://www.ipl.org/div/farq/deweyFARQ.html (scroll down); https://usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit03/libraries03_04.phtml; https://libguides.mit.edu/callnumbers
LCPER Library of Congress Periodicals in production for these purposes consider identical to LC see above
ASIS local desired think "as is." this covers a wide range of call number types we have some internal documentation but this covers many types of call number
DEWEY Dewey Decimal in production less widely used than LC here https://libguides.pratt.edu/finding-books/reading-dewey-call-numbers (has a decent overview of number components)
NLM National Library of Medicine often similar to LC https://research.lib.buffalo.edu/national-library-medicine-call-numbers
SUDOC Superintendent of Documents classification (SuDoc) desired US government documents classification https://www.fdlp.gov/cataloging-and-classification/classification-guidelines

Example Records for Call numbers

These examples reflect the logical order described above. Links are prefixed with the kind of call numbers.

Records with one item

These require no additional processing to identify the base call number.

Title Base Call # All Call #s Classification
El paria Mexicano PQ7298.413.A468P37 2018 PQ7298.413.A468P37 2018 LC
Readers' theater. Grade 3 [kit]. LB1573.7.R427 2012 Gr.3 LB1573.7.R427 2012 Gr.3 LC
Total [kit] : teacher organized training for acquisition of language LB1139.L3T6 1986 plans LB1139.L3T6 1986 plans LC
Reader's theater [kit] : how things are made LB1525.3.W552 2009 KIT2 LB1525.3.W552 2009 KIT2 LC
Consumer-operated services [kit] HE 20.427:C 76/2/KIT HE 20.427:C 76/2/KIT. SUDOC
Data sources for parameters used in predictive modeling of fire growth and smoke spread [microform] C 13.58:85-3223 C 13.58:85-3223 SUDOC
Juba dance [sound recording] Disc M14-34 Disc M14-34 ASIS
Beholden by sight Thesis 2019bMoore,A Thesis 2019bMoore,A ASIS
Laboratory measurements of permeability reduction in naturally occuring shear bands formed in unlithified sands [electronic resource] Thesis 2010mPerez,E Thesis 2010mPerez,E ASIS

Records with more than one item but ONE unique call number

(sometimes at more than one location) This unique call number is the base call number.

Title Base Call # All Call #s Classification
Beginners : the joy and transformative power of lifelong learning BF637.S4V375 2021 BF637.S4V375 2021 x 3 LC
America's religious wars : the embattled heart of our public life BL65.P7S26 2019 BL65.P7S26 2019 x 2 LC
Wolf pack PS3552.O87658W65 2019 PS3552.O87658W65 2019 x 2 LC
Born in the USA [videorecording] : Muslim Americans 63033 VHS 63033 VHS x 2 ASIS
Finansy sot͡sialisticheskoĭ promyshlennosti 332.094K634f 332.094K634f x 2 DEWEY

Records with multiple call numbers but ONE base call number

Title Base Call # All Call #s Classification
Gesammelte Werke PT2440.N4 1985 PT2440.N4 1985 Bd.1 Tbd.1; PT2440.N4 1985 Bd.1 Tbd.2 LC
Daily life of African Americans in primary documents E185.86.D34 2021 E185.86.D34 2021 v.1; E185.86.D34 2021 v.2; E185.86.D34 2021 v.1; E185.86.D34 2021 v.2 LC
Nutrient requirements of swing SF396.5.N87 SF396.5.N87 2012; SF396.5.N87 1953; SF396.5.N87 1959; SF396.5.N87 1964; SF396.5.N87 1968; SF396.5.N87 1973; SF396.5.N87 1979; SF396.5.N87 1988; SF396.5.N87 1998 LC
Applied linguistics review P129.A67 P129.A67 v.1 2010; P129.A67 v.2 2011 LC
Ukraine 1:25 000 topographic map set (this is an unsolved one because it's got location names) G7101.C2 s25.V4 G7101.C2 s25.V4 Bulganak; G7101.C2 s25.V4 Eltigen; G7101.C2 s25.V4 Kap Shelesnyj Rog; G7101.C2 s25.V4 Kap Takyl; G7101.C2 s25.V4 Kertsch; G7101.C2 s25.V4 Kossa Tschuschka; G7101.C2 s25.V4 Kutschugury; G7101.C2 s25.V4 Ljachowka; G7101.C2 s25.V4 Saporoshskaja; G7101.C2 s25.V4 Weselowka; G7101.C2 s25.V4 Wyschestebliewskaja LC
Common sense Microfilm D289 Microfilm D289 reel.30; Microfilm D289 reel.31 ASIS
Middle and junior high core collection HZ1037.W765 (various editions and years and supplement are all stripped) HZ1037.W765 13th.ed. 2018; Z1037.W765 12th.ed. 2016; Z1037.W765 11th.ed. 2014; Z1037.W765 10th.ed. 2012 suppl.; Z1037.W765 10th.ed. 2011 suppl.; Z1037.W765 10th.ed. 2010 suppl.; Z1037.W765 10th.ed. 2009 LC

Records with multiple BASE call numbers

Title Base Call #s All Call #s Classification
Legislative manual, state of Washington JK9271.A201; Micro 4 PER JK9271.A201 2019/20; JK9271.A201 2021/22; Micro 4 PER LC / ASIS
Archaeology and the religion of Israel BS1180.A34 1956; 220.091Al15a 1956; BS1180 A342a 1956 BS1180.A34 1956; 220.091Al15a 1956; BS1180 A342a 1956 LC / DEWEY / NLM

Data Ordering for Display & Search

We use a custom Solr plugin to sort call number results and make them navigable. [needs link?]

Ordering should look like:

  • KS 1002 .A59 2000
  • KS 1002 .A59 2005
  • KS 1002 .A59a 1960
  • KS 1002 .A64 2021

Dewey:

  • 746.46 CAR
  • 746.46 CHA
  • 746.461 BRI
  • 746.4612 CAR
  • 746.4613 BRI

SUDOC:

  • HE 20.427:B 87/4/2008
  • HE 20.427:C 76/2/KIT.
  • HE 20.427:H 33
  • HE 20.427:H 75/PACK.
  • HE 20.427:IL 6/KIT
  • HE 20.427:IN 7

ASIS:

  • Microfilm D302
  • Microfilm D323
  • Microfilm F401
  • Microfilm F402
  • Microfilm F402a

Search result land us on the second result of a browse result from which we can move forward and backward.

Display

Call number itself, title / author display field, location, publication info block.

Gallery / Cover image

It would be nice to have a gallery browse option like at Stanford, where they embed a small gallery of surrounding titles at the bottom of records pages.

Faceting

A nice to have would be faceting by library in case folks did want to only see what's at a particular location, however the unified shelf browse is much, much more valuable.

Examples in Other Catalogs

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