SHELVING LIBRARY BOOKS & OTHER LIBRARY MATERIALS
- Fill out shelving sheet. Shelve books with spine horitzontal to check for correct book placement.
- Verify bar code numbers on each media resource before shelving.
- Make sure you put the call # prefix.
Call # Prefixes: REF PROF ALABAMA COLLEGE HB CAREER AV
When books are placed on the Student Shelf, they are ready to be shelved. The first line of the call number always determines the section of the library where the book is to be shelved. Consult your shelving guideline for additional information.
FICTION BOOKS - The first line of the call number for a fiction book will be the letters FIC.
- Arrange the books in the Fiction Section alphabetically by the author's name (last name first).
- If the last name is the same for two or more authors, then further arrange the fiction books alphabetically by the authors' first names.
- If two or more books are written by the same author, then further arrange them alphabetically by the title of the book (omitting a, an, or the if either begins the title).
EXAMPLE
FIC Kerr, M. E.
KERR The son of someone famous. Harper, 1974. 226p.
FIC Kerr, M. E.
KERR Stealing Lillian. McKay, 1975. 279p.
FIC Kerr, M. E.
KERR What I really think of you. Harper & Row, c1982, 208p.
FIC Kerr, M. S.
KERR The Stuart legacy. Faucett, c1973. 224p.
NON-FICTION BOOKS
The number part of the call number (first line of the call number) on a non-fiction book is always a Dewey Decimal Classification number. A Dewey Decimal Classification number always has at least three digits. They are arranged from the smallest number to the largest number. See the example below.
599 608 620 621 624
Longer Dewey Numbers
There is a quick way to check which number comes first when numbers are longer than others. Assume one or more zeros are added to the shorter numbers. See example below.
629.13 comes before 629.2 because .13 is smaller than .20 -- Assume that 629.2 had a zero added (629.20). The following Dewey Decimal Classification numbers are in the proper order.
891.7 909 913 913.35 913.4 914.2 920
The Decimal Point
After the third digit in the whole number, there is a decimal point before any more digits are added. Dewey Decimal Classification numbers with decimal points come between whole numbers. See the example below.
973 973.1 973.3 974
Complete Non-Fiction Call Numbers
The complete non-fiction call number is as follows:
919 (Dewey Decimal Classification Number on the first line)
BEN (first three letters of the author's name on the second line)
When shelving non-fiction books, you must keep the following things in mind at all times.
- First arrange the books in numerical order by the first line of the call number.
- Second, if there is more than one book with the same first line, alphabetize them by the author's full name (last name first). If there is no author's name, the first three letters on the second line will represent the title of the book. See the example below.
919
BEN Benjamin, Art After the fact.
BEN Benjamin, Ronald After the fact.
3. Thirdly, if the Dewey Decimal Classification number and the author's name are all the same,
further arrange the books in shelf order by the title. See the example below.
919
BEN Benjamin, Art After the fact.
919
BEN Benjamin, Art In the beginning.
INDIVIDUAL BIOGRAPHIES
An individual biography usually has B, 92, or 921 as the first line of the call number. At BTW, we use 92. The second line of the call number represents the subject's last name (the subject is the person the book is about). The third line of the call number represents the author's last name and first initial.
92
KENNEDY John F. Kennedy
All individual biography books are shelved alphabetically by the subject's name (last name first). If there is more than one book on the same subject, then further alphabetize the books by the author's name. If that author has written more than one book on the subject, further alphabetize the books by their titles. See the example below.
92
KENNEDY Langley, Andrew John F. Kennedy.
Langley
92
KENNEDY Lincoln, Evelyn Kennedy and Johnson
Lincoln
92
KENNEDY Lincoln, Evelyn My twelve years with John F. Kennedy.
Lincoln
COLLECTIVE BIOGRAPHY BOOKS
The first line of the call number for a collective biography book has the Dewey Decimal Classification number 920. The second line of the call number represents the first three letters of the author's last name or the first three letters of the title of the book if there is no author. See the example below.
920 (Dewey Decimal Classification Number)
AND (first three letters of the author's last name or title)
All collective biography books are shelved exactly like any other non-fiction books. Refer to that section of this handout if you need further instructions.
COLLEGE HANDBOOKS /CAREER BOOKS
All college handbooks are shelved exactly like any other non-fiction books. Refer to that section of this handout if you need further instructions.
ALABAMA COLLECTION
The Alabama Collection includes Non-Fiction, Fiction, and Individual Biographies.
They are grouped according to type: Non-Fiction, Fiction, Individual Biography
The top line on the spine of these books is ALABAMA. These books are shelved like other non-fiction, fiction, and individual biography books.
ROOM RESERVE
All Room Reserve books are shelved exactly like any other non-fiction books. Refer to that section of this handout if you need further instructions.
REFERENCE BOOKS
Arrange all reference books in the same order as all other non-fiction books. The first line of the call number will be REF and there will be a red reference sticker on the spine. Please shelve these books in the Reference Section only. When reference books are classified as sets of books (encyclopedias, biographical dictionaries, critical essays, etc.), further arrange them in numerical order by their volume numbers (Vol. 1, Vol. 2, etc.). See the example of a reference book call number below.
REF (represents reference book)
808.02 (Dewey Decimal Classification number)
ACH (represents author's last name or first three letters of the title)
PROFESSIONAL COLLECTION
Profession Collection books are those books designated for professional growth and are mainly used by the faculty and staff. However, students are permitted to check out these books. They are located in the power aisle. An example of a call number for a professional collection book is as follows.
PROF (represents professional collection)
808.02 (Dewey Decimal Classification number)
ACH (author's last name or first three letters of the title)
Professional Collection books are shelves like all other non-fiction books.
PERIODICALS
All back issue periodicals (magazines) are arranged in boxes, first alphabetically by their titles then chronologically by the years. They are located in the Periodical Storage. Remember you should think left to right each time you shelve periodicals. In the example below the example will flow from top to bottom. However, you should think of the top as the left and bottom as the right.
Alabama Magazine
1991
January to December
1992
January to December
Better Homes and Gardens
1989
January to December
1990
January to December
When shelving periodicals, it is very important that you return the periodical to its properly labeled storage box (the box will have the title of the periodical and the dates of the periodical which are included). If you are not certain you are shelving periodicals correctly, please ask the librarian for assistance.
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