Guide to Library of Congress Call Numbers
The University of Puget Sound Library uses the Library of Congress Classification System for the general collection. Materials are arranged on the shelves by call numbers which correspond to subjects. The basic outline of call numbers is listed below. If you have any questions, please ask a librarian.
| Topic | Call Number | Topic | Call Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting | HF | Languages | P |
| Aeronautics | TL | ----American Indian | PM |
| Agriculture | S | ----Classical | PA |
| Almanacs | AY | ----English | PE |
| Anatomy, Human | QM | ----French | PC |
| Anthropology | GN | ----German | PF |
| Animal Culture | SF | ----Italian | PE |
| Aquaculture | SH | ----Spanish | PC |
| Archaeology | CC | Law | K |
| Architecture | NA | Law, International | JK |
| Art | N | Library Science | Z |
| Astronomy | QB | Linguistics | P |
| Atlases | G | Literary History | PN |
| Bacteriology | QR | Literature | |
| Bible | BS | ----American | PS |
| Bibliography | Z | ----Asian, African | PJ-PM |
| Biography | CT | ----British | PR |
| Biology | QH | ----Children's | PZ |
| Botany | QK | ----Classical | PA |
| Building Construction | TH | ----French, Italian, Spanish | PQ |
| Business | HF | ----General | PN |
| Chemistry | QD | ----Germanic | PT |
| Christianity | BR | ----Slavic | PG |
| Civilization | CB | Logic | BC |
| Clothing Manufacture | TT | Manners and Customs | GR |
| Colleges | LD-LG | Manufacturing | TS |
| Commerce | HF | Maps | G |
| Communications | P | Marriage | HQ |
| Communities, Classes, Races | HT | Mathematics | QA |
| Composition (writing) | P | Medicine | R |
| Computer Science | QA | Metallurgy | TN |
| Constitutional History | JF-JQ | Microbiology | QR |
| Cook Books | TX | Military Science | U |
| Criminology | HV | Motor Vehicles | TL |
| Dance | GV | Music | M |
| Drama | PN | ----History & Criticism | ML |
| Economics | HB-HJ | ----Instruction and Study | MT |
| ----History | HC-HD | Scores | M |
| ----Theory | HB | Natural History | QH |
| Education | L | Naval Science | V |
| ----History | LA | Novels - see Literature | |
| ----Social Aspects | LC | Nursing | RT |
| ----Theory & Practice | LB | Nutrition | RM |
| Electronics | TK | Occult | BF |
| Emigration & Immigration | JV | Oceanography | GC |
| Engineering | Oration | PN | |
| ----Chemical | TP | Oriental Languages | PJ |
| ----Civil | TA | Oriental Literature | PJ |
| ----Electrical | TK | Painting | ND |
| ----Environmental | TD | Parapsychology | BF |
| ----General | TA | Pathology | QZ |
| ----Highway | TE | Pharmacology | RM-RS |
| ----Hydraulic | TC | Pharmacy | RM-RS |
| ----Mechanical | TJ | Philosophy | B-BJ |
| ----Mining | TN | Philology (general) | P |
| ----Nuclear | TK | Photography | TR |
| Environment | GE | Physical Education | GV |
| Ethics | BJ | Physical Geography | GB |
| Family, The | HQ | Physics | QC |
| Fiction - see Literature | Physiology | QP | |
| Finance | HG | Plant Culture | SB |
| Fine Arts | N | Plays (general) | PN |
| Fish Culture & Fisheries | SH | Poetry (general) | PN |
| Folklore | GR | Political Science | J |
| Food Service | TX | ----United States | JK |
| Forestry | SD | ----Europe | JN |
| Games | GV | Political Theory | JC |
| Genealogy | CS | Psychiatry | RC |
| General Encyclopedias | AE | Psychology | BF |
| Geography | G-GC | Public Finance | HJ |
| Geology | QE | Public Health | RA |
| Government, Local | JS | Recreation | GV |
| Graphic Arts | NC | Religions | BL-BX |
| Handicrafts | TT | Rhetoric | P |
| Heraldry | CR | Romance Languages | PC |
| History | Romance Literatures | PQ | |
| ----Africa | DT | Schools | LD-LG |
| ----Australia, New Zealand | DU | Science | Q |
| ----Asia | DS | Sculpture | NB |
| ----Classical | DE | Social History | HN |
| ----France | DC | Social Sciences | H |
| ----Germany | DD | Social Welfare | HV |
| ----Greece | DF | Social Work | HV |
| ----Great Britain | DA | Socialism, Communism | HX |
| ----Italy | DG | Sociology | HM |
| ----Latin America | F | Sports | GV |
| ----North America | E-F | Statistics | HA |
| ----Russia | DK | Technology | T |
| ----Spain | DP | Theater Arts | PN |
| ----United States | E-F | Transportation | HE |
| ----World & General | D | Tourism | TX |
| Hospitality and Tourism | TX | Universities | LD-LG |
| Hotels | TX | Veterinary Medicine | SF |
| Human Sexuality | HQ | Wildlife Management | SK |
| Islam | BP | Women's Studies | HQ |
| Journalism | PN | Zoology | QL |
| Judaism | BM | ||
| Labor |
HD |
Finding a Call Number
1. Use the maps (basement, main and floors 2,3,4) to locate the first letter of the call number and go to that floor.
2. If there is more than one letter in the top line of the call number, walk along the shelves until you find them all. Call numbers are arranged H, HA, HB, HC, etc.
3. Then look for the number that is the second line of the call number.
4. Lastly, look for the remaining letters and numbers. THIS IS THE TRICKY PART! The library arranges books as if there were a decimal point before the letter in the third and fourth lines. For example:
| HG | HG |
| 23 | 23 |
| A56 | .A56 |
| L7 | .L7 |
Call numbers would be shelved in this order:
| HG | HG | HG | HG |
| 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
| A563 | A62 | A8 | A95 |
If You Can't Find A Book
If you cannot find a book, take the call number to the staff at the circulation desk (first floor) who will help you track it down. If the library doesn't own it, ask about borrowing books from other libraries.
