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COLT/UGST 109 - In Search of Belonging: Storytelling and Community (Marlan)

UO LibrarySearch - Find articles, books, and more

LibrarySearch offers a streamlined interface for finding books and other media that combines the collections of UO Libraries and Summit libraries.

UO logo with "LibrarySearch" catalog name

How to read an LC Call Number

Library of Congress (LC) Call Numbers are like an item's address to help you find where it lives on the shelf. Each letter stands for an academic discipline. In the image below, L is for Education, LD is for Individual Institutions - United States. Can you guess which institution is at LD 4363 .U55 2006

Photo of UO Libraries books on shelf

To read a call number, read the number from left to right or top to bottom as follows:

  1. Alphabetically (L before LC, LC before LD)
  2. Numerically (4363 before 4364.6)
  3. Alphabetically (.A before .B
  4. Decimal order (.A2 before .A5 or .A55
  5. (Sometimes there are more pieces in alphabetical and then numerical order here)
  6. Finally, chronologically (1985 before 1986) This is year of publication and may or may not be included.

Lastly, the shelf is organized from top to bottom in sections, so you'll zig-zag down each section zig zag arrow starting at top left and moving downward to the right and back, like the left to right direction of reading in Englishto look for your call number before moving to the next section. 

A screen capture of a book's location details indicating the location of the "locate" button near the call number

Bonus: You can also click the "Locate" option in LibrarySearch to see a floor map with the number of the shelf your item is on.

Result of "locate" item for book at call number LD 4364.6 .O73 is at Design Library, 2nd Floor, shelf #2

Want materials (e.g., books, articles) that the library doesn't have? Use Interlibrary Loan!

Submit an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request if you need something that isn't available in the UO Libraries collection and we will try to get it for you.