Using Call Numbers to Access Materials

Books are arranged on the shelves according to their call numbers which are printed on a white strip and adhered to the spine of each book. The call number acts like an address for a book or other material at the library.

To Find a Book:

Obtain the book's call number.
Determine which campus library owns the book.
Determine what library collection the book is in.
Locate the book on the shelf by following the sequence of its call number.

Most books in the University of Akron Libraries use Library of Congress (LC) Call Numbers which correspond to the Library of Congress Classification System.

LC call numbers typically begin with one or two letters followed by a number. These are followed by additional letters and numbers.

Some examples of LC call numbers are:

E98 .A65 L38
JK 467 .S52 1984
HG 2463 .C65 C6

Locations of Books with Library of Congress Call Numbers

Circulating books--books that that can be checked out--in Bierce Library which use Library of Congress call numbers are shelved on the the following floors according to the letter that begins the call number:

A through D -- Ground Floor
DA through H -- Second Floor
J through Z -- Third Floor

Some books which use Library of Congress call numbers do not circulate. Most of these non-circulating books are kept in the Reference Collection.

Books which are in the Reference Collection are labeled "Reference" on the LOCATION line in the full information given for a book on ZipLINK.
In Bierce Library, the Reference Collection is on the First Floor. Look at the Floor Maps of the University of Akron Bierce Library

In the Science & Technology Library, the Reference Collection is on the first floor.

Locations of Books Which Do Not Use Library of Congress Call Numbers

Some materials in Bierce Library do not use Library of Congress call numbers. These are materials in the Curriculum Center, in U.S. Government Documents collection, and in Audio-Visual Services.

Books in the Curriculum Center are labeled CURR CENTER on the LOCATION line in the full information given for a book on ZipLINK.

Some examples of Curriculum Center call numbers are:

B Sm51, P635
630 B684a
F Et71a

The Curriculm Center is located on the first floor of Bierce Library toward the back of the building.
More information about the Curriculum Center.

U.S. Government Documents are shelved according to Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) Numbers. These numbers can be recognized by the presence of a slash (/) or a colon (:).

Some examples are:

Y 4.ED 8/1: 100-59
TD 8.2:OC 1/17
HE 1.1:

U.S. Government Documents are labeled GOV DOC on the LOCATION line in the full information given for a book on ZipLINK. In Bierce Library, the U.S. Government Documents collection is located on the First Floor.
More information about Government Documents.

Audio-Visual materials have numbers that correspond to a type of media format (videocassette, filmstrip, phonotape, etc.).

Some examples are:

Videotape E1561
Filmstrip B2087
Compact Disc CD0778

Audio-Visual materials are labeled --- on the LOCATION line in the full information given for a book in ZipLINK. In the Bierce Library, Audio-Visual Services is located on the Ground Floor.
More information about Audio-Visual Services.

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