Main Classification Scheme - Obsolete (reference page only)

** STARTING FY22, THE RARE BOOK SECTION WILL IMPLEMENT USING ACCESSION NUMBERS AS CALL NUMBERS AND WILL NO LONGER CLASSIFY ITEMS AS OUTLINED BELOW. **

In general, class by nationality of the author. If the author is considered less important than some other aspect of the work, class by that aspect, e.g. by content (contribution by a specific author), by translator, by copy-specific feature (book from an author's library), etc. Duplicate copies of the same work normally receive the same call number, with added copy designation, though they may be classed separately as desired.

Call number elements

Call numbers generally have 3 elements, each separated by a period with no space. Additional elements, e.g. size and copy designations, are prefixed or appended as necessary.

f EC85.St487.883t (B)

Periods are omitted when the call number is written vertically, e.g. on a label.

f EC85
St487
883t
(B)

First element

First element of call number from above, plus number for century in which an author flourished (AC7 = an American author of the 18th century; AC8 = an American author of the first half of the 19th century; AC85 = an American author of the second half of the 19th century; etc.). Do not add a number to MLC, OGC, OLC classes.

Some classifications are divided more specifically, as needed:

Second element

Second element of call number: first letter of author's surname + four Cutter numbers derived from C.A. Cutter's Three-figure author table (hard copies of which abound in TS).

Identify the 3-digit number that is appropriate - chose the number that correlates with the letters that would appear just before the main entry rather than after. Then, for most classes, add a fourth digit that makes sense in the index. 

L5852 = Lewis, Benjamin

L5853 = Lewis, Charles

L5862 = Lewis, George

Names beginning with vowels or the letter S require the first 2 letters of author's surname:

An230 = Anderson, Albert

Sm521 = Smith, Benjamin

Names beginning with the letters Sc require the first 3 letters of author's surname:

Sch542 = Schmidt, Heinrich

Some author Cutters established early on have only 2 or 3 numbers; these may be expanded and works re-classed if deemed necessary, but generally do not re-class. Use 5 Cutter numbers when necessary to interpolate a new author.

In the case of anonymous works, or when classifying tract volumes, use the Cutter number A100.

Third element

Third element of call number: consult Author Arrangement Scheme.

Individual works of an author: use the last 3 digits of the year of publication of the first edition + the first letter of the first word of the title (excluding articles).

883t = first edition of Stevenson's Treasure Island, 1883

883tb = 2nd edition, 1884

883tf = 6th edition, 1885

The second letter following the date reflects the sequence of editions according to the alphabet (b = 2nd, c = 3rd, d = 4th, etc.).

States and issues are distinguished by the letter a as a second letter, thus: 883ta = 2nd issue of the 1st edition, 883taa = 3rd issue of the 1st edition, 883tab = 4th issue of the first edition, 883tac = 5th issue of the 1st edition, etc.

For works published in 2000 or later, add the entire year date, thus: 2002t. If 2 works would otherwise have identical call numbers, add a sequential number at the end, thus: 883t2. When the edition/issue for the book-in-hand cannot be determined, use a "u" (=unknown, then "u2", "u3", etc., if more than one) in place of a letter for the edition or issue (ex., 883tu). [Note: This is more effective for earlier books and may need reconsidering for modern books in the future. ]

In the case of translations, the letter appended to the last 3 digits of the years of publication is taken from the first letter of the translator's surname. If the translator is not known, use the first letter of the title.

An exception is made to the normal treatment of the 3d element of the call number in the case of very popular works that went through more editions than there are letters of the alphabet, or when it is not possible to establish the sequence of editions. An example is Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield. For this work, a distinguishing letter (V) is added to the Goldsmith Cutter number, which then becomes G5745V, and the third element of the call number becomes the full publication date of the edition in hand, thus: EC75.G5745V.1768. Small letters of the alphabet distinguish editions published in the same year, thus: 1768b, 1768c, etc.

Sometimes an author attribution will change, or the authorized form of an author's name will be changed to such an extent that the original Cutter number no longer applies. In general, do not reclassify previously classified works or change a previously established Cutter number if more than a few works are involved.

Fourth element

A fourth element is added to the call number when it is necessary to indicate that the library has more than one copy of a work, thus: (A), (B), (C), etc. A fourth element may also be added when it is necessary to analyze part of an individual volume of a work in more than one volume, thus: v.1, v.2, v.3, etc.

Facsimiles are classed for the original; the element (facs) is added to distinguish a facsimile edition from the original work.

When distinct titles are issued as a boxed set and Houghton decides at some point to keep them in separate boxes for conservation reasons under the same call number (for ease of discovery and retrieval), attaching volume or part numbers as a fourth element may be misleading; hence, attach numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) at the end of the third element (e.g., 1866a1, 1866a2) of the same call number to designate distinct titles as a set to be kept together on the shelf but no longer reside in the same box.

Size designations

Certain preliminary lower-case letters are to be used before the asterisk and the first letter of the first element of the call number when the size of the book being cataloged falls outside the limits of from 10 to 28 centimeters (top to bottom binding measurement):

Other, less commonly-used designations:

Other location designations may be appended to the call number as necessary to identify a book not shelved by its call number, e.g. Lobby IX.2.6. Such designations are not part of the call number. 

Broadsides

Broadsides require the changing of the second letter of the call number from C to B, thus: AB7.

Consult Acquisitions and Accessioning policy for location and size designations of broadsides.

Broadside ballads

Broadside ballads require a double B, thus: EBB7
(These require no second or third elements in the call number, since they are filed alphabetically by title in broadside boxes.)

Serial publications

Serial publications require the changing of the second letter of the call number from C to P, thus: AP7

(The second element of the call number is the Cutter number for the title of the serial; no third element is required.)

Almanacs

Almanacs require the changing of the second letter of the call number from C to P, plus a third
letter A, thus: APA

The second element consists of a letter for the title and a 3-digit Cutter number followed by another letter for a key word later on in the title:

GPA.M973A = Musikalischer Almanach
GPA.M973D = Musikalischer Almanach für Deutschland
GPA.M973O = Musikalischer Almanach für Oesterreich

In cases where a number of almanacs for the same year have been bound together, the second element will be A100, and a third element consisting of the 4-digit year is added, e.g. EPA.A100.1683 for a volume of English almanacs for the year 1683.

It may also be desirable to class yearbooks, keepsakes, and the like in this manner rather than intershelving them with serials.

Bound-withs

Volumes containing two or more works bound together should be classed as seems most appropriate, i.e. why did Houghton acquire the volume? Options include: for the first work in the volume, for the most significant work in the volume, for the provenance (i.e. classed as a book from someone's library), or as a binding collection (see under B on next page).

REFERENCE NOTES:

Historically, asterisks were included at the front and back of many Houghton call numbers (to distinguish them in the union card catalog); this is no longer being done. When a cataloger finds a call number containing an asterisk, that asterisk should be removed.

Also, many Houghton call numbers had their size designation at the end of the call number. To manage electronic files such as Aleph and Aeon, size designations have been moved to $$c (Sublocation) in the 852. If a cataloger should find a size designation at the end of a call number, it should be moved to $$c.