Stacking up Systems
Which one does your library use?
Libraries put books on shelves, called stacks, where books on the same subject next to each other. For example, books about gardening sit next to each other, books by Shakespeare are together, and books about car repair are together.
To keep track of all the subjects, libraries use a classification system. There are two main classification systems:
- The Library of Congress System is used by most university and some college libraries.
- The Dewey Decimal System is used by public libraries and some college libraries.
Both of these systems use call numbers to identify individual books. Call numbers are printed on labels and attached to each book in the library.
Like snowflakes, no two call numbers are alike. Each one is unique to a specific book.
