Locating Books, Idaho State University Library

Locating a Specific Book

Books in the ISU Library are organized by the Library of Congress Classification system, which organizes books by subject matter. When you search the Library Catalog write down the call number of the book, e.g. QA76.5 F76 and the location, e.g. Main Book Collection (2nd Floor), Media Center (Basement), First Floor by Law Collection. To find this book on the shelf, follow the steps below:

The breakdown of the call number of Neil Frude's The Intimate Machine would be:
QA       (Q — Science; A — Mathematics)
76.5     (number assigned to digital computers)
F76      (designates the specific author or title)

Most of the books that can be checked out from the Library are located on the second floor. Books are arranged by call number in alphabetical order by the call number's first one or two letters, then by the numbers following the letters, then by the letter-number combination.

When locating the book The Intimate Machine with call number
QA
76.5
F76

First look for the letters on the first line:  QA
Then the number:  76.5
Then the third line, which will begin with a letter, followed by a number:  F76

Books are arranged first by the letter(s) on the first line:

Q	QA	QL
173	76.5	776
R73	F76	H33

Books with the same classification letter or letters (first line) are then arranged numerically by the second part:

QA	QA	QA
13	76.5	809
K63	F76	R47

Then by the third line alphabetically and then numerically.

QA	QA	QA
76.5	76.5	76.5
A32	F76	P62

Note: Beginning with the third line of the call number, numbers are to be read as if they had a decimal point in front of them. For Example: K33 then K67 then K8 because .33 and .67 are both smaller than .8 (.80). This is the order in which books with the following call numbers will appear on the shelf:

QA	QA	QA
76.5	76.5	76.5
K33	K67	K8