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Isothermal Community College Library
Last updated 3-08

Isothermal Community College
P.O. Box 804, Spindale NC 28160

(828) 286-4636  fax (828) 286-8208

For more information, contact Director of Library Services
Charles P. Wiggins
 Library Staff & Hours Interlibrary Loan
Welcome/Directory

The CMC Library Consortium

Book Collection
Periodicals


Media Collection
Special Collections


Circulation of Materials

Electronic Resources

Of Special Note

Library of Congress Classification System

Library Floor Plan

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ACA Handouts for Library Orientation

 

  Library Services for Students

The Library of Congress Classification System

The Library of Congress Classification System (LC system)
is used in Isothermal Community College Library to organize and index the library's book collections.  Each book is assigned a call number which is typed on a label and affixed to the book's spine (back edge of the book), designating the subject area which the book addresses. (See illustration at right.)

The LC system is first divided into large sections designated by letters of the alphabet: a section of A's, a section of B's, C's, D's, etc., continuing through the alphabet. Each of these is further broken down by adding a second letter to the main section letter; for instance, CA, CB, CC and so forth, and a third letter is added in a few cases.  A simple breakdown of the LC system is posted on the shelving in the Reference section and on this page (below), showing main letter combinations and the subject each represents. Alternating letters and numbers added after main letter designations break down subject areas into greater detail.  (See the sample call number breakdown in the following section.)

Knowing the letter combination that stands for a particular subject allows a person to go directly to the subject area that interests them and browse (look through) the books available there. Use of the online catalog allows a person to locate books written by a particular author, or a book with a certain title, or books on a specific subject. When a book record is located in the catalog, the person can find the book by using its call number to trace it to its exact spot on the library shelf.*  

See Page 2 for more information on using the CMC Public Access Catalog to search for material. As always, the library staff is happy to help you locate library materials if you need assistance.

 

 

Book with LC spine label


* IMPORTANT:  Remember that a book in the wrong place on the shelf is effectively LOST!  When you take a book from the shelf, but decide not to check it out, please lay it on any flat surface, like a table, carrel or the end of a shelf. Then the library staff will find it and return it to the exact spot where it can be found again.

 

LOCATING BOOKS USING THE LC SYSTEM
An example using a typical call number

Call Number:

How to Read the Elements on Each Line:

1st line:    HB Shelved alphabetically by first letter, then alphabetically by second letter.  
2nd line:    2596 Shelved numerically. (Look for "two thousand five hundred ninety-six.")     
3rd line:    .U5 Shelved alphabetically by letter, then decimally by number.
(Look for "U," then "point five.")
4th line:    D54 Shelved alphabetically by letter, then decimally by number. 
(Look for "D," then "point five four.")
5th line:    1989 Shelved chronologically in order by date. 
(Note: The date on the book spine
MAY NOT be the same as the copyright date; be sure to check the back of the book's title page for the correct copyright date when citing a source.)


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION TABLE
A
AC
AE
AG
AI 
AM
AN
AP
AS
AY
AZ

B
BC
BD
BF
BH
BJ
BL
BM
BP
BQ
BR
BS
BT
BV
BX

C
CB
CC
CD
CE
CJ
CN
CR
CS
CT

D
DA
DB
DC
DD
DE
DF
DG
DH
DJ
DJK
DK
DL
DP
DQ
DR
DS
DT
DU
DX

E

F
GENERAL WORKS
Collections. Series. Collected works.
Encyclopedias (General)
Dictionaries and other general reference books.
Indexes (General)
Museums (General)
Newspapers
Periodicals (General)
Academies and learned societies (General)
Yearbooks. Almanacs. Directories.
History of scholarship and learning

PHILOSOPHY (GENERAL)
Logic
Speculative philosophy
Psychology. Parapsychology. Occultism.
Aesthetics.
Ethics. Social usages. Etiquette.
Religions. Mythology. Rationalism.
Judaism
Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc.
Buddhism
Christianity
The Bible
Christianity: Doctrinal theology
Christianity: Practical theology
Christian denominations

AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF HISTORY (GENERAL)
History of Civilization
Archaeology (General)
Diplomatic. Archives. Seals.
Technical Chronology. Calendar.
Numismatics
Inscriptions. Epigraphy.
Heraldry
Genealogy
Biography


HISTORY (GENERAL)
Great Britain
Austria. Liechtenstein. Hungary. Czechoslovakia.
France
Germany
Mediterranean region -- Classical
Greece
Italy
Low countries: Belgium. Luxembourg.
Netherlands (Holland)
Eastern Europe
Soviet Union. Poland.
Northern Europe. Scandinavia.
Spain. Portugal.
Switzerland
Balkan Peninsula
Asia
Africa
Oceania. Australia. New Zealand.
Gypsies


AMERICA (GENERAL)


U. S. LOCAL HISTORY. CANADA. LATIN AMERICA.
    

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G
GA
GB
GC
GF
GN
GT
GV

H
HA
HB
HC
HD
HE
HF
HG
HJ
HM
HN
HQ
HS
HT
HV
HX

J
JA
JC 
JF
JK
JL
JN 
JQ
JS
JV
JX

K
KD
KDZ
KE
KF
KFN
KG
KJ

L
LA
LB
LC
LD
LE
LF
LG
LH
LJ
LT

M
ML
MT

N
NA
NB
NC
ND
NE
NK
NX

P
PA
PB
PC
PD
PE
PF
PG
PH
PJ
PK
PL
PM
PN
PQ 
PR
PS
PT
PZ
GEOGRAPHY (GENERAL). ATLASES. MAPS.
Mathematical geography. Cartography.
Physical geography
Oceanography
Human ecology. Anthropogeography.
Anthropology
Folklore. Manners and customs.
Recreation. Leisure.

SOCIAL SCIENCES (GENERAL)
Statistics
Economics
Economic history and conditions
Production. Land use. Agriculture. Industry. Labor.
Transportation and Communications
Commerce
Finance
Public finance
Sociology
Social history. Social problems. Social reform.
Family. Marriage. Women. Life Skills.
Societies: Secret, benevolent, etc. Clubs.
Communities. Classes. Races.
Social pathology. Social service. Criminology.
Socialism. Communism. Anarchism.

GENERAL LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE PAPERS
Political science (General)
Political theory. The State.
Constitutional history (General)
Constitutional history -- the states)
Constitutional history -- Canada. Latin America.
Constitutional history -- Europe
Constitutional history -- Asia. Africa. Australia. Oceania.
Local government
Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration.
International law. International relations.

LAW (GENERAL)

United Kingdom and Ireland
America. North America. Organization of American States.
Canada
United States
North Carolina
Latin America (General)
Europe

EDUCATION (GENERAL)
History of education
Theory and practice of education
Special aspects of education
Individual institutions (United States)
Individual institutions (America, except United States)
Europe
Asia. Africa. Oceania.
College and school magazines and papers
Student fraternities and societies, United States
Textbooks

MUSIC

Literature of music
Musical instruction and study

VISUAL ARTS (GENERAL)
Architecture
Sculpture
Drawing. Design. Illustration.
Painting
Print media
Decorative arts
Arts (General)

PHILOLOGY AND LINGUISTICS (GENERAL)
Classical languages and literature
Modern European languages
Romance languages
Germanic languages
English languages
West Germanic languages
Slavic. Baltic, Albanian languages and literatures.
Finno-Ugrian, Basque languages and literatures
Oriental languages and literatures
Indo-Iranian languages and literature
Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania
Hyperborean, Indian, and Artificial languages
Literature
Romance literature
English literature
American literature
Germanic literatures
Juvenile belles lettres

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Q
QA
QB
QC
QD
QE
QH
QK
QL
QM 
QP
QR

R
RA
RD
RE
RF
RG 
RJ
RK
RL
RM
RS
RT
RV
RX
RZ

S
SB
SD
SF
SH
SK

T
TA
TC
TD
TE
TF 
TG
TH
TJ
TK
TL
TN
TP
TR
TS
TT
TX

U
UA
UB
UC
UD
UE
UF
UG
UH

V
VA
VB
VC
VD
VE
VF 
VG
VK 
VM 

Z
SCIENCE (GENERAL)
Mathematics
Astronomy
Physics
Chemistry
Geology
Natural history (General). Biology (General).
Botany
Zoology
Human anatomy
Physiology
Microbiology

MEDICINE (GENERAL)
Public aspects of medicine
Surgery
Ophthalmology
Otorhinolaryngology
Gynecology and obstetrics
Pediatrics
Dentistry
Dermatology
Therapeutics. Pharmacology.
Pharmacy and materia medica
Nursing
Botanic, Thomsonian and eclectic medicine
Homeopathy
Other systems of medicine

AGRICULTURE (GENERAL)
Plant culture
Forestry
Animal culture
Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling.
Hunting

TECHNOLOGY (GENERAL)
Engineering (General)
Hydraulic engineering
Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering.
Highway engineering. Roads and pavements.
Railroad engineering and operation
Bridge engineering
Building construction
Mechanical engineering and machinery
Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering.
Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics.
Mining engineering. Metallurgy.
Chemical technology
Photography
Manufactures
Handicrafts. Arts and crafts.
Home economics

MILITARY SCIENCE
Armies
Military Administration
Maintenance and transportation
Infantry
Cavalry. Armored and mechanized cavalry.
Artillery
Military engineering. Air forces. Air warfare, signaling.
Other services 

NAVAL SCIENCE (GENERAL)
Navies
Naval administration
Naval maintenance
Naval seamen
Marines
Naval ordnance
Minor services of navies
Navigation. Merchant marine.
Naval architecture. Shipbuilding. Marine engineering. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. LIBRARY SCIENCE.

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