Call numbers

About call numbers

A call number is a combination of letters and numbers that is assigned to each circulating print book in Tisch Library using the Library of Congress Classification. You can find a book's call number on a label on its spine and in its record in JumboSearch. It tells you the book's subject and precise location in the stacks, or the designated shelving. Call numbers are universal across all libraries that use the Library of Congress system; a book’s specific call number will be similar in any institution that owns it. Handouts of the Library of Congress subject guide can be obtained at the front desk in Tisch Library.

Finding call numbers in JumboSearch 

  1. If you know a book’s title, author, and/or subject, but not its call number, you can look for it in JumboSearch, Tufts libraries’ searchable database.
  2. Go to the Tisch Library home page or JumboSearch’s direct website and input your search keywords. If the item you are looking for is in our collection, it will be displayed in the search results.
  3. If Tisch Library has a print copy of the book located in the library, you will see several pieces of information about the book's availability and location.
    Details for locating a print book found via JumboSearch
  • "Available at Tisch Library" - means that the book is currently available to be checked out. If the item is exclusively available online, or is not available, that will be noted here.
  • Book Stacks - tells you where in the library the book is located. Most of our materials can be found in the Tisch main stacks, located on Level 1 of the library.

Reading call numbers

Using the book above as an example, the call number is read as follows: 

HDThe first line of the call number contains letters, which signify the overall subject of the book. The first letter is the broadest subject, while second or third letters signify the more specific topics of the book. "H" is the Library of Congress call number signifying the social sciences, and "HD" is business and economics, which falls under the social science umbrella.
7333The numbers in the second line further define the subject of the book. Books in the HD7333 range fall under "industrial welfare."
R445The third line of the call number is sometimes call the Cutter Number. This line refers to the author or title of the book to differentiate it from other books on the same subject. In this case, the "R" in the line refers to the book's title, Retrofitting the built environment.
2013This is the year that the book was published. Tisch may have multiple editions of the same book, which will be differentiated by the year at the end of the call number.

Using call numbers to find a book in Tisch Library

  1. Once you know the call number of the item you want, you can go directly to the book stacks in Tisch Library and use the shelf labels and posted signage to find the section where your book is located.
  2. You will see the labels on the books’ spines containing their call numbers. Books are shelved in alphanumerical order according to call number, so by following the shelving range from left to right, you can move down the alphabet and find your book.
  3. Having trouble finding your item? Ask the front desk for assistance, and we'll be happy to help!

 

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