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. 

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.
  • The string of letters and numbers listed after the location is the call number. In this example the call number is HD7333 .A3 R445 2013. HD signifies a book about business and economics, and the following numbers further specify the focus, author, and year of publication.

Using call numbers to find a book in Tisch Library

  1. After you know the call number, you can go directly to the book stacks in Tisch Library and use the shelf labels and posted signage to find the section your book is located in. 
  2. Once you find the correct range, 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.