Feeling overwhelmed? Don't worry! It really is as easy as One, Two, Three! One signifies the Subject, Two signifies the Cutter, and Three helps with the Extra Stuff! Each line gets more specific.
The Subject covers broad concepts: music, history, science. They also denote subtopics: jazz, WWII, physics, respectively. This will help you find the topic you're looking for.
The Cutter gives information specific to a book: author, title, language, etc. This will help you find the book you're looking for.
The Extra Stuff covers information like year published and the copy or volume number. This will help you find a specific book as sometimes we have multiple editions, copies, or volumes that can be found under the same call number.
The Oxford Companion to Jazz by
Jazz and its colorful, expansive history resonate in this unique collection of 60 essays specially-commissioned from today's top jazz performers, writers, and scholars. The Oxford Companion to Jazz will provide a quick reference source as well as a dynamic and broad overview for all lovers of jazz, from novices to aficionados.
This Blessed Earth by
Following the Hammonds from harvest to harvest, Ted Genoways explores the rapidly changing world of small, traditional farming operations.
Carry On by
Leroy Sutton, who lost his legs in a childhood train accident, could often be found riding on the back of Dartanyon Crockett, who was legally blind and had no permanent place to call home. Initially drawn together by their handicaps, the boys soon developed a brother-like bond. More than a story of two underdogs overcoming innumerable hardships, Carry On is a touching tale of an unlikely family forged through barriers of race, class, and disability. It is a powerful memoir about grit, love, hope, and faith—and the courage to carry on, even in the most extraordinary circumstances.
Let's use "The Oxford Companion to Jazz" as an example. Its call number is "ML3507 .O94 2000", as seen in the image on the right.
| Cutter: | What is it? | What does it mean? |
|---|---|---|
| ML | General subject | M- music; ML- literature of music |
| 3507 | Specific subject | ML3469-3541- Popular music |
| .O94 | 1st cutter, author | Based on the author's name; "Oxford" |
| 2000 | Year | Usually the year the book was published |
You may notice that while Oxford itself is not the author, they are credited as one. When a book is written in collaboration with multiple authors, you may see the editor (Bill Kirchner in this case) or the publisher (Oxford University Press.) With this book, the publisher was credited.
Another example, This Blessed Earth, has a more complex cutter. Most cutters will only have four lines but this one has six. One of the extra lines indicates multiple copies, this one being the fifth of its kind. (This is also where you would find the volume number of a series, denoted by a "v.")
| Cutter: | What is it? | What does it mean? |
|---|---|---|
| HD | General subject | H- social sciences, HD- Industries. Land Use. Labor. |
| 1476 | Specific subject | HD1470-1476- Size of farms |
| .U62 | 1st cutter, subtitle | Subtitle signifies the "Updated" version |
| N25 | 2nd cutter, location | Takes place in Nebraska |
| c.5 | Identifies copy number | This is ECC Library's fifth copy |
| 2017 | Publishing year | Published 2017 |
As you can see on the first and second cutter, they do not always use the author's name. These lines are used to point to an even more specific area than the subject did. Sometimes it will be the author or artist, title or subtitle,and even geographical location or language.
| Cutter: | What is it? | What does it mean? |
|---|---|---|
| RESERVE | Reserve | Reserved for library use only |
| GV | General subject | G- Geography. Anthropology. Recreation., GV- Recreation, Leisure |
| 1196 | Specific subject | GV1195-1198.995 Wrestling |
| .C76 | 1st cutter, title | Title begins with C, "Carry" |
| F46 | 2nd cutter, author | Author's last name begins with F, "Fenn" |
| 2016 | Year | Published in 2016 |
| c.1 | Identifies copy number | This is ECC's first copy |
