Call Number 101
What is the main purpose of a call number?
It tells you where a book belongs and where to find it on the shelves.
What library classification system uses numbers such as 500 and 900 to organize nonfiction books? (Hint: Someone already said it!)
The Dewey Decimal Classification System.
You want a book about sharks. Would you look in fiction or nonfiction?
Nonfiction
Which number comes first on the shelves: 200 or 700?
200
You need a book about space. Where in the library would that book be?
Nonfiction in the 520s.
Where can you usually find a book's call number?
You want a book about animals. Which Dewey hundred section would you start with: 300, 500, or 900? (Go and walk over to Nonfiction if you aren't sure!)
500 - science and nature
You want a novel about a dragon. Which section and genre would you look in?
Fiction - Fantasy
These are all picture book call numbers, put them in the correct order: E SAN, E BAR, E DEA
E BAR, E DEA, E SAN
You are ready to read a book with a simple story, but you're not ready for a long chapter book. Which section(s) should you try?
Early reader or Fast Fiction (in-between chapter books like Princess in Black)
You find a book on the shelf, but it has no call-number label. What is one way to figure out where it belongs?
Ask Mrs. Manolis or check the library catalog for its location and call number.
Which comes first on the shelf: 398.2 or 599?
398.2
A book tells a made-up story about a real historical person. Is it automatically nonfiction just because the person existed?
No.
Which comes first on the shelf? 641.2 or 641.8
641.2
You want a book with lots of pictures and a story you can read in one sitting. Which section might be a good place to start?
A book has a call number, but you put it on a random shelf because there is room. What problem could that cause?
It may de difficult to find and the book will be out of order.
Put these call numbers in order from first to last: 641, 598, 500
500, 598, 641
You want to learn how to draw. Would a how-to book usually be fiction or nonfiction?
Nonfiction
F KER, F KIN, F KOR
You found the right call number range, but the book isn't there. What should you do next?
Check nearby shelves, make sure the book isn't checked out or ask Mrs. Manolis.
Both of the author's last names start with the same letter. Do the books go side by side?
Not necessarily. Is it the same kind of book? Are there any other authors in that location that alphabetically would go in between them?
History: 900s
Science: 500s
Poetry: 800s
You want a book about Greek Mythology. What could you check to determine where it belongs in this library?
Check the catalog or ask Mrs. Manolis
Which author's books would come first on the shelf?
Suzy Capozzi or Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Suzy Capozzi
Your friend wants a realistic story about friendship, but you want a nonfiction books about friendship skills. How would you find each on in the the library?
Your friend should be able to find that book in the Realistic Fiction genre section. Your book would be in nonfiction, and the best way to find it would be to use the catalog.