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Two major call number systems are used in the libraries: the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress classification schemes. As it appears on a physical item, the first line of a call number is a broad subject classification. The subsequent lines combine letters and numbers to organize items into narrower, related categories.
Library of Congress | Dewey Decimal |
HB Alphabetically 615 Whole number |
573.3 Whole number, followed by decimal |
.C518 Alphabetically, then decimals (may be followed by another letter) |
.W932A Alphabetically, then decimals |
2018 Publication Date, shelves chronologically | e.g., 573.3 W932A shelves before 573.3 W94A |
See How to Read Call Numbers from the University of Berkeley Library for more details about LC call numbers.
Try a subject search in OBIS with the subject headings listed below to find useful resources. Once you understand the usual structure (e.g. [topic - history - time period], or [title - criticism], you can look for more headings that more closely align with your topic. You can also try a keyword search for words related to your topic and then look at the headings on useful results to see if you can find similar works.