LC Call Numbers - Lower Number

What is this?

One pattern that can show up in LC call numbers in catalogs is a lowercase letter followed (not necessarily directly) by a number, like this:

  • Z253 .B38d 1964
  • E302.5 p37 1975
  • SF196.In2 G956c
  • TS1445 .H14s7
  • NA1088 .S48 H47 l984

Why is this trouble?

A call number with this pattern may have a cutter whose letter was recorded as lowercase instead of uppercase.

A call number with this pattern may have a number that was recorded as a similar looking letter (like S for 5).

A call number with this pattern may have the ell nine pattern.

A call number with this pattern may just be an old or uncommon standard.

Exceptions

There are good call numbers with this pattern, such as those with enumeration as part of the call number:

  • QD549 .O82 Bd.9
  • M257 .S750 Op.7
  • G4341.G4 s250 .U5

How to Find

If you are in Alma, there is an analysis to search for this issue in the "Looking for Trouble" folder. Go to the "LC Call Numbers" folder and look for the "Lower Number" analysis.

If you can search or filter your call numbers by regular expression, use the expression /[a-z].*[0-9]/, though you may also have to filter out enumeration captions.