LC Call Numbers - Number Letter

What is this?

One pattern that can show up in LC call numbers in catalogs is a numbered, directly followed by an uppercase letter, like this:

  • DS146.G 4P85
  • PS3503.E26Z5 F44
  • QH70.G72L68S70
  • PN2287.D32 Z9713M
  • PA3878 .G6A8
  • PA4247 .W38I6

Why is this trouble?

A call number with this pattern may have incorrect spacing. This may cause spine labels to be printed incorrectly and books to be misshelved.

A call number with this pattern may be an indicator that two cutters do not have a needed space between them. This may cause spine labels to be printed incorrectly and books to be misshelved, and may make books harder to find.

A call number with this pattern may happen when a call number has been given three cutters in a schedule where this is not appropriate. This may cause books to be shelved inconsistently among books with similar call numbers but only two cutters.

A call number with this pattern may happen when a number or letter have been entered as a similar-looking letter or number respectively. A call number like this may or may not match what is printed on the book, and may also cause issues with reporting.

A call number with this pattern may happen when the call number has an extra capital letter at the end which no longer has meaning.

Exceptions

There are good call numbers matching this pattern, such as in the G schedule:

  • G1362.C6A5 H46 2017

You may also see this pattern in call numbers with certain types of enumeration:

  • M2 .D63 Ser.1A no.1
  • DS2 .H3 sect.7 v.1 div.2B pt.2 1981

    • 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 "Number Letter" analysis.

    If you can search or filter your call numbers by regular expression, use the expression /[0-9][A-Z]/.