LC Call Numbers - Upper Space Upper

What is this?

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

  • E183.8.R H5
  • PN4897.A7Z A7
  • PR6065.AS P6 1914

Why is this trouble?

This is not usually a well-formed call number, and may be inconsistently labeled and/or shelved. For example, the call number PN4897.A7Z A7 may end up with either of the following labels which may result in different shelving: 

PN       PN
4897     4897
.A7Z     .A7
A7       Z
         A7

Exceptions

Some types of enumeration might create fine call numbers matching this pattern:

  • PN35 .H363 Ser.B Bd.18 1948

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 "Upper Space Upper" analysis.

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