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Introduction to Call Numbers: Grades 3-4

For example, the outside part of
a book is called the COVER.

It protects the
book’s inside parts.

The FRONT COVER also has
important information on it.

The FRONT COVER has
Like the
TITLE of the
book.

The FRONT COVER has
Like the
TITLE of the
book.

And the name
of the book’s
AUTHOR.

As well as the ILLUSTRATOR; the
person who drew the pictures in
the book.

Another important part of a
book is the SPINE.

A book’s SPINE works the same way
your spine does.

It holds the book together.

The SPINE of a book also has important
information on it!

And if it’s a library book, the SPINE will
have a special label on it with a
CALL NUMBER!

A CALL NUMBER is the address of the
book. It tells you exactly where the
book lives on the shelf!

Just like your address tells someone
exactly where you live on your street.

=
235

Let’s learn how to read a
book’s CALL NUMBER.

Knowing how to read a book’s CALL
NUMBER is important because FICTION
BOOKS and NON-FICTION BOOKS have
different kinds of CALL NUMBERS!

And FICTION BOOKS and NON-FICTION
BOOKS live in different parts of our library!

4 DIFFERENT FICTION SECTIONS Freestanding Book Cases in the
Book Cases All Along the Walls Middle of the Room

The first part of a book’s CALL
NUMBER tells you if the book is a
FICTION book, or if it lives in the NON-
FICTION section of the library.

328.5 F
E
DIA DIA
DIA

If the CALL NUMBER starts with a
LETTER, then the book lives in one of
our FICTION sections.

E 328.5 F

DIA DIA
DIA

EASY
FICTION
FICTION
BOOK
BOOK (F= FICTION
(E = EASY) FOR OLDER
STUDENTS)

If the CALL NUMBER starts with
a NUMBER, then the book lives
in the NON-FICTION section.

E 328.5
328.5 F

DIA DIA DIA

NON-
FICTION
BOOK

Now you know, just from looking at
the FIRST PART of the CALL NUMBER
what general area of the library
the book lives in.

F
E 328.5
328.5 E
F

DIA DIA DIA

EASY FICTION NON-FICTION FICTION
SECTION SECTION SECTION

E 328.5 F
DIA DIA DIA
DIA

Now let’s look at the second part of
a CALL NUMBER.

E 328.5 F
DIA DIA DIA
DIA

The second part of a CALL NUMBER
usually tells you the FIRST 3 LETTERS
of the AUTHOR’S last name.

E 328.5 F
DIA DIA DIA
DIA

In this example, all three of these
CALL NUMBERS show that the
Author’s Last Name starts with the
letters “DIA.”

E
E 328.5 F
F
DIA DIA DIA

But two are FICTION BOOKS…
(Rememer, we know this because the
CALL NUMBER starts with a letter!)

E 328.5
328.5 F

DIA DIA DIA

And one is a NON-FICTION book.
(The CALL NUMBER starts with a
number!)

Why are the LAST 3 LETTERS of
the AUTHOR’S LAST NAME important?
E
328.5
DIA
DIA
DIA

F

DIA
DIA

FICTION BOOKS are filed on the shelves
ALPHABETICALLY by the Author’s Last name.
F

DIA

F F F
DAP DAS
F
DEA DE F F
M DER F
DIA DIM F
DIM

NON-FICTION BOOKS work the same
way, except that they are filed
NUMBERICALLY FIRST.
This book will be in the 300’s area of the
328.5
328.5 NON-FICTION SECTION, numerically filed from
the smallest number to the greatest number.
DIA

327.8 328 328.2
328.5 328.5
328.5
329

All books with the same exact number will
be further organized ALPHABETICALLY by
the AUTHOR’s LAST NAME.
328.5

DIA

328.5
DIA 328.5
DUP 328.5 329
FRI AME

You can find ANY book in the library
by using its CALL NUMBER.

If you don’t know a book’s CALL
NUMBER, you can find it by looking the
book up on the Library’s computers.

Glenoaks Elementary School
Home Catalog

Glenoaks Elementary

Say you want to read Artemis Fowl
but you don’t know the author’s
name or what the CALL NUMBER is.

Type the book’s TITLE into the
computer’s search box and click
the TITLE button.

Artemis Fowl

Glenoaks Elementary

The computer will show you if our
library has a copy of Artemis Fowl.

Just below the book’s TITLE, you will
find the CALL NUMBER.

The first part of the CALL NUMBER
starts with the letter “F”.

F

Remember: FICTION BOOKS
have CALL NUMBERS that
start with a letter.

Artemis Fowl is a FICTION book
for older students.

We know this because the CALL
NUMBER has an ”F” in it. The “F”
stands for “Fiction.”

If you can’t remember where Fiction
books for older students are located,
there are signs to help you find your way.
Signs on top of
bookcases

Signs on both walls
above the Fiction
bookcases

We now know the general area
of the library where we can find
the book Artemis Fowl.

But how do we
know EXACTLY
where it lives?

We go back to the book’s CALL NUMBER!

REMEMBER: the second part of the
CALL NUMBER stands for what?

The second part of a CALL NUMBER is
usually the first three letters of the
AUTHOR’S LAST NAME.

“COL” = COLFER
(Author Eoin Colfer’s last name)

Artemis Fowl will be in the “C” section
with authors who also have last names
that start with the letter “C.”

The letter signs and the shelf labels
can help you find the right section!

Letter Signs in Fiction Section Labels on edges of book shelves

Once you find the “C” section in
FICTION, look for the book with the
matching CALL NUMBER.

HINT: The CALL NUMBERS will be in
ALPHABETICAL ORDER!

Look carefully! There are many
books in our library whose author’s
last names start with the letters COL.

Those books will all have the
same EXACT call number!

Since FICTION BOOKS are filed
ALPHABETICALLY by the author’s last name,
books by Eoin Colfer will come BEFORE books
by Suzanne Collins, Tim Collins & Carlo Collodi.

Here it is!

You found Artemis Fowl by using the
computer and the book’s CALL NUMBER!

Please make sure that when you
put a book back on the shelf, the
SPINE of the book is facing you!

So you can see….

The CALL
NUMBER

So you can see….

TITLE
of the
book

The CALL
NUMBER

So you can see….
And the
name of TITLE
the of the
AUTHOR. book

The CALL
NUMBER

Now you know a little bit about
books and their CALL NUMBERS.

See if you can find a book today
using a book’s CALL NUMBER.

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Introduction to Call Numbers: Grades 3-4

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Editor's Notes