Q. I have a call number for a book. How do call numbers work?

Iona College Libraries uses the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system to organize most books in its collection. The Dewey system allows books on the same subject to be near each other on the shelves.  

DDC assigns each book a number based on the subject matter.  There are 10 main subject classes, 100 divisions and 1000 sections that create a three-digit number.    

Example of a DDC call number:  909.0963 D 262

Read the call numbers line by line, for example, the call number for the book The Gulf: The Making of the American Sea by Jack Davis is:

909.0963 Identifies that this book belongs to the category of History

D 262 Based on the last name of the author, Davis 

To find this book: 

• Find the section of the stacks where the call number begins 909 (this number is read as a whole number).
• Treat the rest as a decimal, e.g. 909.0963 would come between 909.0962 and 909.0964  
• Within this section, work alphabetically to find D.
• Sometimes there are numbers after the letter. If this is the case, read these numbers as decimals.