The document discusses the call number system used in libraries to locate books on shelves. It explains that there are six main sections - fiction, easy fiction, nonfiction, reference, Spanish, and biography. Call numbers provide the "address" of where a book is located by giving its section and more specific identifying information. Fiction books are arranged alphabetically by author's last name, easy fiction uses the first three letters of the author's last name, and nonfiction uses a topic number and author name. Biographies all start with "92" followed by the first three letters of the person's last name and are arranged alphabetically.

1. The Mystery of Call
Numbers

3. There are six student book areas
in our library:
Fiction (FIC or F)
Easy fiction (E)
Nonfiction (numbers)
Reference (REF)
Spanish (SP)
Biography (92)

4. A Call Number tells where the book
is located on the library shelf.
It’s the book’s “address”.

5. Each book in that area has a
unique call number. Different
books have the different call
numbers.

6. A fiction call number for the
author, Ilsa Bick, would look
like this:
FIC = Fiction
BIC = Bick

7. What would the fiction call number
for the author, Matt
Christopher, look like?
FIC = Fiction
Chr = Christopher

8. An easy fiction call number is also
made up of two parts:
E = Easy Fiction + first three letters
of the author’s last name.
E = Easy Fiction
SIL = Silverstein

9. Fiction and Easy Fiction are
arranged ALPHABETICALLY
by author.
Don’t know the author?
Look it up!

10. Nonfiction is arranged by topic. They
have two parts to their call numbers--
the topic and the author.
576.8 = Genetics
MIT = Author last name

11. They are arranged in numeric order
beginning with 000 and then by author..

12. To find a nonfiction book…
think number first,
then alphabet.

13. Biographies are an exception.
They all start with 92 and then first
three letters of the person’s
LAST name.
92 = Biography
TRU= Last name

14. Biographies are
arranged by number
(92) and then
alphabetically by the
person’s last name.
What is the call
number of this one?
92 = Biography
JAC = Jackson, his last name!

15. Where would I look for these books?
567.9
BER
FIC
GIF
796
BON
F
GIF
E
578.3
LAS

16. Use the end cap signs to find the
right road (sic) for you book.