Question

Q: How are books organized in the library?

Answer

We use the Library of Congress Classification system here at the KSU Library System. While most colleges and universities use this system, you may be used to the Dewey Decimal System from your high school or public library.

How this works:

Classified first by collection type:

  • Reference (Sturgis/Kennesaw: 3rd Floor/Graduate Library
  • General Collection (Sturgis/Kennesaw: 2nd Floor)
  • Teen Literature (Sturgis/Kennesaw: 3rd Floor)

Second by subjects with call numbers:

  • Alphabetical: (A-Z) Each letter representing a subject with subcategories
  • Numerical: (1 - 9999) further classifying each subcategory 

Here is an example: Sturgis General Collection -  PS 1861 .C75

Now let's break it down.

Sturgis General Collection: The Sturgis Library Floor Map tells me this is on the 2nd floor.

PS:  Ordered alphabetically by first letter (P) then second letter (PR, PS, PT).

1861: Then by a whole number.

.C75: Finally another letter and a decimal number

As you can see in the image below, PS 1861 .C75 would be located between PS 1853 .C74 and PS 1868 .N38.

Example image 

For more information

 

For more information about donating materials to the KSU Friends of the Library, please refer to our FAQ, "Can I donate books to the library?"

To suggest a purchase, please fill out the purchase request form on the library website.

Last Updated

Last Updated

Sep 25, 2019
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