Call Number Explanation

***If a call number starts with Q, Q.S., or SE., ignore them! The only letter to pay attention to is B for biography.***

Step 1. Check Publication Year

Before looking for a book, check the publication year listed in the catalog. If it was published in the last year, it may be on the New Books shelf under author's last name. If the book is older than a year, it will be located in one of the following locations:

Fiction
Non-Fiction
Biography
Reference

Step 2. Decipher Call Number

UIUC Call Number	Location and Explanation	Sample CCB Spine Label
S. W679t SE. W679t Q.S. W679t	The book is located in the Fiction section under author's last name (the call number gives a clue that the first letter of the author's last name is W).	WILLIS Jean 2005
S. 591.4 J418a Q.S. 591.4 J418a	The book is located in the Non-Fiction section by the Dewey Number listed. Please ignore any Q or S.	591.4 J418a 2005
SB. E357d Q SB. E357d	The book is located in the Biography section by the call number (also called a cutter number) following the B.	B. E357d 2005
S. 026.1 A667 Location: Center for Children's Books Reference	The book is located in the Reference section by the Dewey Number listed. Please ignore any Q or S.	026.1 A667 1997 (Red Dot)

Step 3. Ask For Help

It is possible the book is a past award winner, is being held on the class reserves shelf, or is on the reshelve cart. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask for assistance.

The CCB Guide to Research describes the organization of the CCB collection in greater detail.

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