Books in Drexel University Libraries, and other institutions of higher education as well as the United States Government, are organized by the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) schedule which use a series of letters and numbers that are associated with specific subjects, referred to as the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).
LCC is not the same as the Dewey Decimal system that is used in Public Libraries and K-12 schools. To find books on university shelves we need to familiarize ourselves with the LCC schedule so we can locate books using individual "Call Numbers."
How to read an LCC Call Number:
NA737.W7 H89 2004
N is the primary classification letter for Fine Arts. A indicates the subclass for architecture. 737 is the class block number. .W7 H89 is called the "cutter number" which helps expand the classification system and encode information such as the author or subject. 2004 is the date the edition of the book was published.
Books in the library are organized on shelves and referred to as "the stacks." There are two areas of the stacks that you will find books in, oversized and regular. The stacks are organized into ranges according to call numbers. The call numbers can be found on the spine of each book.
Class N - Fine Arts
Subclass N1-N9211 Visual arts
Subclass NA1-NA9428 Architecture
Subclass NB1-NB1952 Sculpture
Subclass NC1-NC1940 Drawing. Design. Illustration.
Subclass ND25-ND3416 Painting
Subclass NE1-NE3002 Print media
Subclass NK1-NK9990 Decorative Arts
Subclass NX1-NX820 Arts in General
Class A - General Works
Subclass AM1-501 Museums. Collectors and Collecting.
Subclass AZ 20-999 History of Scholarship and Learning. The Humanities.
Class T - Technology
Subclass TR1-1050 Photography. (Includes Cinematography and Motion Pictures).
Subclass TT1-999 Handicrafts. Arts and crafts.
Subclass TX1-1110 Home Economics.
CLASS Z - Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources.