050  Library of Congress Call Number (R)

Definition

The classification or call number that is taken from the Library of Congress Classification.

Guidelines

Use field 050 with 1st indicator value blank and 2nd indicator value 4 for LC call numbers and classification numbers assigned by agencies other than LC. If the classification portion of your number does not conform to the LC class schedules, use field 099.

Use field 055, field 060, or field 070 for call numbers based on LC classification schedules and assigned by the Library and Archives Canada, the National Library of Medicine, or the National Agricultural Library, respectively.

If you are transcribing LC printed catalog copy, enter LC call numbers in field 050. However, LC does not classify some types of material. LC copy for unclassified material may have the phrase NOT IN LC. If you are transcribing such copy, do not include this phrase in field 050. You may enter a locally assigned call number in field 050 with 1st indicator value blank and 2nd indicator value 4.

For specific information on establishing and assigning Library of Congress classification numbers, as well as for shelflisting materials collected by the Library of Congress, see Library of Congress Classification and Shelflisting Manual.

For information on classifying and shelflisting juvenile material according to the practices of the Library of Congress' Children's and Young Adults' Cataloging Program (CYAC), see Classifying CYAC Material and Procedures for Shelflisting CYAC Material.

With the exception of CONSER records, enter only call numbers and classification numbers in field 050 based on the LC classification schedules and omit all other numbers, such as:

• Shelf numbers assigned to sound recordings (e.g., RZA 8603)
• Microform numbers (e.g., Microfilm 8124 reel 1, no. 6 E)
• Minimal-level call numbers (e.g., WMLC L82/1234; MLCM 81/3002 (B))
• "In process" designations (e.g., IN PROCESS)
• "Law" designations (e.g., LAW; K0)

Instead, enter these types of numbers in field 099.

The following table lists the first 10 predefined elements (a = alpha, n = numeric, x = alpha or numeric character) of an LC call number. The definitions of these elements remain constant, even if a call number lacks an element. For example, the first Cutter number is element 5 even if the call number has no date preceding the first Cutter number.

When printing labels, fields 050 and 090 print for institutions profiled for LC or NLM call numbers. For more information about printing labels, see section Label printing.

Use the following guidelines to enter LC call numbers in field 050:

• Enter one space before a date or volume number. Do not enter any other spaces, except as described in the these guidelines.

• Enter alphabetic and numeric portions of the class number (elements 1, 2, and 3) in subfield ǂa. Do not enter intervening spaces.

  050

  4

  F2161 ǂb .B63

  050

  4

  DD259.4 ǂb .B527 1973

• Enter one space before a date or other number following the class number (element 4) in subfield ǂa

  050

  4

  DK274.3 1968 ǂb .K39

  050

  4

  KF4558 15th ǂb .G6 1974

  050

  4

  BX830 1962.A45 ǂb P792 1972

• If the date or other number is part of the classification number (element 4) and there is no following information, enter the date in the subfield ǂb

  050

  4

  E275 ǂb 1962

  050

  4

  E525.5 ǂb 105th

• If the call number has only one Cutter number, enter the decimal point and Cutter number (element 5) in subfield ǂb

  050

  4

  DD17 ǂb .G475 1996

  050

  4

  DK508.833 ǂb .K57 2018

  050

  4

  KF27 ǂb .A763984 1990

  050

  4

  JX1977 ǂb .A2 ST/SOA/40

  050

  4

  VM341 ǂb .M9 vol. 48

• If the Cutter relates to the subject, enter it in subfield ǂa. For example, if the call number begins with CS71 (Genealogy--By region or country--United States--Family history--Individual, A-Z), enter the Cutter number in subfield ǂa and the date in subfield ǂb.

  050

  4

  CS71.S889 ǂb 1968

• If the call number has two Cutter numbers, the first Cutter is used to bring out a more precise aspect of the subject, and the second Cutter usually refers to the preferred access point of the work. Enter the first Cutter (element 5) in subfield ǂa and the second Cutter number (element 7) in subfield ǂb.

  050

  4

  PQ4734.V5 ǂb Z59

  050

  4

  VA65.B54 ǂb B52 1972

  050

  4

  Z673.A1 ǂb M86

  050

  4

  HF5549.5.R44 ǂb M35

  050

  4

  CR4755.I8 ǂb C65 2006

• If a date intervenes between two Cutter numbers, enter a decimal point before both Cutter numbers

  050

  4

  JX233.A5 1968 ǂb .B3

• Enter one space after the second Cutter (element 7)

  050

  4

  Z5313.G69 ǂb R63 1988

  050

  4

  BR878.S28 ǂb C45 2000

• Treat the term Suppl. or subser. as part of the item number. Enter a space between the term and the item number. If the call number has no item number, enter Suppl. or subser. in subfield ǂb. Use an uppercase S in Suppl. Enter subser. with lowercase letters.

Certain classification choices are recognized to be local decisions. Multiple call numbers in the same classification scheme in a WorldCat record may be appropriate under certain circumstances. For more information, see 050-099 Introduction to Call Numbers.

For more information about printing labels in Connexion, see Cataloging Label Program. For more information about printing labels in Record Manager, see My Labels.

1st Indicator

Existence in LC collection. Whether the item is in LC's collections.

2nd Indicator

Source of call number. The source of the classification/call number.

Subfields

Indexing

For indexing and searching information, see Searching WorldCat Indexes, field 050.

MARC 21

For more information, including content designator history, see MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data, field 050.