Most of the books in Waidner-Spahr Library are arranged by a system known as the Library of Congress Classification, or LCC (though there are some exceptions).
The LCC determines the "call number" that serves as the identity and address of each particular book.
Call Numbers are made up of a combination of letters and numbers, which, put together indicate the predominant content of the book, as well as other publication information.
LCC is divided into 21 subject areas. (You can see them all listed on the Library of Congress Website). Each subject area has its own letter, and is then subdivided into specialty areas, indicated by the first set of numbers.
Let's look at some examples...
Book title: A Decade of Dark Humor: How Comedy, Irony, and Satire Shaped Post-9/11 America
The call number of this book would be displayed on the spine like this:
| Call Number Element | Meaning |
| E | History of the Americas. |
| 902 | The United States, 21st Century, George W. Bush's Administration, 2001-2009. |
| .D423 | This line varies depending on the kind of book. In this case, this code refers to the Word, "decade," from the title. |
| 2011 | The year of publication. |
| Call Number Element | Meaning |
| QD | "Q" is the category for science, and this call number subdivides into "QD" to indicate Chemistry. |
| 7 | The numbers under "QD" subdivide into different types of chemistry. This number indicates general chemistry information. |
| .P53 | This code refers to the author's last name, Plamondon. |
| 2009 | The year of publication. |