This is what the number looks like in the catalog record: GV1184.5 P37 2002

The call number on the spine of a book looks like the one below.

This alpha-numeric code represents the subject area, author’s last name, and date of publication.

GV          Sports (broad subject area)
1184.5     Archery (specific subject)
.P37         Paterson, W.F. (the author’s name)
1984       Year of publication

If you needed to find this book on the shelves, you would:

- First locate the G section of the book stacks (A B C D E F G..... )

- Walk through the G’s until you find the GV’s. (GA GB GC GD GE GF and so on till GV)

- In the second line, the first part of the number is a whole number.
- Look for 1184 (it would be after 1182 1183...).

- Now find the end of all the 1184 numbers and look for the decimal part of the number, 1184.5 would be after 1184.24

- Now find the third line .P37 by looking for the .P’s (alphabetically)

- Finally, find .P37 (it will be after the .P352 since this Alpha numeric combination number is read as a decimal number).