The Library Collections at NBLA have a custom call number classification system that organizes our books by subjects relevant to our collection strengths. The system was developed in the early 1960s by librarian Stella Kennan to help users interested in topics in the history of the physical sciences find things more easily.
There are several broad categories relating to areas such as Philosophy of Science, Social Aspects of Science, History of Science, Histories of Specific Fields of Science, Biographies of Scientists, and Works by Scientists which are then subdivided as needed to guide the user to more specific topics under those. For example, History of Science has sections for different types of literature in the history of science (historiography, conference proceedings, etc.) and historical monographs that are first arranged by general histories followed by further subdivisions for time period from the Pre-Greek and Roman Science up through the 20th century.
See the below infographic for a break down of the call number prefixes used by the Niels Bohr Library & Archives. Major Divisions and Subdivisions are in the middle, with additional subdivisions on the side, along with some of the interesting collections we have within the library beyond the classification system.
To find a call number for a book, look for the "Call Number" field in the summary of the catalog record or in the availability table (highlighted in red in the image below):
Generally a call number will have 2 parts: an alphanumeric prefix corresponding to the library's custom classification scheme (e.g. H8) and the first 3 letters of last name of the author (e.g. LIB).
Exceptions are:
(Z) -- books with an additional (Z) prefix are part of our special collections, which require staff assistance to view since they are stored in a temperature-controlled vault apart from the general stacks.
two last names: e.g. L8 EIN ISA
This guide page explains the call number system used for books and library materials at the Niels Bohr Library & Archives. The archival collections use a different call number scheme which combines a two-letter collection code with an accession number.
Collection Codes:
AR -- Archival Collection
MB -- Manuscript Biography
MP -- Miscellaneous Physics
IH -- Institutional Histories
OH -- Oral History Interview
AV -- Audio Visual Material
Example archival call number (with an accession number):
AR 144
MB 2014-1430; 95
