What Is a Cutter-Sanborn Number?
Understand author numbers, title workmarks, and local shelf order, with a practical explanation of what the LibCatalogTools generator can and cannot decide.
Learn & Resources
From cataloging decisions
to a readable shelf label.
Practical explanations, worked examples, and checks for librarians, library staff, and students. Use the guides alongside the tools, with your library’s standards and shelf arrangement in view.
Choose a starting point
New to cataloging? Follow the complete workflow. Working on an author number? Try the generator walkthrough. Ready to print? Start with label preparation.
Cutter numbers
How to Create a Cutter Number with LibCatalogTools
Follow a worked generator example, inspect the table match, compare two- and three-digit output, and review the result before adding it to a call number.
Shelflisting and Cutter Collisions
Review a proposed author mark against nearby records, distinguish harmless reuse from conflicts, and document local filing decisions before labeling.
Classification
A Practical Guide to Library Call Numbers
Read a call number one component at a time and understand class numbers, author marks, dates, locations, volumes, and copy information.
DDC Call Number Guide: From Class to Label
Prepare a Dewey-based call number with a reviewed class, local author mark, and item details, then check the finished label against the catalog.
Library of Congress Call Number Guide
Identify LC class and Cutter components, distinguish subject Cutters from author marks, and understand the limits of the generator’s LC display mode.
DDC vs LCC: Choosing a Cataloging Workflow
Compare Dewey and Library of Congress workflows through staffing, collection continuity, source records, and label requirements rather than appearance alone.
Labels and records
How to Create Library Spine Labels
Move from reviewed catalog data to readable spine labels with a practical workflow for line breaks, print calibration, batch checks, and application.
Understanding Book Accession Numbers
Understand accession numbers, their use as barcode values, and how local policies handle call numbers, copies, withdrawals, and corrections.
Introduction to MARC 21 for Cataloging Staff
Read MARC tags, indicators, and subfields through a small teaching example, and understand why a label CSV is not a complete bibliographic record.
Prepare CSV Data for Bulk Spine Labels
Use the exact DDC and LC CSV headers, preserve notation as text, handle commas correctly, and verify batches before generating up to 50 spine labels.
Cataloging practice
Subject Headings for Beginners
Move from a plain-language subject statement to verified controlled headings, keeping scope, vocabulary source, and local access needs visible.
Basic Library Cataloging: An End-to-End Workflow
Follow a practical workflow from identifying an item and selecting a record to subject analysis, classification, item data, labeling, and final checks.
Common Cataloging Mistakes and How to Catch Them
Find mismatched editions, duplicated Cutters, altered class numbers, and label errors with a practical check organized by the source of each problem.
Copy Cataloging Checklist: Verify Before Reusing
Evaluate a candidate record against the item in hand, retain useful shared data, and separate local item decisions from bibliographic description.