Reclassification Update 26 September

The reclassification team have now reclassified books with old style shelfmarks from K000 to K744.  Reclassified books have been placed in the Library of Congress Classification sections and are available for use by readers.  They will continue to reclassify from K744 onwards today (Wednesday).

Please ask library staff for assistance if you are unable to locate the books you require.

Related Links: Reclassification project | Contact us | Missing book form

Reclassification Update 24 September 2012

The reclassification team have now reclassified books with old style shelfmarks from K000 to K703.  Reclassified books have been placed in the Library of Congress Classification sections and are available for use by readers.  They will continue to reclassify from K703 onwards tomorrow (Tuesday).

Please ask library staff for assistance if you are unable to locate the books you require.

Related Links: Reclassification project | Contact us | Missing book form

Reclassification Update 21 September 2012

The reclassification team have now reclassified books with old style shelfmarks from K000 to K606.  Reclassified books have been placed in the Library of Congress Classification sections and are available for use by readers.  They will continue to reclassify from K606 onwards on Monday.

Please ask library staff for assistance if you are unable to locate the books you require.

Related Links: Reclassification project | Contact us | Missing book form

HFL books on the move

HFL books being reclassified

The History Faculty Library books are on the move again.  A team of reclassification staff have started to move books that are already in the Library of Congress Classification into their final positions.  This means that books with shelfmarks A to DA175 are now in the Lower Radcliffe Camera, as are oversize books from A to N.  These books can be browsed, used in the library and also borrowed by University members.

The books are still showing as being held in the Gladstone Link rather than the Lower Camera on the SOLO library catalogue, but this should be updated by Monday (17 September).

Further work until 12 October

More material will be moved during the project, which is due to finish on 12 October.  Further details of areas being worked on will be posted on this blog next week.

If you are unable to access an area of books because they are being worked on by reclassifying staff, please search for an alternative copy using the SOLO library catalogue. If you cannot find an alternative copy, please ask library staff at the Lower Camera Reserve Desk for assistance.

Ask library staff for help

If you need any help locating material, please ask library staff at the Lower Camera Reserve Desk for assistance, alternatively call 01865 277262 or email library.history@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Related links: Report a missing book | Contact Us | Locate the Library | Reclassification project

Reclassification of HFL books starts next week

The reclassification of Bodleian History Faculty material with old style shelfmarks will begin next week (from 12 September onwards). A team of reclassifying staff will work through the HFL collections to create a single sequence of books in Library of Congress Classification (LCC).  The books will run from A-Z in the LCC system, beginning in the Lower Radcliffe Camera and continuing down into both levels of the Gladstone Link.  The main project work is due to be completed by the end of week 1 of Michaelmas Term (12  October 2012).

Can I still borrow and access books?

The collection will still be available to consult and Oxford University members will still be able to borrow and return books.  However, sections of the collection will be inaccessible for short periods of time while the team are working on reclassifying and moving the books into their final locations.  We will be posting regular updates on this blog about which areas are being worked on.

Who can I ask for help?

HFL library staff are available to assist you in locating material or arranging access to alternative copies.  You can contact us by phone on 01865 277262, email at library.history@bodleian.ox.ac.uk or in person at the Lower Camera Reserve Desk.

What do LC Classmarks look like?

Many will already be familiar with LC classmarks from the Social Science Library, the Radcliffe Science Library or the Vere Harmsworth Library. There are two main elements: Class number and Item number.

The Class number element describes the main subject of a book e.g. History/Philosophy/etc. As well as class and/or sub-class it may also contain a topical or form Cutter number, which can identify, for example, a place or person under discussion.

The Item number element consists of a Cutter number for the main entry – Oxford uses the first three letters of the author’s surname or the title in the case of edited works. Dates of publication are added to achieve a further level of division

Example:

Bernard G.W., The Power of the Early Tudor Nobility (1985)

Shelfmark: HT653.G7 BER 1985

HT653.G7 = class number

BER 1985 = item number

Related Links

Contact us | Locate the library | HFL LCC webpage

Reclassification of the Maitland Gallery

During the long vacation books in the Maitland Gallery are being reclassified using the Library of Congress Classification Scheme. This is the same scheme that has been used for all new HFL books bought since the end of 2008.

Every effort will be made to minimise disruption during this period but there will be times when books are off the shelves and there may be a little more noise.

We hope that this work will cause as little inconvenience as possible to readers but if you have any problems locating items please ask a member of staff.

Further information about the LC reclassification project can be found here.