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How to generate a cutter number for a book

I am new to Library of Congress Classification system and trying to understand how would I create a cutter number for a particular book manually. In fact, I am trying to build a software for library where I would like my software to generate call number using library of congress system automatically for librarians.

I found this cutter table but could not really understand anything. http://staff.library.mun.ca/staff/toolbox/tables/lccutter.htm

akpa

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Answer by viola voß

The library of the university of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (Germany) created a tool for cutter numbers: http://www-ub.ku-eichstaett.de/cgi-bin/cutterjo.pl. You enter the name or the title word to be cuttered and the tool gives you the cutter number, e.g. "L697" for "Library". There are similar tools like this by other libraries, I think.

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Answer by yo_bj

Another suggestion is the The Cataloging Calculator at http://calculate.alptown.com/. Not only does it generate cutter numbers, but it's also handy when dealing with various codes and MARC fields.

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Answer by gugek

Cuttering and shelflisting are often local policies, but generally they do follow the same framework in most libraries, especially if they are trying to stay compatible with Library of Congress Classification and call numbers.

Because cutter numbers are only synthesized when the filing order of the existing works in a catalog will fit the work in the correct place in the shelflist. Thus when you see a cutter that doesn't match the synthesis rule it often means that the work was then manually filed into the shelflist.

Cutters

The source for Library of Congress Classification cuttering and shelflisting lives in the Library of Congress' Classification and Shelflisting Manual (available in Cataloger's Desktop) the general instructions for Cutter Numbers are in G63. The cutter number appears in a number of places in LCC call numbers:

  1. Book number: Which are organized to ensures that books on a shelf are filed in a logical and consistent order according to the arrangement dictated by the classification schedule. Typically alphabetical by main entry (or authorized access point for the work)

    .C87 = Curtis, James
.V57 = Virtual reality for beginners.

  2. Geographic or topical numbers: Which are used within LCC to subdivide a topic by a facet. Examples include

    .U55 = United States
.T7  = Toy Piano
.N83 = Nuclear power industry

    These are already often dictated by the schedules, but generally they are formulated according to the synthesis instructions below. One area that is sort of also prearranged in the Classification and Shelflisting Manual are geographical cutters, which are important since sometimes names of jurisdictions change, and we sometimes want to keep putting them together.

  3. Other subdivisions: Which include areas within a LC Classification number to ensure that certain forms or formats are filed before other material within a given classification. These cutter numbers are prescribed by the classification schedule. Examples:

    .A6 = Conferences, Congresses etc. (in some K tables) 
.Z46 = Autobiographies, journals, memoirs. By Date (P-PZ40 table)

Description of LC Call Numbers

A normal LCC call number can have up to two cutter numbers, in addition to the classification. So a typical example for a single authored literary work, using Reamde by Neal Stephenson:

| element | note                    |
|---------+-------------------------|
| PS      | Class                   |
| 3569    | Class Number            |
| .T3868  | Cutter for Author       |
| R43     | Cutter for Work (title) |
| 2011    | Date of Publication     |

Shelflisting

G63 describes the steps for shelflisting and using Cutter numbers:

  1. Finding the filing position in the shelflist. Consult the class number in the shelflist. Find the proper location for the work being shelflisted. That is, determine where the work is to file according to standard shelflisting practices. In many cases, this will be in alphabetical order by main entry or title.

  2. Cuttering for words. After determining the filing position of the work, consider whether use of the following table to create the Cutter will achieve the proper position. If so, use the table. If not, complete the Cutter in order to fit in alphabetically with works already shelflisted.

  3. Cuttering for numerals. When Cuttering for Roman or Arabic numerals, use the Cutters .A12 - .A19. However, if entries already in the shelflist have been assigned "documents numbers" (e.g. .A5 for the corporate heading United States. Dept. of ...) Cutter numerals to file directly after those entries. Because of the infinite range of numbers, choose a Cutter toward the center of the available span when Cuttering for the first numeral in a class. This will allow room for both smaller and larger numbers. Follow this practice even with relatively low numbers since decimal fractions are filed in numeric order before the number 1.

Cutter Table

When synthesizing a number follow the cutter table.

After initial vowels

| for the second letter: | b | d | l-m | n | p | r | s-t | u-y |
|------------------------+---+---+-----+---+---+---+-----+-----|
| use number:            | 2 | 3 |   4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |   8 |   9 |

After initial letter S

| for the second letter: | a | ch | e | h-i | m-p | t | u | w-y |
|------------------------+---+----+---+-----+-----+---+---+-----|
| use number:            | 2 |  3 | 4 |   5 |   6 | 7 | 8 |   9 |

After initial letters Qu

| for the second letter: | a | e | i | o | r | t | y |
|------------------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---|
| use number:            | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |

For initial letters Qa-Qt

| use numbers | 2-29 |

After other initial consonants

| for the second letter: | a | e | i | o | r | u | y |
|------------------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---|
| use number:            | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |

For expansion

| for the letter: | a-d | e-h | i-l | m-o | p-s | t-v | w-z |
|-----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----|
| use number:     |   3 |   4 |   5 |   6 |   7 |   8 |   9 |

Synthesis

Example: Reamde / Neal Stephenson

100 1# $a Stephenson, Neal.
245 10 $a Reamde / $c Neal Stephenson.
250 ## $a 1st ed.
260 ## $a New York : $b William Morrow, $c c2011.
300 ## $a 1044 p. ; $c 24 cm.
  1. Classification number for a 20th century American writer is PS3569.\ 050 #4 $a PS3569

  2. Instructions in the LC Classification Schedule for PS3569 says:

    The author number is determined by the second letter of the name

    1. Start with T
    2. Second letter E. Look under After other initial consonants: E maps to 4. Our cutter so far is T4.
    3. Expand one more letter for the third letter P. Look under For the expansion: P maps to 7. Our cutter now is T47.
    4. Extend out the cutter more using the expansion table if needed in order to file within the existing shelflist. Going one more we have H which maps to 4 making. Out cutter now is T474 with a corresponding 050 field of:\ 050 #4 $a PS3569.T474

  3. Looking at the Library of Congress Record we see however that the class number is something a bit different 050 ## $a PS3569.T3868 This implies that this cutter was modified in order to fit the names in the existing arrangement. Which is likely since many last names begin with S and literary fiction is a fairly crowded part of the shelflist.

  4. The call number is not complete however, there is a second cutter that the instructions in the PS classification schedules (PS3550-3576) direct us to:

    Subarrange individual authors by Table P-PZ40 unless otherwise specified\ Including usually authors beginning to publish about 1950, flourishing after 1960

    Table P-PZ then in turn instructs the cutter to be created for separate works, by the title of the work, filed between the cutters A61 and Z458. Following our tables:

    1. First letter of Reamde is R.
    2. Second letter is E. We look in the After other initial consonants table: and see that E corresponds to 4. That makes our cutter so far R4.
    3. Third letter is A. We now look in the expansion table: See that A maps to 3. That makes our cutter now: R43.
    4. Usually we stop at the third letter (second number of the cutter). Most authors are not prolific enough to justify needing to cutter out to a third level.

    Note here that if you had a work like 245 10 $a Zodiac / $c Neal Stephenson that it would go in the same classification PS3569.T3868 but would then get cuttered differently by its title Zodiac. However, we can not follow the synthesis rules since they would create a cutter of Z63 which does not fall in the permitted range for separate works that the P-PZ40 table instructs us is between A61 and Z458. In that case we then would toss the tables out and then manually file the title starting with Z but giving ourselves a bit of space in the advent we get another work with a title that files after Zodiac.

Ambiguity

Unfortunately as you can probably see from the table not all letters are explicitly listed out. And in addition with the expansion table, a range of numbers are listed which leaves some issues with creating the appropriate number. In those case you then attempt to file in a way that will fit the item in alphabetically with works already cuttered.

Note About Filing

Yes libraries like filing. And they've got rules about them. They are extremely detailed. But generally we are filing on the first element of the string, in order to get an alphabetical arrangement. This is documented in the Library of Congress Filing Rules and the G100 instruction sheet outdated version here. Some important things to note when filing.

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