Marine Sciences

Here's a quick guide on how to read call numbers in our library (and most other academic libraries).

The first line is read in alphabetical order.

• ex. This would be before the PQ's but after the PM's.

Read the second line in numerical order.

• ex. This would be after PN 6746 and before PN 6747.1 or PN 6748.

The third line is tricky. Read the letter in alphabetical order then the number as a decimal.

• ex. PN 6747 .S245 would come before PN 6747 .S5, because .5 in decimal is really .500!

Sometimes the fourth line will look like this and you read it exactly like the other line.

• ex. PN 6747 .S245 P4713 would come before PN 6747 .S245 P8, because .8 in decimal is really .800!

When you see a line near the bottom that looks like a year, it is a year! This goes in numerical order.

• ex. If there was a book just like this except the date was 2003, it would go before the 2007 edition.

You could think of a call number like a detailed address in reverse: planet, country, state, city, street, street number. Each line helps you narrow down the book's exact location!

Use the search box below to run a quick search for books, or use the advanced search page to limit your material type to books prior to searching. 

Our library uses the Library of Congress Call Number Classification System to organize our books. If you know a little bit about what the call numbers stand for, you can browse the stacks more efficiently. 

All of the science books are on the 5th floor. Here are the ranges that will likely be most useful to those interested in the marine sciences:

GC - Oceanography

GC 63 - Oceanographic expeditions

GC 65-78 - Underwater exploration

GC 83-87.6 - Submarine topography

GC 96-97.8 - Estuarine oceanography

GC 100-103 - Seawater

GC 109-149 - Chemical oceanography

GC 150-182 - Physical oceanography

GC 190-190.5 - Ocean-atmosphere interaction

GC 200-376 - Dynamics of the ocean

GC 377-399 - Marine sediments

GC 401-881 - Oceanography. By region

GC 1000-1023 - Marine resources. Applied oceanography

GC 1080-1581 - Marine pollution. Sea water pollution

GE - Environmental sciences

QH - Natural History - Biology

QK - Botany

QL - Zoology

QL 614-639.8 - Fishes

QR - Microbiology