Law Resources: The Basics: Law Book Collection

A call number is like an address for library materials.  It tells us where the item is located in the library. Call numbers appear on the spine of the books and in the online catalogue. 

All U Sask Library locations use the alphanumeric Library of Congress Classification (LCC) System. The University Library uses the KF Modified Classification System for the Law Library.  KF Modified is a Canadian approach to organizing law subject matter first by topic and then by jurisdiction. 

The Library of Congress Collection (LCC) is based on a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress. The classification system is used for the creation of call numbers for books and other material, for their systematic cataloging and shelving. It is widely used in academic and research libraries across the world. The system divides all knowledge into 21 basic classes, each identified by an single letter of the alphabet. Most of these alphabetical classes are further divided into more specific subclasses, identified by two-letter, or occasionally three-letter, combinations. 

The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) system allows us to arrange materials next to each other on the shelves that are about the same or similar subjects. This enables us to find items according to their unique call number and also allows us to put it back on the shelf in the same location.  Because books are catalogued by subject, you can find books of the same subject on the same shelf or nearby. This is the beauty of the Library of Congress Classification System. 

The library stacks is in the Basement of the Law Library. Each book stack has an indicator at the end of each shelf showing the call number range within that book stack.    

The LCC Collection is located in the Basement of the Law Library and some online versions of law related texts can be found in the Irwin Law Collection.