call number
1
4.0
- noun
- /kɔl ˈnʌmbər/
- Specialized
:
número de llamada
- She wrote down the call number of the book to ensure she could locate it later.
- library call number
- call number search
- call number for a book
Examples
-
For example, the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen was given the call number "F PAU ADV," indicating this book could be found alphabetically on the adventure shelf.
Academic text (2013) -
I made a note of the call numbers.
Fiction book (1992) -
Because multiple titles are on each device, a single call number is used for several titles.
Academic text (2012) -
For example, a book can be referenced by a call number.
Academic text (1990) -
Here, for example, all books have titles and call numbers and can be loaned out.
Academic text (1990) -
To keep it simple, we added a genre abbreviation to the end of the call number.
Academic text (2013) -
The students then submit the book on the online tracking form, a Google form identifying the title, author, call number, lexile, and genre.
Academic text (2014) -
Library staff could then quickly find all Kindle e-book titles by doing a call number search for "Kindle eBook" in the library's catalog.
Academic text (2012) -
When searching for a specific book, you can find it easily by its call number in the library.
-
The librarian explained that each book's call number tells where it can be found on the shelves.
Synonyms
A code written on a book to show where it is on the library shelves
A mark with numbers or letters that shows where a book is on library shelves
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts 'call' (to designate/name) + 'number' (a numeric identifier) yield a partly compositional sense — a number used to designate something — so learners can infer it denotes an identifying number. However, the specific library meaning 'the shelf/classification code for a book' is a domain-specific extension that a B1 learner who only knows the words might not predict (and might mistake for a phone or ID number), so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Call number may come from the idea of a label that 'calls' a book to its place on the shelf. The parts call and number make a picture of a number that points to one exact spot, so it means 'a code of letters and numbers used to find a book in a library'.