call number

noun

Library Science.

1. a number, letter, symbol, or combination of these, indicating the specific location of a work in a library, especially the combination of the classification symbol and the designation for the author.

call number

noun

1. Also called: call mark. the number given to a book in a library, indicating its shelf location

Word History and Origins

Origin of call number¹

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80

Example Sentences

I called the number; don’t call numbers like this.

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Who read every book in the classroom library, and remembered the call numbers of favorite volumes in the school library.

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“Three-two-three-point-four-four is the call number for ‘freedom of action,’ also known as liberty.

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"Staff need not read the call numbers one by one on the shelf, and this reduces the routine and labour-intensive aspects," said Lee Yee Fuang, assistant director at the National Library Board.

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When I was growing up, my mother was both alphabetically and thematically fastidious about her books; the shelves for which she was responsible basically required call numbers and card catalogs.

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