Audio-Visual Shelving Guidelines
Here are a few simple tips that we follow when looking for materials.
What section is it in?
Materials in the AV Department are shelved by “genre”. In other words, you will need to know what section the item is in. The easiest way to do this is to check the call number in the library’s electronic catalog. (There is a search box on the right side of the page.)
DVDs
DVDs are filed alphabetically by title (except foreign titles). Because some articles are so common at the beginning of titles, we ignore them when filing DVDs. The only articles that are ignored are:
The
A
An
Foreign equivalents to those articles are also ignored. They include:
La
El
Los
Le
Il
Titles that begin with numbers are either spelled out, or filed under the numeral. This is determined by how the title is presented on the box.
Titles that begin with numerals are filed at the beginning of the alphabet.
For example:
12 Angry Men – This title is filed at the beginning of the section
The Twelve Chairs – This title is filed alphabetically under the letter T.
In order to be sure that titles file correctly, spaces are important to think about. We treat a space as a character that comes at the beginning of the alphabet. Here is an example:
Ice Storm – This title comes first because of the space.
Iceman – This title comes second because it has no space.
CDs
Most music is filed by artist’s name. The easiest way to know is to check the call number on our electronic catalog. For instructions on how to read a call number click here.
There are a few exceptions to the rule. Sections that are not filed alphabetically by performer include:
Classical – This section is filed alphabetically by composer.
Musicals/ Soundtracks – This section is filed according to show title.
Opera – Like classical, this section is filed by composer.
World Music – This section is filed according to geographical location.
CDs with call numbers that begin with Oversize are too big to fit in our racks. Look for these titles on the oversize rack. For a map of the room, click here.
A few sections have a miscellaneous section. They include World Music and Soundtracks.
World “Misc.” is a category for items that do not belong in a particular geographic area.
Musicals/ Soundtracks “Misc.” is for show tunes that come from multiple shows, so they can’t be filed by show title.
A few sections have a Collections section. They include classical and opera CDs. Collections are for CDs that cannot be filed under composer because the CD contains pieces by multiple composers.