What do you use for spine tags?

Hi All!

I am in the early stages of reorganizing our church library. I am going to have some of the youth help me start inputting the titles into LT in a few weeks and as we input each book I'd like them to make spine tags with the DDC number on them. What have you been using for this purpose?
Thanks!

The first part of this answer assumes that you are asking a supply question.

The first thing you need is labels. You can get library specific spine labels and type, print, or hand write on them. An alternative is to get the standard labels at an office supply store. You can get a word document with the label format from the label supplier and print out the labels (or type or hand write them).You can usually get 2 spine labels from one standard label.

Next you need label protectors to put over the spine labels. I highly recommend buying them from a library supply house (Demco, Highsmith, The Library Store, etc.). Using the clear tape you get at an office supply store just doesn't work as well.

If you're asking how to classify the books that don't have a Dewey number on the back of the title page and no recommendations from LibraryThing, I highly recommend checking the Library of Congress book listing. (catalog.loc.gov) Many books are already classified there. Look for item 082 on the MARC Tags page. If that fails, I recommend using an Abridged Dewey decimal classification and relative index. You should be able to buy an older edition and not spend a lot of money.

We use a small self-stick tag that comes on a reel, the sort that would be used as a price sticker. We hand-write each one, stick it on the spine, place the category colour dot (see below) above that, then cover it with a wide tape we found at the library supply. Looking at the catalogue recently, they list it as Scotch brand #810. It is one inch wide. We colour code our categories using the simple self-stick dots that come in a variety of colours.

Our classification system was designed by a professional librarian. I noticed recently that our local branch of the city library uses the same system (but not the same categories, of course).

Each book has three parts to its call number: (1) The alpha category code, (2) the first three letters of the first author's surname, and (3) the accession number. We keep a list of numbers that began with 001 and are now up to 1700. When we take in a book, it is listed next to the next number, which is its accession number.

Just a few of our categories are:
A Quaker history
B Quaker biography
D Church government
G Gandhi collection
K2 non-Quaker peace and social justice
L Bibles

There are categories for children, young adults, curricula for adults, children and young people, etc. You will notice the K2. All "non-Quaker" books are categorized K, and there are 6 categories within K.

As you can see, each library will have its own list of subjects.

Since our library is operated by a committee of volunteers and we don't usually have a library professional, we have found this system very volunteer friendly.

I'm working off of a partial Dewey decimal system, geared towards churches. It was handed down to me from the former librarian and I have no idea where she got it, but it doesn't cover everything. I can usually find help on the back of the title page, otherwise I lump the book into a category where I think it will be found.

Go to WorldCat

Although Worldcat has subject listings, I don't think it is very good for call numbers. On your works page, you can put links into other libraries. So, I would choose a large public library using Dewey. I find the Indianapolis Library pretty satisfactory, as you get call numbers on one click. Cleveland is two clicks, New York & Boston have a mixture of Dewey and LOC.

Go to the Library of Congress catalog system: http://catalog.loc.gov. Click on the upper tab that says "MARC Tags." Line No. 82 shows the Dewey listing.

Also the Penn State Libraries website on Cataloging and Metadata Services website: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/cataloging/catref/callnumbers.html includes several helpful hyperlinks.

You can actually see the Dewey Listing for a book in the Add Books mode, if you are using LOC as the source. After putting in, say the ISBN number, you get a result for the search from LOC. Then click 'more', and you get call numbers for both LOC and usually Dewey. This also works for places like ILCO and Pennsylvania ACCESS. Amazon frequently doesn't show call numbers. LOC is not good for looking up serials or more popular type paperbacks, where a hardbound version exists.

Tip: I place the label protector over the label and with the bottom of the label at the bottom of the spine. It helps to protect the book where there is more wear.

Look it up in the library of congress or OCLC Classify. Both are free. www.loc.gov.
You might ask local libraries in your vicinity for them to save their DDC set for you when they purchase an upgrade. They will usually be glad to do this and then you can have a more comprehensive set.