University of Kent

A small q or f immediately in front of the classmark means that the book is an oversized quarto or folio. These are shelved in different sequences:

• Look for the pink sections on the floor maps, or pink shelf labels.
• Then look by the classmark.
• Eg qR 128.7 is an oversized R (medicine) book: find the shelves with the quartos and folios for R on them, and then look for R 128.7.

Journals have per immediately in front of the classmark.

• Look for the green sections on the floor maps, or green shelf labels.

Classmarks of reference books are often followed by the suffix Ref. or Reference - eg PH 666 Ref.

• Look for the blue sections on the floor maps, or blue shelf labels.
• Quick Reference books can be found on Level 2 Centre.

A classmark (also known as shelfmark or call number) is a series of numbers or letters indicating the location of an item within a Library or Library collection.

Most items at the Templeman Library and at Tonbridge are classified according to the Library of Congress scheme. The resulting classmarks use a combination of letters and numbers (eg HG 173). The letters at the beginning of the classmark indicate the main subject of the item; numbers, and sometimes further letters (eg HD 9502.U62) indicate subdivisions within the subject.

The Drill Hall Library uses the Dewey Decimal system - all numbers, no letters. Drill Hall books are excluded from this list. You are advised to use the Universities of Medway Library catalogue for full information.