Call number ordering in Destiny®

Whether you're searching in the Catalog, sorting a search results list, or running a Shelf List report, you may need to understand the way that Destiny parses and sorts your call numbers.

Call number components

All call numbers are broken down into three distinct groups:

  • Prefix
  • Dewey number
  • Suffix

Each group can hold up to twenty alphanumeric characters. (Brackets are not counted towards the 20 character limit.)

A Dewey number must contain three (and only three) consecutive numeric characters. A Dewey number can contain an optional decimal point followed by more numeric characters.

A call number can consist of one of the following:

  • Prefix only (for example, FIC)
  • Prefix / Suffix (for example, FIC T)
  • Prefix / Dewey number (for example, PB 101.34)
  • Prefix / Dewey number / Suffix (for example, PRE 247.3 A)
  • Dewey number only (for example, 092)
  • Dewey number / Suffix (for example, 734.3 BRE)

A call number cannot consist solely of a suffix.

Destiny's procedure for breaking the call number into each group

When the call number matches one of the following criteria, Destiny stops; it does not go further into the rules.

  1. Search through the call number for a Dewey number. When found, everything before the Dewey number is the Prefix and everything after the Dewey is the Suffix.
  2. If a Dewey number is not found, but a space is found in the call number, everything before the space is the Prefix and everything after the space is the Suffix.
  3. If no space is found, the call number is a Prefix.

Destiny's procedure for sorting call numbers

Groups within a call number are sorted by the following, each in ascending order:

  • Dewey and Dewey / Suffix
  • Prefix, Prefix / Dewey, Prefix / Dewey / Suffix, and Prefix / Suffix

Numbers sort before letters. For example E 12 always sorts before E AB

If a call number uses brackets (for example, [E]), the brackets are stripped for searching purposes and replaced for display purposes.

Destiny's method of limiting a Shelf List

When you're generating a shelf list for a portion of your collection, use the following information when entering the range of the call numbers you want to include in the report.

Entering a From call number

Destiny honors the entire call number entered.

The first entry in the collection that matches the "From" criteria is the starting point.

Entering a To call number

When a call number consists of a Dewey, a Prefix / Dewey, or a Prefix / Dewey / Suffix, Destiny ends the search with the call number entered.

When a call number consists of a Prefix or Prefix / Suffix, Destiny ends the search with the last entry that satisfies the Prefix of the number entered.

Examples

Search From Search To Search Results Explanation
004.37 403.78 004.37 to 403.789 Dewey number only. Destiny honors the from number as entered to the last entry in the collection that satisfies the last digit in the Dewey number. For example, 403 .78 finds all 403.78xx or 403.78 Suffix.
EZ 017 EZ 768 EZ 017 to EZ 768 Prefix / Dewey. Destiny looks first for a Dewey number and honors the numbers as entered.
PB PB PB 000 to PB ZZZ Prefix only. Destiny honors the from as the first entry found in collection that matches the prefix PB (PB 000) to the last entry found in collection that matches the prefix PB (PB ZZZ).
NA F G NA NA to NA ZZZ Destiny reverses the entries (since NA sorts before NA F G), then the "to" (NA F G) is a Prefix / Suffix so Destiny ends with the last entry in the collection that satisfies the prefix NA (NA ZZZ).
92 AR Q 92 to AR ZZZ 92 is not a Dewey number. Because Destiny sorts numbers first, the to is the last entry in the collection that satisfies the alpha prefix AR (AR ZZZ).
TG 789.6 T TG F TG 789.6 to TG ZZZ The from entry contains a Dewey number. Even with a suffix of T (which comes alphabetically after the to entry of F), the Dewey number sorts first. However, the tocall number consists solely of a Prefix / Suffix, so Destiny finds the last entry in the collection that satisfies the prefix TG (TG ZZZ).
SF SF C SF 000 to SF ZZZ For the from value, Destiny finds the first entry in the collection that satisfies the prefix SF (SF 000). For the to value, Destiny finds the last entry in the collection that satisfies the prefix SF (SF ZZZ).
PB 92 PB A PB 92 to PB ZZZ Numbers sort before alpha, so 92 sorts before A. The "from" finds the first entry in the collection that satisfies the PB 92 (PB 92 000) and goes "to" the last entry in the collection that satisfies the PB Prefix (PB ZZZ).