The letters, figures, and symbols assigned to a book to indicate its location on library shelves are called the _____ numbers.

• A. Call
• B. Index
• C. Catalog
• D. Dewey

Answer: (A)

Call numbers are the labels printed on a book’s spine that show exactly where it sits in the library stacks. They combine letters and numbers to place the item within the library’s organization scheme (such as Dewey or Library of Congress) and determine the order of shelves. This system makes it possible to locate and return books efficiently.

An index is a list of topics or terms within a book used to find information inside the work, not to locate it on the shelf. A catalog is the library’s overall record for an item used to discover and request it, not the shelf location. Dewey refers to a specific classification system used to assign those call numbers, but the term for the location code itself is the general call number.