Library Print Collection

The majority of print books in the HM Libraries are on open shelving and organised by subject according to the “Regensburger Verbund-Klassifikation” system. Open shelving means books and journals are openly available and freely accessible to everyone. Moreover, some older, less-used journal issues; and certain valuable books are kept in storage.

Current journal issues are openly accessible in all three branch libraries, but cannot be borrowed (exception: some older individual issues in the Branch Library Pasing and Branch Library Karlstrasse). Older, yearly bound issues are shelved in alphabetical order and are available for borrowing.

OPAC (library catalogue)

A shelf mark consists of a combination of letters and numbers printed on a white label, is located on the spine of a book, and used to find the exact shelf location of a book.

Here is an example: 00 / ZN 6230 B665-2(4)+3

First number, '0', indicates the owning library

0 = Central Library,

1 = Karlstraße Branch Library

3 = Pasing Branch Library

Second number '0' indicates the location in the library

0 = General Collection

1 = Storage

3 = Textbook Collection

ZN – indicates the subject group

(here: engineering, subgroup electrical engineering, electronics, telecommunications)

ZN 6230 - exact location for books covering the subject

(here: broadband communication systems, integrated communication networks, ISDN)

B665 - codification of the author’s last name (here: Bocker, Peter)

-2 - information about the volume number

(here: 2nd volume of a multi-part item)

(4) - edition

(here: 4th, revised edition)

+ 3 - copy number

(here: third copy of the book)

It consists of a unique 12-digit number barcode beginning with ‘039’. You will find the library item number label affixed to the back of the book. A colour-coded stripe above the number indicates the owning library.