One of the most frequently heard questions at the Adult Services reference desk is: “Where is this CD?” The person will then hand us a piece of paper with something like “CD D PAV” written on it. Okay, they’ll say, CD makes sense and PAV is for Pavarotti, but what is the D for?
The Library categorizes all its CDs using something called ANSCR, the Alpha-Numeric System for Classification of Recordings. Actually our music call number uses three parts: CD (for, you guessed it, Compact Disc); the ANSCR category (D is for Vocal music); and three letters that describe the recording (either the first three letters of the author/composer/performer or the title of the recording). So, CD D PAV describes a recording of vocal music by Luciano Pavarotti, such as Italian Wedding Favorites.
The important thing to remember is that all these CDs are shelved in alphabetical order, from CD B (Operas) to CD SFX (sound effects). If you need a CD Z, that’s a children’s recording—you’ll find it in Youth Services.
So what are among the most common categories? Here’s a sampling: MA—Popular music, MC—Country, L—Soundtracks, ML—Latin pop. And by the way, if you’re putting together a party this month, be sure to take a look at CD R—that’s holiday music.
-- JB
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