shelf classification
The library's holdings⁺ at all three locations are organized according to the GHBS (Gesamthochschulbibliothekssystematik). This means that the books are sorted by subject area so that books on the same subject are arranged next to each other on the shelves.
This form of arrangement enables subject classification, makes it easier to search for literature in a particular subject area and provides a quick overview of the library's holdings at each location.
Shelf marks
The shelf mark indicates the location of a book on the shelf and is written on the shelf mark label, which is usually affixed to the spine of the book. The books on the shelves are arranged alphabetically by shelf mark.
You can find out the shelf mark of a book by using our literature search engine RiO(Opens in a new tab) . In the GHBS, it consists of three or four capital letters followed by a number. Depending on the case, further elements may be added.
An example: IBE 43/2(2)-1
- IBE - system office in the GHBS (IBE stands for "social work" - but this is not decisive for you as a user, instead you can simply use the alphabetical sorting as a guide)
- 43 - consecutive number in the system location
- /2 - second volume of a multi-volume work
- (2) - second edition
- -1 - copy number (we have several copies of some books. In such cases, the copies are numbered consecutively).
In addition, a shelf mark can end in "PB" for non-lending collection or "LB" for textbook (see below).