Skip to Main Content

University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Cataloging Services

Acquisitions & Cataloging Services

Label Placement Standards for Printed Books

Please note that collections with special needs may not follow the standards outlined below.

(1) For books reading left-to-right

If the label can be fixed on the spine of the book, it should be placed horizontally on the spine. No part of the call number should bend around the edges of a book.

If the spine is too thin and the label won’t fit, place the label in the upper left-hand corner of the front cover.

For ease of browsing and shelving, please place the “vertical” spine DDC labels with the top oriented towards the right side.



 

 

(2) For books reading right-to-left

If the label can be fixed on the spine of the book, it should be placed horizontally on the spine. No part of the call number should bend around the edges of a book.

If the spine is too thin and the label won’t fit, place the label in the upper right-hand corner of the front cover, below the barcode.

For ease of browsing and shelving, please place the “vertical” spine DDC labels with the top oriented towards the right side.