In order to successfully run a report for a call number range, you need to understand how your library’s call numbers are constructed. Call number ranges only work on the call number proper, and not anything that is in the call number prefix or suffix field.
A call number range is based on an alphanumeric sort of call numbers. Numbers sort before letters, nothing sorts before something, and uppercase letters sort before lower case letters.
Find All
If your call numbers in a section are irregular or you are simply trying to find all call numbers in a section, you can enter a zero 0 for the first number and zzzz for the last. This range should find all items with call numbers, because nothing should sort before or after it.
Screenshot — See an example
Dewey
To find a Dewey range, add the first number in the range without anything after the number. Be as specific as you need to be. For example, if you want to limit to the Dewey 770s, Photography, you should use 770 as the first number and 779.9999 for the last. If you want to limit to the 636.7, Dogs, you could use 636.7 as the first number, and 636.79999 as the last. The idea is that you want to always get ahead of the first possible call number, and past the last possible call number.
LC Classification
To find an LC subclass, for example, TR for Photography, use TR for the first number and TRZ for the last number.
Screenshot — See an example
Call Numbers without Numbers
If you have a section like Fiction and the call numbers look like this: FICTION Abbott and you want to do a weeding project on just the first half of the alphabet, you can use a range like this: FICTION A to FICTION MZZZ. If you think you might have some mixed format and case call numbers, FIC to fiction mzzz should catch them all.
If you have problems or need help understanding your call numbers, let us know!