SSShelfSignal

Plan shelving. See neighbors. Print labels.

LC Cutter number generator with your shelflist in view.

ShelfSignal gives librarians and collectors a conservative LC G63 starting point, then checks the proposed shelfmark against a local CSV for careful review. Your catalog data stays on your device.

Public LC G63 rulesLocal CSV onlyNo account
1

Enter title details

2. Compare a local shelflist

CSV columns: callNumber, author, title, year.

No file loaded.

3

Shelflist position & neighbors

Proposed shelfmark

—
0 exact

No local shelflist loaded.

ShelfmarkAuthorTitleYear

A generated Cutter is a starting point, not an official assignment. Shelflist around existing works and follow local cataloging policy.

4

Spine label preview

Why this is narrow

Why an LC Cutter number generator still needs a shelflist check

ShelfSignal does not embed the copyrighted 1969 Swanson–Swift Cutter-Sanborn table, OCLC’s four-figure table, or Dewey schedules. It uses a small public LC G63 rule summary to suggest a place to start. The final number depends on the works already in your collection, local filing practice, language, editions, biographies, translations, literary-author conventions, and the class schedule in use.

That is why the useful step is not merely producing letters and digits. The useful step is seeing the proposed shelfmark beside its neighbors. Uploading a CSV is optional and processed entirely in this browser tab. The file is not sent with analytics events.

A mathematically plausible number can still file in the wrong place. Initials, prefixes, corporate names, translations, literary criticism and successive editions can all change the local decision. Exact duplicates are only one signal; the names immediately before and after the proposal often matter more. ShelfSignal therefore keeps the suggested value, local evidence and printable label together without claiming authority over the final record. Read the method and limits before adopting a proposal, and review the local-file privacy boundary before loading a shelflist.

How to use it

Check the shelf before printing

  1. Enter the author or filing term and the class number you already selected.
  2. Review the LC G63 starting point and adjust it according to the applicable schedule.
  3. Load an exported local shelflist to look for exact collisions and nearby names.
  4. Confirm the filing order in your ILS or shelf list.
  5. Print labels only after a cataloger has reviewed the result.

The tool does not assign subjects, create MARC records, decide DDC or LCC classification, or certify local policy compliance.

For a useful comparison, export only the fields the checker needs: call number, author, title and year. Remove patron data, notes, identifiers and circulation history before loading a file. After reviewing the suggested position, download the small planning CSV or print a label draft, then verify the value in the cataloging system that controls the collection. Record the final cataloger-approved shelfmark in your ILS, not in this browser tool. This keeps ShelfSignal in its proper role: a private first-pass workspace that makes a local decision easier to inspect, document and revise.