What is a shelfmark?

A shelfmark indicates the exact location of a book within a library’s collection. It consists of letters and/or numbers and is usually generated according to this rule:
Location (separated from the rest by a slash) + book-specific part.
The first “location” part shows which library the medium is located in.

Examples of shelf marks at the University Library Erlangen-Nürnberg (UB) include

• H00/2007 A 1236 (location: main library, stack).
• T35/2000-54 (Location: Science and Technology Branch Library, Dissertations)
• 10GB/WT 1004 B959 (Location: Biology Departmental Library)

For information on all the locations at the UB and where to find them, please refer to Locations & Opening Hours.

The shelfmark is typically placed on the back of the book.