Shelfmark

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The alphanumeric code written on a library book that indicates where it is stored on the shelves
2. A reference label assigned to a library item to show its exact position in the collection
3. The identifying call number that librarians use to locate a volume within a library's stacks

Etymology: A shelfmark is the code a library writes on a book's spine or catalogue record to say where it sits, and the word is a plain compound: "shelf" joined to "mark," a sign or identifier. The "mark" half is the older and more widely shared element, going back through Old English "mearc" to a Germanic root meaning a boundary or sign. The "shelf" half traces back to an old Germanic word for a board or ledge, related to the idea of a flat plank, and it reached English as Old English "sċylfe" before becoming the Middle English "schelfe" that gave us the modern form. Put together, the sense is literal: a mark that tells you which shelf a volume belongs on. Because libraries keep items in a fixed arrangement, the code works as an address for the book rather than a description of it. The two parts are both everyday English words, so the compound needs no special explanation once you see that its job is locating things.

Synonyms: call number, classmark