The ANSCR Classification System for Sound Recordings
ANSCR categories
The Alpha-Numeric System for Classification of Recordings (ANSCR) is composed of over fifty major categories into which all sound recordings are organized.
| A | Music Appreciation: History and Commentary |
| B | Operas: Complete and Highlights |
| C | Choral Music |
| D | Vocal Music |
| (E) | Orchestral music |
| EA | Orchestral music: General Orchestral |
| EB | Orchestral music: Ballet Music |
| EC | Orchestral music: Concertos |
| ES | Orchestral music: Symphonies |
| F | Chamber Music |
| (G) | Solo Instrumental Music |
| GG | Solo Instrumental Music: Guitar |
| GO | Solo Instrumental Music: Organ |
| GP | Solo Instrumental Music: Piano |
| GS | Solo Instrumental Music: Stringed Instruments |
| GV | Solo Instrumental Music: Violin |
| GW | Solo Instrumental Music: Wind Instruments |
| GX | Solo Instrumental Music: Percussion Instruments |
| H | Band Music |
| J | Electronic, Mechanical Music |
| K | Musical Shows and Operettas: Complete and Excerpts |
| L | Soundtrack Music: Motion Pictures and Television |
| MA | Popular Music |
| MB | Blues/Rhythm and Blues/Soul |
| MC | Country/Western |
| MD | Big Band |
| MG | Contemporary Christian/Gospel |
| MJ | Jazz |
| ML | Latin Pop |
| MM | Heavy Metal |
| MN | New Age |
| MP | Rap/Hip-Hop |
| MR | Rock, Rhythm and Blues, etc. |
| MW | Pop World Music |
| N | Wedding Music |
| P | Folk and Ethnic Music (National) |
| Q | Folk and Ethnic Music (International) |
| R | Holiday Music |
| RC | Christmas Music |
| * S | Varieties and Humor |
| * SR | Varieties and Humor: Radio Transcriptions |
| * ST | Varieties and Humor: Television Transcriptions |
| * T | Plays |
| * U | Poetry |
| * V | Prose (Fiction) |
| * VN | Prose (Nonfiction) |
| * W | Documentary: History and Commentary |
| * X | Instructional or Informational Spoken Recordings |
| Y | Sounds and Special Effects |
| (Z) | Children's Recordings |
| * ZI | Children's Recordings: Instructional |
| ZM | Children's Recordings: Music |
| ZR | Children's Recordings: Holiday Music |
| ZRC | Children's Recordings: Christmas Music |
| * ZS | Children's Recordings: Spoken |
| * ZU | Children's Recordings: Poetry |
* Please note: Skokie Public Library no longer uses ANSCR for these categories; they are now either classified in fiction or with the Dewey Decimal Classification system.
ANSCR call number composition
ANSCR call number composition consists of four lines of information (called terms); each is explained below.- Term One
- Letter or letters representing one of the ANSCR categories
- Term Two
- Based on the ANSCR category specified in Term One, Term Two will be the first four consecutive letters of the composer's surname, performer's surname, author's surname, title, or topic
- Term Three
- Initial letters of the first three significant words of the title, or the first three consecutive letters of a one-word title
- Term Four
- First letter of the performer's surname (or production company if a children's recording) followed by the last two digits of the recording company's production number
ANSCR call number examples
In the following examples, the description of a sound recording is shown on the left and the resultant ANSCR call number is shown on the right. Recording descriptions include the ANSCR call number coding in parentheses following each item of information.
Example 1: |
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| Term One: | Opera (B) | B | |
| Term Two: | Puccini (PUCC) | PUCC | |
| Term Three: | Manon Lescaut (ML) | ML | |
| Term Four: | Renata Tebaldi, Decca 1317 (T17) | T17 | |
Example 2: |
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| Term One: | Orchestral music: Symphonies (ES) | ES | |
| Term Two: | Beethoven (BEET) | BEET | |
| Term Three: | Symphony No. 9 (9) | 9 | |
| Term Four: | Eugene Ormandy, Columbia MS 7016 (O16) | O16 | |
Example 3: |
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| Term One: | Musical Shows and Operettas (K) | K | |
| Term Two: | Oklahoma (OKLA) | OKLA | |
| Term Three: | Oklahoma (OKL) | OKL | |
| Term Four: | Shirley Jones, Capitol SK 595 (J95) | J95 | |
Example 4: |
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| Term One: | Popular Music (MA) | MA | |
| Term Two: | Ella Fitzgerald (FITZ) | FITZ | |
| Term Three: | Ella Sings Cole Porter (ESC) | ESC | |
| Term Four: | Ella Fitzgerald, Verve 64049 (F49) | F49 | |
Example 5: |
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| Term One: | Children's Recordings: Music (ZM) | ZM | |
| Term Two: | Sharon, Lois, & Bram (SHAR) | SHAR | |
| Term Three: | Singing 'n Swinging (SS) | SS | |
| Term Four: | Elephant Records, Elephant 0303 (E03) | E03 |