This post shows how to use formulas to manipulate Library of Congress (LC) call numbers in Microsoft Excel. I demonstrated this technique as part of a presentation that I made at the Wrangling Library Data virtual conference last month. An LC call number denotes the subject matter of a published resource, such as a book, as judged by a cataloger. In theory, by relying on call number data, libraries can measure the strengths and weaknesses of their collections, evaluate resource use, and assess the merits of prospective resource purchases. However, because call numbers often denote very specific topics, it can be challenging to convert them into categories that provide for insightful analysis. I have created an Excel file that can quickly manipulate up to 20,000 call numbers, deriving multiple data points for each one. As illustrated in the image below, this utility file performs the following functions:
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