Sunday, May 4, 2014

Know Your SFPL call numbers - 796.3 "Ball Games"

"Base Ball in Alaska" - source: America's National Game; Historic Facts Concerning the Beginning, Evolution, Development and Popularity of Base Ball by Albert G. Spalding; cartoons by Homer C. Davenport (American Sports Publishing Company, 1911).

The Dewey Decimal call number 796 comprises "Athletic and outdoor sports and games."  It's not surprising surprising that more than half of this section falls within the Dewey Decimal section for ball games point -- 796.3.

Here is a delineation of subjects within the 796.3 section:

796.31 - Ball thrown or hit by hand -- includes handball and lawn bowling

796.32 - Inflated ball thrown or hit by hand -- including basketball (796.323), netball (796.324), and volleyball (796.325).

796.33 - Inflated ball driven by foot -- including football (actually American football - 796.332), rugby (796.333), soccer (called football everywhere else - 796.334), Canadian football (796.335), and Australian rules football (796.336)

796.34 - Racket games -- including tennis (796.342), squash (796.343), badminton (796.345), table tennis (796.346), and lacrosse (796.347)

796.35 - Ball driven by club, mallet, bat -- including golf (796.352), polo (796.353), croquet (796.354), field hocket (796.355), baseball (796.357), and cricket (796.358).

The numbers apply to the history of each sport as well as information on watching, coaching or playing each sport. Biographies of sports figured are shelved on the 3rd floor in the General Collections Department in the "B" section.

Now that you have been coached with this knowledge -- Play ball!



No comments: