Library

Welcome to the Ventura County Genealogical Society library collection. Our collection began in 1976 as a sharing library at our monthly meetings. It grew into the collection now housed upstairs at the Camarillo City Library (4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, Ventura County, California). Ask a Reference Librarian to point it out.

Within each subject the books are separated by the Dewey Decimal number. See the guide to the shelving system below.

PHYSICAL LOCATION OF BOOKS
Books are grouped on the shelves by categories. The shelving begins with the states in alphabetical order. After all the states other areas follow. Each section starts with a vertical place holder next to the first book of that category.

The key to finding book shelving is to look at the word that follows the Dewey decimal number.

For example, a book with the call number 973.2 FIS COLONIAL is shelved in the COLONIAL area.

Other examples of shelving categories include : UNITED STATES, NEW ENGLAND for example. We also have sections for: REFERENCE, MILITARY, HUEGENOT, PALATINE, QUAKER, IMMIGRANTS, PASSENGERS, JEWISH, NATIVE AMERICAN. Shelves for foreign countries are in the middle area of the VCGS collection.

STATES
State books are grouped in alphabetical order (from Alabama and to Wyoming). Within each state collection the books are sub-divided into general books, then into counties and finally into cities.

For example, a book titled: Index to Indiana Wills (covering more than one county or city within the state) has the catalog entry:

977.2 FRA INDIANAINDEX TO INDIANA WILLS : Phase 1 through 1850 v. 1Franklin, Charles M.

977.2 indicates that book is covering an area of Indiana that spans more than a specific county or city.
FRA displays that the author or title begins with FRA (in this case Franklin)
INDIANA shows that this book is found on the Indiana shelf.

All the 977.2 books are shelved first (in alphabetical order by the first 3 letters of author/title) within the INDIANA collection.

COUNTIES
Following the general books pertaining to a state, come the county books. County books have the 01 designation in the Dewey Decimal number.

975.501 AC2MC VIRGINIAACCOMACK COUNTY, VA. court order abstracts v. 6. 1678-1682McKey, JoAnn Riley

For example, the call number of a book titled: Accomack County, VA court order abstracts breaks down as follows:

975.5 is the subject area (Virginia).
01 identifies that it is a book about a specific county.
AC2 give the first letters of the county (in this case, Accomack).
MC shows the first letters of the author’s surname.

VIRGINIA displays that the book is found on the Virginia shelves.

CITIES
Last in order on state shelves are the cities with a 02 designation in the call number.

979.402 SA519CL CALIFORNIASAN FRANCISCO DEATHS 1902-1904Close, Barbara Ross Ed.

For example a book titled: San Francisco Deaths, 1902-1904 has the call number 979.402 SA519CL

979.4 is the subject area (California)
02 designates a book about a city
SA519 is the entry used to separate cities when there is more than one that starts with the same letter.
CL shows the first letters of the author/title.
CALIFORNIA shows that the book will be found on the California shelves.

Click on the page icon in the catalog listing to display the full description of the book. If we know about a digitized version of the book, we include an active hyperlink to the book.

FAMILIES
FAMILIES is the subject heading for the books with family history and genealogies. The Dewey Decimal number is 929.2 followed by the first 3 letters of the family’s last name. For example, a book about the Taylor family has the call number 929.2 TAY FAMILIES. Family journals are shelved next to the family books with the same surname.

JOURNALS
Journals are shelved at the end of each subject heading. For example, California journals are shelved after the California books. The exception is family journals, they are shelved with the family name. Journals about the Taylor family are next to books about the Taylor family.

OVERSIZED
Oversized books are shelved separately and are located at the end of bookshelf number 10 under the Ventura County Genealogical Society’s bulletin board. If a book is oversized, the full catalog description will include the designation “oversized.”