Classification of Dissertations

Classification
Policy & misc. info.

Policies
  Classification policy
  050 4 guidelines
  CAS
  Accompanying mat.
  Accession numbers
  Duplicate call nos.
  Classics (SC)

Classification systems
  General info.
  Library of Congress
  Richardson
  Princeton theses

Old practices
GA and GAX old
N schedule

Princeton theses

See also: Princeton Dissertations

Princeton University Ph.D. dissertations, M.A. and M.S.E. theses are cataloged according to specific Princeton cataloging procedures.

There are two copies of each thesis. One copy goes to Archives. The second copy goes to a branch library. If there is no branch library assigned for the thesis, it goes to Annex A.

The call numbers are based on the PRIN sequence and assigned according to the following patterns:

Ph.D.
On screen: PRIN685 [year degree awarded].[cutter number]	On book: [Location] PRIN 685 [year degree awarded] .[cutter number]

M.A.
On screen: PRIN6846 [year degree awarded].[cutter number]	On book: [Location] PRIN 6846 [year degree awarded] .[cutter number]

M.S.E.
On screen: PRIN6848 [year degree awarded].[cutter number]	On book: [Location] PRIN 6848 [year degree awarded] .[cutter number]

The call numbers are determined by the degree and the year in which it was awarded plus a cutter number from "Inside numbers," a booklet of decimal cutters. This booklet is currently at the desk of the thesis cataloger.

Historical Note:

Before 1975, theses were classified under the numbers P685, P6846 and P6848, but this practice was changed to PRIN to avoid conflicts with LC Classfication.

The numbers were never changed in the card catalog, and when the records are converted into the OPAC, the P numbers are not changed to PRIN.