Go Straight to the Shelf - CALL NUMBER GUIDES - Circulating Theatre and Film at the Library for the Performing Arts - Research Guides at New York Public Library Research Centers

The Circulating Collections at LPA function as one of the Branches at the NYPL. Books in the Branch Libraries are arranged on the shelf by the Dewey Decimal System. You don't need to understand anything about it except that the numbers on the spines of the book (and other materials) represent the book's address on the shelf. They are in numerical order first, (including the decimal number), then alphabetical - first by playwright's name (if it's a play) then by author's LAST name.

Don't worry if that makes no sense. There's always someone on the second floor that can help you.

Click on a topic to go straight to the call number you need.

PLAYS & PLAYWRIGHTS MONOLOGUES / SCENEBOOKS MUSICAL THEATRE & LIBRETTOS ACTING THEATRE HISTORY & CRITICISM OTHER PERFORMANCE FORMS THEATRE & FILM PRODUCTION BROADCASTING & TELEVISION FILM SCREENPLAYS REFERENCE & BIBLIOGRAPHIES BIOGRAPHIES SHAKESPEARE

Dewey Decimal Guide

PLAYS & PLAYWRIGHTS
American plays by playwright	812
British Plays by playwright	822
*Shakespeare (see separate guide below for individual titles and topics)*	*822.33 (suffix per item)*
German plays	832
Scandinavian plays	839
Ibsen	839.822
Strindberg	839.72
French plays	842
Italian plays	852
Ancient Roman drama	872
Ancient Greek drama	882
Russian plays	891.72
Asian theatre	895
Collections of plays	808.92
Collections of American plays	812.008
Collections of British plays	822.008
MUSICAL THEATRE
Works about Musical Theater Librettos (scripts) - Librettos are shelved separately on the last aisle in the reading room, by the window.	782 LIB/782
PLAYWRITING//SCREENWRITING
How to write a play or screenplay	808.066 808.22-.23
HISTORY//THEORY//CRITICISM
World Theater history	792 792.1
American Theater history	792.11
British Theater history	792.12
German Theater history	792.13
French Theater history	792.14
Italian Theater history (including commedia del arte)	792.15
Theater history (other specific countries)
General critical works on drama	809; 812.5
Prose by performing artists, playwrights, theater critics	814; 817; 818
OTHER PERFORMANCE FORMS
Circus; clowns, sideshows	791.3; 791.33
Puppetry	791.5-.53
Vaudeville, Burlesque	792.8
Magic & illusion, ventriloquism	793.8; 793.89
Comedy, stand-up comedy	808.7; 817
REFERENCE & BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Film Bibliographies	016.79
Drama Bibliographies	016.8

Dewey Decimal Guide

ACTING
Acting		792.3
Film techniques: acting, directing, editing, sound, etc		792.96
Career guides in the performing arts
MONOLOGUES		808.8241-.8245; 808.042; 812.042; 822.042
SCENEBOOKS		792.3; 808.82; 808.8251; 812.008; 822.008
PRODUCTION
Film technique - acting; directing; editing; sound; etc.		792.96
Theatre production - Directing; stage-management; etc.		792.4
Animation; cartoons; caricatures		741.5; 769
Cinematography		778.53
Lighting design		792.41
Scene Design		792.5
Decorative arts; interior decoration; furniture Clothing design Clothing history Military costumes and attire	WITH THE EXCEPTION OF DANCE COSTUMES, all fashion history, military costumes, architecture, interior decoration, and all visual reference for design has been transferred to the Art collections at SASB and Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL). Speak to the librarian for catalog help.
Costume design for Performing Arts		792.42
Costume construction; textile arts		646.4; 646.7; 746
Make-up		792.31
Posters; illustrations for the theatre		778.53.7; 792.92
Masks; Maskmaking		391.434; 731.75

Architecture of theaters and motion picture houses		725.822
Amusement parks		791.06
BROADCASTING - RADIO, TELEVISION, CABLE, VIDEO
Radio		791.44
Television		791.45-.457
Individual TV programs		791.4572
Documentary media & broadcast journalism		070.19
Economic; legal & business; aspects of television; radio; theatre and film		338-343; 384
Technological aspects of radio, cable, & television, including video repair		621.38; 681.13
FILM
Film (all aspects)		792.9
Film genres - Westerns, comedy, documentaries, sci-fi, horror, etc.		792.93
The film industry - business aspects		792.95
Film technique: acting, directing, editing, sound, etc.		792.96
SCREENPLAYS		792.98
About the making of individual films (often includes screenplays)		792.981
BIOGRAPHIES Collected biographies		927.9
Biographies of all performing artists are on the First Floor - on the shelf alphabetically by SUBJECT'S LAST NAME.		B

FINDING SHAKESPEARE IN THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM

*THE PLAYS*
*Comedies*		*Tragedies*
822.33 O1-2	All’s well that ends well	822.33 S1-2	Anthony & Cleopatra
822.33 O3-4	As you like it	822.33 S3-4	Coriolanus
822.33 O5-6	The Comedy of Errors	822.33 S5-6	Cymbeline
822.33 O7-8	Love’s Labors Lost	822.33 S7-8	Hamlet
822.33 P1-2	Measure for Measure	822.33 T1-2	Julius Caesar
822.33 P3-4	The Merchant of Venice	822.33 T3-4	King Lear
822.33 P5-6	The Merry Wives of Windsor	822.33 T5-6	Macbeth
822.33 P7-8	A Midsummer Night’s Dream	822.33 T7-8	Othello
822.33 Q1-2	Much Ado about Nothing	822.33 U1-2	Pericles
822.33 Q3-4	The Taming of the Shrew	822.33 U3-4	Romeo & Juliet
822.33 Q5-6	The Tempest	822.33 U5-6	Timon of Athens
822.33 Q7-8	Twelfth Night	822.33 U7-8	Titus Andronicus
822.33 R1-2	Two Gentlemen of Verona	822.33 V1-2	Troilus & Cressida
822.33 R3-4	The Winter’s Tale


*Histories*
822.33 W1-2	Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2	822.33 X1-2	King John
822.33 W3-4	Henry V	822.33 X3-4	Richard II
822.33 W5-6	Henry VI, Parts 1 & 2	822.33 X5-6	Richard III
822.33 W7-8	Henry VIII	822.33 ZS	King Edward III

Topics of Shakespeare Research
822.33 A	Authorship controversy and/or bibliographies
822.33 B	Biography
822.33 D	Critical appraisal
822.33 E	Textual criticism
822.33 F	Sources, allusions
822.33 G	Societies, concordances, miscellany
822.33 H	Quotations, condensations, adaptations, prose summaries
822.33 I-J	Complete works
822.33 K	Complete works in translation
822.33 L-M	Partial collections (the histories, the tragedies, the comedies, etc.

Circulating Theatre and Film at the Library for the Performing Arts: Go Straight to the Shelf - CALL NUMBER GUIDES

Don't worry if that makes no sense. There's always someone on the second floor that can help you.

Click on a topic to go straight to the call number you need.

PLAYS & PLAYWRIGHTS MONOLOGUES / SCENEBOOKS MUSICAL THEATRE & LIBRETTOS ACTING THEATRE HISTORY & CRITICISM OTHER PERFORMANCE FORMS THEATRE & FILM PRODUCTION BROADCASTING & TELEVISION FILM SCREENPLAYS REFERENCE & BIBLIOGRAPHIES BIOGRAPHIES SHAKESPEARE

Dewey Decimal Guide

American plays by playwright

812

British Plays by playwright

822

Shakespeare (see separate guide below for individual titles and topics)

822.33 (suffix per item)

German plays

832

Scandinavian plays

839

Ibsen

839.822

Strindberg

839.72

French plays

842

Italian plays

852

Ancient Roman drama

872

Ancient Greek drama

882

Russian plays

891.72

Asian theatre

895

Collections of plays

808.92

Collections of American plays

812.008

Collections of British plays

822.008

Works about Musical Theater

Librettos (scripts) - Librettos are shelved separately on the last aisle in the reading room, by the window.

782

LIB/782

How to write a play or

screenplay

808.066

808.22-.23

World Theater history

792

792.1

American Theater history

792.11

British Theater history

792.12

German Theater history

792.13

French Theater history

792.14

Italian Theater history (including commedia del arte)

792.15

Theater history (other specific countries)

General critical works on drama

809; 812.5

Prose by performing artists, playwrights, theater critics

814; 817; 818

Circus; clowns, sideshows

791.3; 791.33

Puppetry

791.5-.53

Vaudeville, Burlesque

792.8

Magic & illusion, ventriloquism

793.8; 793.89

Comedy, stand-up comedy

808.7; 817

Film Bibliographies

016.79

Drama Bibliographies

016.8

Dewey Decimal Guide

Acting

792.3