Daniel P. B. Smith wrote:
(Of course we get back into murky territory if someone asserts that the book is not in the online catalog, but nevertheless can be found on the the shelves, third floor of the stacks, two rows from the back, sixth set of stacks, fourth shelf, sixteenth from the left in a dull red binding, catalog number QQXXZZ-12345).
Yes. The catalog number should be relatively constant, and be the basis for further searches. The described position will remain the same until someone moves it to the next shelf as a part of a tidying up program. :-)
Ec