This table sets out the ordering format for different collections. You will need to include both the stem and number in the shelfmark box, (e.g. “Add MS 12345” or “Cotton MS Nero E V”).
| Collection Name | Ordering Format Stem | Ordering Format Number |
| Additional Charter | Add Ch | 6154 |
| Additional Manuscript | Add MS | 4101 |
| Additional Roll | Add Ch | 6698 |
| Alan Tyson | Tyson MS | 1 |
| Arundel Manuscript | Arundel MS | 1 |
| Arundel Oriental Manuscripts | Arundel Or | 1 |
| Ashley Manuscript | Ashley MS | A17 or 394 |
| Assamese Manuscripts | Mss Assamese | A 1 |
| Aufrecht Manuscripts | Aufrecht | 1 |
| Avestan Manuscripts | Mss Avestan | 1 |
| Batak Manuscripts | Mss Batak | 1 |
| Bengali Manuscripts | Mss Bengali | A 1 |
| Bengali Manuscripts | IO Bengali | 1 |
| Bijapur Manuscripts | Bijapur | 1 |
| Brian Houghton Hodgson Papers | Mss Eur Hodgson | /1 |
| Bugi Manuscripts | Mss Bugi | 1 |
| Buhler Manuscripts | Buhler | 1 |
| Burmese Manuscripts | Mss Burmese | 1 |
| Burmese Parabaik Manuscripts | Mss Bur/Parabaik | 1 |
| Burnell Manuscripts | Burnell | 1 |
| Burney Manuscript | Burney MS | 1 |
| Church Brief | Church Brief | A I (1) |
| Cambodian Manuscripts | Mss Cambodian | 1 |
| Colin Mackenzie Papers - 1822 Collection | Mss Eur Mack (1822) | 1 |
| Colin Mackenzie Papers - General | Mss Eur Mack Gen | 1 |
| Colin Mackenzie Papers - Miscellaneous | Mss Eur Mack Misc | 1 |
| Colin Mackenzie Papers - Private Collection | Mss Eur Mack Private | 1 |
| Colin Mackenzie Papers - Translations | Mss Eur Mack Trans | I.1 |
| Cotton Charter | Cotton Ch | 11 or I 2 (1) |
| Cotton Manuscript | Cotton MS | Claudius A 1 |
| Delhi Arabic Manuscripts | Delhi Arabic | 1 |
| Delhi Persian Manuscripts | Delhi Persian | 1 |
| Detached Seal | Seal | XXXV.196 |
| Doubleday Casts | Doubleday Cast | A 1 |
| Egerton Charter | Egerton Ch | 2301 |
| Egerton Manuscript | Egerton MS | 1 |
| Egerton Ostracon | Egerton Ostracon | 1 |
| Ethé Manuscripts | IO Islamic | 1 (The IO Islamic number is the number given at the end of the catalogue entry, and not the Ethe catalogue entry number) |
| Ethiopic Manuscripts | Mss Ethiopic | 1 |
| Exported Manuscripts | RP | 1 |
| Grierson Manuscripts | Grierson Class | 1 no 1 |
| Gujarati Manuscripts | Mss Gujarati | 1 |
| Hargrave Manuscripts | Hargrave MS | 1 |
| Harley | Harley MS | 1 |
| Harley Charter | Harley Ch | 43 A 1 |
| Harley Roll | Harley Roll | A 1 |
| Hindi Manuscripts | Hindi Mss | A 1 |
| India Office Copper Charters | IO Copper Charter | 1 |
| India Office Private Papers | Mss Eur | A100/1 |
| India Office Records | IOR | /A/1 |
| India Office Records IOR/V/23 series | IOR MF 1 | Fiche no. 1 |
| India Office Records IOR/V/23 series maps and plans | IOR MF 1 | A1 |
| Indian Charters | Ind Ch | 1 |
| Javanese Manuscripts | Mss Jav | 1 |
| Jacob Collection | Jacob | 1 |
| Kanarese Manuscripts | Mss Kanarese | A 1 |
| Kashmiri Manuscripts | Mss Kashmiri | A 1 |
| Kings Manuscript | Kings MS | 1 |
| Kurukh Manuscripts | Mss Kurukh | 1 |
| Laing Mould | Laing Mould | 47/1 |
| Laing Mould Duplicate | Laing Mould Dup | 47/368* |
| Lampung Manuscripts | Mss Lampung | 1 |
| Lansdowne Charter | Lansdowne Ch | 1 |
| Lansdowne Manuscript | Lansdowne MS | 1 (Note: Please ignore the '/' and number that appears at the end of the Lansdowne MS number when ordering) |
| Loan Manuscript | Loan MS | 10 |
| Loan Seal | Loan Seal | I 1 |
| Lord Chamberlains Play | LCP | 1900/1 |
| Lord Chamberlains Play Correspondence | LCP Corr | 1918/1348 |
| Lord Chamberlains Play Correspondence, Licence Refused | LCP Corr LR | 1921 |
| Lord Chamberlains Play Correspondence, Waiting Box | LCP Corr WB | 1963 |
| Lord Frederick Campbell Charters | LFC Ch | I 1 |
| Loth Manuscripts | IO Loth | 1 |
| Maithili Manuscripts | Mss Maithili | 1 |
| Mackenzie Palm Leaf Manuscripts | Mackenzie | I |
| Madrigal Society | Mad. Soc. | A.44 |
| Malay Manuscripts | Mss Malay | A 1 |
| Malayalam Manuscripts | Mss Malayalam | 1 |
| Manipuri Manuscripts | Mss Manipuri | 1 |
| Man/Burmese Manuscripts | Mss Man/Bur | 1 |
| Mandalay / Pali Manuscripts | IO Man/Pali | 1 |
| Manuscript Facsimile | MS Facsimile | 1 |
| Marathi Manuscripts | Mss Marathi | A 1 |
| Microfiche | Microfiche | 1 |
| Microfilm | Microfilm | 1 or 485/1 |
| Modern Play Scripts | MPS | 1 |
| Mo-So Manuscripts | Mss Mo/So | 1 |
| Music Manuscripts | MS Mus. | 1 |
| Oriental Manuscripts | Or | 1 |
| Oriya Manuscripts | Mss Oriya | A 1 |
| Ostracon | Ostracon | 5790 |
| Papyri (Oriental) | Papyri | I(1) or I(A) |
| Pali Manuscripts | IO Pali | 1 |
| Panjabi Manuscripts | Mss Panjabi | A 1 |
| Pashto Manuscripts | IO Islamic | (*ask Reference for conversion list) |
| Rajasthani Manuscripts | Mss Rajasthani | 1 |
| Reserved Photocopies | RP | 1 |
| Reserved Photocopies (Music) | MUS RP | 1 |
| Robert Orme India Collection | Mss Eur Orme India | I |
| Robert Orme Various Collection | Mss Eur Orme OV | 1 |
| Royal Appendix | Royal Appendix MS | 58 |
| Royal Manuscript | Royal MS | 1 A 1 |
| Royal Music Library | R.M. | 20.f.2 |
| Royal Philharmonic Society | RPS MS | 5 |
| Royal Roll | Royal MS | 14 B 1 |
| RSPA (Royal Society Persian & Arabic) Manuscripts | RSPA | 1 |
| RST (Royal Society) Sanskrit Manuscripts | RST | 1 |
| Sanskrit Manuscripts | IO San | 1 |
| Sanskrit Palm Leaf Manuscripts | San PL | 1 |
| Siamese Manuscripts | Mss Siamese | 1 |
| Sinhalese Manuscripts | Mss Sinhalese | 1 |
| Sinhalese Hugh Nevill Collection | Or | 1(1) |
| Sinhalese Palm Leaf Manuscripts | Sin PL | 1 |
| Shan Manuscripts | Mss Shan | 1 |
| Sloane Charter | Sloane Ch | XXXI 1 |
| Sloane Manuscript | Sloane MS | 1 |
| Stowe Charters | Stowe Ch | 1 |
| Stowe Manuscript | Stowe MS | 1 |
| Stow Oriental Manuscripts | Stowe Or | 1 |
| Tagore Manuscripts | Tagore | 1 |
| Tamil Manuscripts | Mss Tamil | A 1 |
| Tamil Manuscripts (Mackenzie Collection) | Tamil/Mack | 1 |
| Telugu Manuscripts | Mss Telugu | A 1 |
| Tibetan Manuscripts | Mss Tib | A 1 |
| Topham Charter | Topham Ch | 1 |
| Urdu Manuscripts | Mss Urdu | 1 |
| Wolley Charter | Wolley Ch | i.1 |
| Yates Thompson Manuscript | Yates Thompson MS | 1 |
| Zweig Manuscript | Zweig MS | 1 |