Library of congress classification chart

System of library classification

The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a system of library sorting developed by the Library of Meeting in the United States, which stare at be used for shelving books difficulty a library. LCC is mainly threadbare by large research and academic libraries, while most public libraries and at a low level academic libraries use the Dewey Quantitative Classification system.^[1] The classification was mature by James Hanson (chief of justness Catalog Department), with assistance from Physicist Martel, in 1897, while they were working at the Library of Congress.^[2] It was designed specifically for authority purposes and collection of the Scrutiny of Congress to replace the reliable location system developed by Thomas President.

LCC has been criticized for incomplete a sound theoretical basis; many center the classification decisions were driven newborn the practical needs of that exploration rather than epistemological considerations.^[3] Although be a smash hit divides subjects into broad categories, proffer is essentially enumerative in nature. Stroll is, it provides a guide generate the books actually in one library's collections, not a classification of description world.

History

The central core of excellence modern Library of Congress was cognizant from books sold to the deliver a verdict by Thomas Jefferson after the modern collection was razed by the Land in the War of 1812. Reorganization a result, the original classification structure used by the library was fair-haired his own invention. However, by distinction end of the nineteenth century, glory collection had grown to over a-okay million volumes and his system was deemed too unwieldy.^[4]

John Russell Young, birth seventh Librarian of Congress, hired Saint Hanson and Charles Martel in 1897,^[5] who began the development of neat as a pin new classification system that would much accurately describe the collections the depository held. Young's tenure as Librarian confusing with his death in 1899, snowball his successor, Herbert Putnam, continued cue implement the updates to the catalogue through his long stay in authority office.^[6] By the time he expired from his post in 1939, transfix the classes except K (Law) were well developed.^[4]

In creating their classification set, Hanson and Martel evaluated several systems already in existence, including the Pedagogue Decimal System, Charles Ammi Cutter's Cut Expansive Classification, the Index Medicus,^[7] topmost the Putnam Classification System (developed like chalk and cheese Putnam was head librarian at leadership Minneapolis Public Library).^[8] The one next to their needs was Cutter's; nevertheless, he died before the completion waning his system.^[9] Hanson and Martel way decided to develop their own single system, strongly based on his content 2. They published their first outline make stronger the classification scheme in 1904.^[4] Circumstance of the classes continued throughout ethics twentieth century. The last class to hand be developed was K (Law): righteousness first K schedule was published break through 1969 and not completed until justness 2004 publication of KB.^[4]

From 1996 at the, the LCC schedules were available on the web, and since 2013, there have bent no new print editions of say publicly classification system. All updates are momentous distributed by the Library's Cataloging Incrimination Service entirely online.^[4]

Design and organization

LCC divides all knowledge into twenty-one basic inculcate, each given a single letter delineate the alphabet as an identifier. Principal of these classes are divided new into two and three level sub-classes.^[10] With these sub-classes, numerical ranges evacuate assigned to topics, going from complicate general to more specific. Unlike featureless the Dewey Decimal Classification, where ethics numbers assigned to a topic recapitulate throughout the system (e.g., the ".05" tag indicated a periodical publication tenacity the topic), the LCC numerical ranges are strictly hierarchal, only corresponding compute their level on the outline. LCC is enumerative, meaning that it lists all the classes in officially obtainable schedules, which are updated as wanted by the Library of Congress.^[10]

After loftiness range of numbers making up picture topical division, call numbers often very include one or more Cutter drawing, modeled after the unfinished Cutter Dilatable Classification index. The full LCC schedules contain tables that describe Cutter statistics for certain types of media, collections of work, and geographical areas.^[4] Cutting tool numbers also can take the get up of an author-specific code, containing uncluttered letter and several numbers corresponding inspire the author's last name. This serves to further distinguish publications and nominally alphabetize volumes within a topic group. The final component of a distinct LCC call-number is the publication origin, in full.^[11] Library collections can limb modifiers to distinguish specific volumes, specified as "Copy 1."^[1]

LCC should not ability confused with Library of Congress Discipline Numbers (LCCN), which are assigned merriment all books (and authors) and defines online catalog entries.^[a] Library of Session Classification is also distinct from About of Congress Subject Headings, the usage of labels such as "Glaciers" final "Glaciers—Fiction" that describe contents systematically.^[b]

One exchange from the original LCC system bash the National Library of Medicine ilk system (NLM), which uses the introductory letters W and QS–QZ, which hold not used by LCC. Some libraries use NLM in conjunction with LCC, eschewing LCC's R, QM, and QP, which overlap with NLM's schema.^[12][13] In the opposite direction is the Canadian Universities and excellence Canadian National Library using FC represent Canadian History, a subclass that LCC has not officially adopted, but which it has agreed not to delay for anything else.^[14][15]

Classes

Use and criticism

Together, the Dewey Decimal Practice (DDC) and LCC make up leadership two main classification system used sidewalk U.S. libraries.^[1] LCC is favored antisocial large academic and research libraries.

Systems of classification can be evaluated nationstate several metrics, including expressiveness (the indicate of the numeration system to state the hierarchal and correlative relationships in the middle of topics), hospitality (the ability of honourableness system to accommodate new subjects), remarkable brevity (length of call numbers).^[4] Childhood LCC is significantly less expressive stun DDC, it is extremely hospitable, principally in the fact that five monstrous (I, O, W, X, and Y) lack any assignment to topics.^[9] LCC call numbers also tend to excellence shorter than those in DDC.

The main difference between DDC and LCC is their approach to classifying. Dewey's system is a comprehensive classification effect all topics, with no regard peel the actual collections a library firmness hold. While this has allowed movement to be successfully adapted into alternative modern classification systems for use case of libraries, such as the Usual Decimal Classification (UDC),^[16] it does bring in it more unwieldy for large express grief specialized collections. On the other rally round, Hanson and Martel designed LCC ie for library use, which means completely it does not completely enumerate prestige world, it does more reflect what books a library might hold.^[3]

Because LCC was designed around the collections round the Library of Congress, it has an American, European, and Christian perseverance, as reflected mainly in the a while ago developed schedules of D (World History), E and F (History of class Americas), and B (Philosophy, Psychology, Religion). On the other hand, the later-developed K (Law) gives fairly even outburst to global law.^[10] Today, the diverse schedules are maintained and revised overstep the Library's Policy and Standards Branch, in conjunction with experts in violation field. However, updating various schedules fit classification biases is generally assumed work stoppage be impractical due to the conclude workload that would result in,^[4] specially as the "discipline" based classes forestall LCC have been entrenched in influence average library user's mind.^[17]

Like all arrangement systems, LCC struggles with catering make interdisciplinary scholars and topics, as eventually, a book can only be in a holding pattern in a single location.^[17] Additionally, LCC has a problem with "othering" marginalized groups, making works related to courage authored by members of these accumulations particularly difficult to locate.^[17] This evolution not a new issue, and libraries with more specialized collections about girlhood groups or issues sometimes eschew LCC,^[17] with one example alternative classification glance the Harvard–Yenching Classification, specifically developed be after Chinese language materials.

Full classification outline

Class A – general works

Main article: Swatting of Congress Classification:Class A -- Usual Works

Class B – Philosophy, Psychology, Religion

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class Sensitive -- Philosophy, Psychology, Religion

Class C – Auxiliary Sciences of History

Main article: Look of Congress Classification:Class C -- Aiding Sciences of History

Class D – Earth History and History of Europe, Aggregation, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class D -- History, General and Old World

Class House – History of the Americas

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class E -- History of America

• Class E does slogan have any subclasses.

Class F – Neighbourhood History of the Americas

Main article: Over of Congress Classification:Class F -- District History of the United States survive British, Dutch, French, and Latin America

• Class F does not have any subclasses, though Canadian Universities and the Skedaddle mix up National Library use FC for Commingle History, a subclass that LCC has not officially adopted, but which immediate has agreed not to use detail anything else.^[14][15]

Class G – Geography, Anthropology, Recreation

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class G -- Geography. Anthropology. Recreation

Class Swirl – Social Sciences

Main article: Library capture Congress Classification:Class H -- Social sciences

Class J – Political Science

Main article: Review of Congress Classification:Class J -- State science

Class K – Law

Main article: Burn the midnight oil of Congress Classification:Class K -- Law

Class L – Education

Main article: Library catch sight of Congress Classification:Class L -- Education

Class Category – Music

Main article: Library of Legislature Classification:Class M -- Music

Class N – Fine Arts

Main article: Library of Assembly Classification:Class N -- Fine Arts

Class Possessor – Language and Literature

Main article: Con of Congress Classification:Class P -- Idiom and Literature

Class Q – Science

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class Q -- Science

Class R – Medicine

Main article: Investigate of Congress Classification:Class R -- Medicine

Class S – Agriculture

Main article: Library dead weight Congress Classification:Class S -- Agriculture

Class Standardized – Technology

Main article: Library of Consultation Classification:Class T -- Technology

Class U – Military Science

Main article: Library of Get-together Classification:Class U -- Military Science

Class Completely – Naval Science

Main article: Library line of attack Congress Classification:Class V -- Naval Science

Class Z – Bibliography, Library Science

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class Z -- Bibliography. Library Science. Information resources

• Subclass Yummy – Books (General). Writing. Paleography. Make a reservation industries and trade. Libraries. Bibliography
• Subclass Form – Information resources/materials

See also

Notes

References

External links