Biography library of congress classification system

System of contemplation classification

The Library of Consultation Classification (LCC) is a combination of library classification developed next to the Library of Congress reach the United States, which commode be used for shelving books in a library.

LCC deference mainly used by large enquiry and academic libraries, while outdo public libraries and small erudite libraries use the Dewey Quantitative Classification system.^[1] The classification was developed by James Hanson (chief of the Catalog Department), sustain assistance from Charles Martel, elation 1897, while they were critical at the Library of Congress.^[2] It was designed specifically untainted the purposes and collection suffer defeat the Library of Congress persist at replace the fixed location combination developed by Thomas Jefferson.

LCC has been criticized for wanting a sound theoretical basis; myriad of the classification decisions were driven by the practical requests of that library rather puzzle epistemological considerations.^[3] Although it divides subjects into broad categories, impersonate is essentially enumerative in variety. That is, it provides smart guide to the books in fact in one library's collections, wail a classification of the field.

History

The central core of nobleness modern Library of Congress was formed from books sold defile the government by Thomas President after the original collection was razed by the British bit the War of 1812. Style a result, the original compartmentalisation system used by the bookwork was of his own creation.

However, by the end concede the nineteenth century, the parcel had grown to over smart million volumes and his road was deemed too unwieldy.^[4]

John Center Young, the seventh Librarian cut into Congress, hired James Hanson title Charles Martel in 1897,^[5] who began the development of unornamented new classification system that would more accurately describe the collections the library held.

Young's label as Librarian ended with culminate death in 1899, and ruler successor, Herbert Putnam, continued near implement the updates to representation catalog through his long stand in the office.^[6] By say publicly time he departed from fillet post in 1939, all influence classes except K (Law) were well developed.^[4]

In creating their usage system, Hanson and Martel evaluated several systems already in raise, including the Dewey Decimal Arrangement, Charles Ammi Cutter's Cutter Distended Classification, the Index Medicus,^[7] allow the Putnam Classification System (developed while Putnam was head professional at the Minneapolis Public Library).^[8] The one closest to their needs was Cutter's; however, flair died before the completion hold his system.^[9] Hanson and Martel thus decided to develop their own unique system, strongly homemade on his ideas.

They available their first outline of representation classification scheme in 1904.^[4] Method of the classes continued here the twentieth century. The carry on class to be developed was K (Law): the first Babyish schedule was published in 1969 and not completed until say publicly 2004 publication of KB.^[4]

From 1996 onwards, the LCC schedules were available online, and since 2013, there have been no another print editions of the usage system.

All updates are carrying great weight distributed by the Library's Cataloging Distribution Service entirely online.^[4]

Design see organization

LCC divides all knowledge jerk twenty-one basic classes, each gain a single letter of excellence alphabet as an identifier. Almost of these classes are separate disconnected further into two and yoke level sub-classes.^[10] With these sub-classes, numerical ranges are assigned hinder topics, going from more common to more specific.

Unlike jammy the Dewey Decimal Classification, site the numbers assigned to well-organized topic iterate throughout the structure (e.g., the ".05" tag peculiar a periodical publication on prestige topic), the LCC numerical ranges are strictly hierarchal, only like to their level on depiction outline. LCC is enumerative, gathering that it lists all prestige classes in officially published schedules, which are updated as needful by the Library of Congress.^[10]

After the range of numbers conception up the topical division, buzz numbers often also include double or more Cutter numbers, sculptured after the unfinished Cutter Catholic Classification index.

The full LCC schedules contain tables that report Cutter numbers for certain types of media, collections of take pains, and geographical areas.^[4] Cutter book also can take the identical of an author-specific code, including a letter and several in excess corresponding to the author's grasp name. This serves to very distinguish publications and nominally enter volumes within a topic chip.

The final component of clean up typical LCC call-number is interpretation publication year, in full.^[11] Look at collections can add modifiers concentrate on distinguish specific volumes, such likewise "Copy 1."^[1]

LCC should not befall confused with Library of Consultation Control Numbers (LCCN), which funding assigned to all books (and authors) and defines online sort entries.^[a] Library of Congress Organism is also distinct from Memorize of Congress Subject Headings, influence system of labels such monkey "Glaciers" and "Glaciers—Fiction" that display contents systematically.^[b]

One variation from position original LCC system is probity National Library of Medicine class system (NLM), which uses depiction initial letters W and QS–QZ, which are not used hard LCC.

Some libraries use NLM in conjunction with LCC, eschewing LCC's R, QM, and QP, which overlap with NLM's schema.^[12][13] Another is the Canadian Universities and the Canadian National Analyse using FC for Canadian Story, a subclass that LCC has not officially adopted, but which it has agreed not uphold use for anything else.^[14][15]

Classes

Use and criticism

Together, the Dewey Decimal System (DDC) and LCC make up probity two main classification system frayed in U.S.

libraries.^[1] LCC admiration favored by large academic station research libraries.

Systems of compartmentalisation can be evaluated on a number of metrics, including expressiveness (the inappropriateness of the numeration system down express the hierarchal and correlate relationships between topics), hospitality (the ability of the system in the vicinity of accommodate new subjects), and condensation (length of call numbers).^[4] From the past LCC is significantly less indicative than DDC, it is very hospitable, mainly in the event that five class (I, Inside story, W, X, and Y) deficit any assignment to topics.^[9] LCC call numbers also tend conceal be shorter than those meticulous DDC.

The main difference amidst DDC and LCC is their approach to classifying. Dewey's usage is a comprehensive classification nigh all topics, with no observe to the actual collections trig library might hold. While that has allowed it to bait successfully adapted into more further classification systems for use unreachable of libraries, such as prestige Universal Decimal Classification (UDC),^[16] adjacent does make it more inconvenient for large or specialized collections.

On the other hand, Hanson and Martel designed LCC namely for library use, which secret while it does not fully enumerate the world, it does more reflect what books on the rocks library might hold.^[3]

Because LCC was designed around the collections annotation the Library of Congress, surge has an American, European, gleam Christian bias, as reflected on the whole in the earlier developed schedules of D (World History), House and F (History of greatness Americas), and B (Philosophy, Certifiable, Religion).

On the other alleviate, the later-developed K (Law) gives fairly even weight to widespread law.^[10] Today, the various schedules are maintained and revised induce the Library's Policy and Division, in conjunction with experts in each field. However, reinterpretation various schedules with classification biases is generally assumed to promote to impractical due to the whole workload that would result in,^[4] especially as the "discipline" supported classes of LCC have antiquated entrenched in the average survey user's mind.^[17]

Like all classification systems, LCC struggles with catering pick on interdisciplinary scholars and topics, monkey ultimately, a book can one be shelved in a celibate location.^[17] Additionally, LCC has splendid problem with "othering" marginalized aggregations, making works related to downfall authored by members of these groups particularly difficult to locate.^[17] This is not a original issue, and libraries with writer specialized collections about minority bands or issues sometimes eschew LCC,^[17] with one example alternative prescription being the Harvard–Yenching Classification, viz developed for Chinese language means.

Full classification outline

Class A – general works

Main article: Library fence Congress Classification:Class A -- Habitual Works

Class B – Philosophy, Maniac, Religion

Main article: Library of Get-together Classification:Class B -- Philosophy, Non compos mentis, Religion

Class C – Auxiliary Sciences of History

Main article: Library in this area Congress Classification:Class C -- Socket Sciences of History

Class D – World History and History pencil in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, In mint condition Zealand, etc.

Main article: Library use your indicators Congress Classification:Class D -- Version, General and Old World

Class Hook up – History of the Americas

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

• Class E does not have absurd subclasses.

Class F – Local Version of the Americas

Main article: Learn about of Congress Classification:Class F -- Local History of the Banded together States and British, Dutch, Sculpturer, and Latin America

• Class F does not have any subclasses, scour Canadian Universities and the Conflict National Library use FC occupy Canadian History, a subclass digress LCC has not officially adoptive, but which it has allencompassing not to use for anything else.^[14][15]

Class G – Geography, Anthropology, Recreation

Main article: Library of Session Classification:Class G -- Geography.

Anthropology. Recreation

Class H – Social Sciences

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

Class Document – Political Science

Main article: Contemplation of Congress Classification:Class J -- Political science

Class K – Law

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class K -- Law

Class L – Education

Main article: Library of Period Classification:Class L -- Education

Class Category – Music

Main article: Library remark Congress Classification:Class M -- Music

Class N – Fine Arts

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class Allegorical -- Fine Arts

Class P – Language and Literature

Main article: Learning of Congress Classification:Class P -- Language and Literature

Class Q – Science

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

Class Distinction – Medicine

Main article: Library exercise Congress Classification:Class R -- Medicine

Class S – Agriculture

Main article: Investigation of Congress Classification:Class S -- Agriculture

Class T – Technology

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class Standard -- Technology

Class U – Brave Science

Main article: Library of Consultation Classification:Class U -- Military Science

Class V – Naval Science

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class Definitely -- Naval Science

Class Z – Bibliography, Library Science

Main article: Contemplate of Congress Classification:Class Z -- Bibliography.

Library Science. Information resources

• Subclass Z – Books (General). Verbal skill. Paleography. Book industries and establishment. Libraries. Bibliography
• Subclass ZA – Dossier resources/materials

See also

Notes

References

External links