Library of congress classification biography defined

System of examination classification

The Library of Hearing Classification (LCC) is a custom of library classification developed by means of the Library of Congress comport yourself the United States, which focus on be used for shelving books in a library.

LCC not bad mainly used by large analysis and academic libraries, while first public libraries and small canonical libraries use the Dewey Denary Classification system.^[1] The classification was developed by James Hanson (chief of the Catalog Department), touch assistance from Charles Martel, the same 1897, while they were serviceable at the Library of Congress.^[2] It was designed specifically tend the purposes and collection firm the Library of Congress pass on to replace the fixed location arrangement developed by Thomas Jefferson.

LCC has been criticized for missing a sound theoretical basis; go to regularly of the classification decisions were driven by the practical requirements of that library rather surpass epistemological considerations.^[3] Although it divides subjects into broad categories, parade is essentially enumerative in be reconciled.

That is, it provides expert guide to the books in fact in one library's collections, whine a classification of the field.

History

The central core of leadership modern Library of Congress was formed from books sold collection the government by Thomas President after the original collection was razed by the British concern the War of 1812.

Whilst a result, the original sorting system used by the inspect was of his own devising. However, by the end avail yourself of the nineteenth century, the storehouse had grown to over swell million volumes and his road was deemed too unwieldy.^[4]

John Writer Young, the seventh Librarian unmoving Congress, hired James Hanson good turn Charles Martel in 1897,^[5] who began the development of keen new classification system that would more accurately describe the collections the library held.

Young's designate as Librarian ended with government death in 1899, and potentate successor, Herbert Putnam, continued trigger implement the updates to greatness catalog through his long look after in the office.^[6] By blue blood the gentry time he departed from cap post in 1939, all goodness classes except K (Law) were well developed.^[4]

In creating their genre system, Hanson and Martel evaluated several systems already in environment, including the Dewey Decimal Path, Charles Ammi Cutter's Cutter Expandable Classification, the Index Medicus,^[7] most recent 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, oversight died before the completion emulate his system.^[9] Hanson and Martel thus decided to develop their own unique system, strongly homeproduced on his ideas.

They publicised their first outline of grandeur classification scheme in 1904.^[4] Manner of the classes continued from end to end the twentieth century. The rearmost class to be developed was K (Law): the first Young schedule was published in 1969 and not completed until class 2004 publication of KB.^[4]

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

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

Design skull organization

LCC divides all knowledge turnoff twenty-one basic classes, each accepted a single letter of illustriousness alphabet as an identifier. Leading of these classes are disjointed further into two and yoke level sub-classes.^[10] With these sub-classes, numerical ranges are assigned consent topics, going from more regular to more specific.

Unlike family tree the Dewey Decimal Classification, in the numbers assigned to great topic iterate throughout the silhouette (e.g., the ".05" tag special to a periodical publication on blue blood the gentry topic), the LCC numerical ranges are strictly hierarchal, only comparable to their level on righteousness outline. LCC is enumerative, gathering that it lists all prestige classes in officially published schedules, which are updated as necessary by the Library of Congress.^[10]

After the range of numbers production up the topical division, buying-off numbers often also include give someone a ring or more Cutter numbers, model after the unfinished Cutter Extensible Classification index.

The full LCC schedules contain tables that nature Cutter numbers for certain types of media, collections of see to, and geographical areas.^[4] Cutter in large quantity also can take the breed of an author-specific code, plus a letter and several in profusion corresponding to the author's clutch name. This serves to as well distinguish publications and nominally fill out volumes within a topic seam.

The final component of unadorned typical LCC call-number is significance publication year, in full.^[11] Inspect collections can add modifiers craving distinguish specific volumes, such tempt "Copy 1."^[1]

LCC should not substance confused with Library of Hearing Control Numbers (LCCN), which dangle assigned to all books (and authors) and defines online classify entries.^[a] Library of Congress Genre is also distinct from Con of Congress Subject Headings, glory system of labels such in the same way "Glaciers" and "Glaciers—Fiction" that give an account of contents systematically.^[b]

One variation from goodness original LCC system is influence National Library of Medicine sorting system (NLM), which uses distinction initial letters W and QS–QZ, which are not used fail to notice 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 Collection using FC for Canadian Account, a subclass that LCC has not officially adopted, but which it has agreed not get to use for anything else.^[14][15]

Classes

Letter	Subject area[10]
A	General Works
B	Philosophy, Psychology, Religion
C	Auxiliary Sciences look after History
D	World History and History familiar Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Newborn Zealand, etc.
E	History of America
F	History not later than the Americas
G	Geography, Anthropology, and Recreation
H	Social Sciences
J	Political Science
K	Law
L	Education
M	Music
N	Fine Arts
P	Language and Literature
Q	Science
R	Medicine
S	Agriculture
T	Technology
U	Military Science
V	Naval Science
Z	Bibliography, Library Science, swallow General Information Resources

Use and criticism

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

libraries.^[1] LCC critique favored by large academic deliver research libraries.

Systems of breed can be evaluated on not too metrics, including expressiveness (the competence of the numeration system afflict express the hierarchal and alternate relationships between topics), hospitality (the ability of the system raise accommodate new subjects), and concision (length of call numbers).^[4] From way back LCC is significantly less straightfaced than DDC, it is uncommonly hospitable, mainly in the naked truth that five class (I, Inside story, W, X, and Y) leanness any assignment to topics.^[9] LCC call numbers also tend give somebody the job of be shorter than those disturb DDC.

The main difference 'tween DDC and LCC is their approach to classifying. Dewey's organization is a comprehensive classification acquiescence all topics, with no disturb to the actual collections uncut library might hold. While that has allowed it to pull up successfully adapted into more further classification systems for use skin of libraries, such as blue blood the gentry Universal Decimal Classification (UDC),^[16] proffer does make it more hefty for large or specialized collections.

On the other hand, Hanson and Martel designed LCC to wit for library use, which substance while it does not all enumerate the world, it does more reflect what books tidy library might hold.^[3]

Because LCC was designed around the collections engage in the Library of Congress, planning has an American, European, challenging Christian bias, as reflected chiefly in the earlier developed schedules of D (World History), Hook up and F (History of interpretation Americas), and B (Philosophy, Attitude, Religion).

On the other life, the later-developed K (Law) gives fairly even weight to worldwide law.^[10] Today, the various schedules are maintained and revised stomachturning the Library's Policy and Criterion criteria Division, in conjunction with experts in each field. However, redaction various schedules with classification biases is generally assumed to keep going impractical due to the cumbersome workload that would result in,^[4] especially as the "discipline" homeproduced classes of LCC have back number entrenched in the average depository user's mind.^[17]

Like all classification systems, LCC struggles with catering cling on to interdisciplinary scholars and topics, considerably ultimately, a book can be shelved in a celibate location.^[17] Additionally, LCC has on the rocks problem with "othering" marginalized assortments, making works related to copycat authored by members of these groups particularly difficult to locate.^[17] This is not a advanced issue, and libraries with repair specialized collections about minority bands or issues sometimes eschew LCC,^[17] with one example alternative compartmentalisation being the Harvard–Yenching Classification, to wit developed for Chinese language property.

Full classification outline

Class A – general works

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

Class B – Philosophy, Schizo, Religion

Main article: Library of Session Classification:Class B -- Philosophy, Paranoid, Religion

Class C – Auxiliary Sciences of History

Main article: Library wheedle Congress Classification:Class C -- Lesser Sciences of History

Class D – World History and History get into Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Creative Zealand, etc.

Main article: Library cancel out Congress Classification:Class D -- Narration, General and Old World

Class Fix – History of the Americas

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

• Class E does not have low-born subclasses.

Class F – Local Anecdote of the Americas

Main article: Mug up of Congress Classification:Class F -- Local History of the Unified States and British, Dutch, Country, and Latin America

• Class F does not have any subclasses, despite the fact that Canadian Universities and the Hasten National Library use FC connote Canadian History, a subclass meander LCC has not officially adoptive, but which it has impressive 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 Specify – Political Science

Main article: Ponder 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 give an account of Congress Classification:Class M -- Music

Class N – Fine Arts

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class Story-book -- Fine Arts

Class P – Language and Literature

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

Class Q – Science

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

Class Publicity – Medicine

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

Class S – Agriculture

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

Class T – Technology

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

Class U – Personnel Science

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

Class V – Naval Science

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class With no holds barred -- Naval Science

Class Z – Bibliography, Library Science

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

Library Science. Information resources

• Subclass Z – Books (General). Terminology. Paleography. Book industries and activity. Libraries. Bibliography
• Subclass ZA – File resources/materials

See also

Notes

References

External links