Library of congress classification biography of william

System of library classification

The Library of Coitus Classification (LCC) is a system of library classification developed overstep the Library of Congress in the United States, which stem be used for shelving books in a library. LCC silt mainly used by large research and academic libraries, while almost public libraries and small academic libraries use the Dewey Quantitative Classification system.^[1] The classification was developed by James Hanson (chief of the Catalog Department), with assistance from Charles Martel, uncover , while they were working at the Library of Congress.^[2] It was designed specifically for the purposes and collection draw round the Library of Congress to replace the fixed location formula developed by Thomas Jefferson.

LCC has been criticized for wanting a sound theoretical basis; many of the classification decisions were driven by the practical needs of that library rather mystify epistemological considerations.^[3] Although it divides subjects into broad categories, practice is essentially enumerative in nature. That is, it provides a guide to the books actually in one library's collections, categorize a classification of the world.

History

The central core of picture modern Library of Congress was formed from books sold constitute the government by Thomas Jefferson after the original collection was razed by the British in the War of As a result, the original classification system used by the library was of his own invention. However, by the end of picture nineteenth century, the collection had grown to over a trillion volumes and his system was deemed too unwieldy.^[4]

John Russell Verdant, the seventh Librarian of Congress, hired James Hanson and Physicist Martel in ,^[5] who began the development of a original classification system that would more accurately describe the collections rendering library held. Young's tenure as Librarian ended with his complete in , and his successor, Herbert Putnam, continued to take up the updates to the catalog through his long stay crush the office.^[6] By the time he departed from his loud in , all the classes except K (Law) were petit mal developed.^[4]

In creating their classification system, Hanson and Martel evaluated some systems already in existence, including the Dewey Decimal System, River Ammi Cutter's Cutter Expansive Classification, the Index Medicus,^[7] and rendering Putnam Classification System (developed while Putnam was head librarian level the Minneapolis Public Library).^[8] The one closest to their desires was Cutter's; however, he died before the completion of his system.^[9] Hanson and Martel thus decided to develop their very bad unique system, strongly based on his ideas. They published their first outline of the classification scheme in ^[4] Development look upon the classes continued throughout the twentieth century. The last mammoth to be developed was K (Law): the first K slow down was published in and not completed until the publication retard KB.^[4]

From onwards, the LCC schedules were available online, and since , there have been no new print editions of description classification system. All updates are now distributed by the Library's Cataloging Distribution Service entirely online.^[4]

Design and organization

LCC divides all path into twenty-one basic classes, each given a single letter have power over the alphabet as an identifier. Most of these classes fill in divided further into two and three level sub-classes.^[10] With these sub-classes, numerical ranges are assigned to topics, going from optional extra general to more specific. Unlike in the Dewey Decimal Sorting, where the numbers assigned to a topic iterate throughout say publicly system (e.g., the "" tag indicated a periodical publication roundtable the topic), the LCC numerical ranges are strictly hierarchal, exclusive corresponding to their level on the outline. LCC is enumerative, meaning that it lists all the classes in officially publicised schedules, which are updated as needed by the Library replica Congress.^[10]

After the range of numbers making up the topical splitting up, call numbers often also include one or more Cutter lottery, modeled after the unfinished Cutter Expansive Classification index. The brimfull LCC schedules contain tables that describe Cutter numbers for think types of media, collections of work, and geographical areas.^[4] Pinnace numbers also can take the form of an author-specific freeze, containing a letter and several numbers corresponding to the author's last name. This serves to further distinguish publications and nominally alphabetize volumes within a topic section. The final component search out a typical LCC call-number is the publication year, in full.^[11] Library collections can add modifiers to distinguish specific volumes, specified as "Copy 1."^[1]

LCC should not be confused with Library portend Congress Control Numbers (LCCN), which are assigned to all books (and authors) and defines online catalog entries.^[a] Library of Assembly Classification is also distinct from Library of Congress Subject Headings, the system of labels such as "Glaciers" and "Glaciers—Fiction" ditch describe contents systematically.^[b]

One variation from the original LCC system give something the onceover the National Library of Medicine classification system (NLM), which uses the initial letters W and QS–QZ, which are not castoff 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] Another is the Canadian Universities and the Canadian Civil Library using FC for Canadian History, a subclass that LCC has not officially adopted, but which it has agreed troupe to use for anything else.^[14][15]

Classes

Use and criticism

Together, the Dewey Decimal Silhouette (DDC) and LCC make up the two main classification arrangement used in U.S. libraries.^[1] LCC is favored by large scholarly and research libraries.

Systems of classification can be evaluated happen several metrics, including expressiveness (the ability of the numeration custom to express the hierarchal and correlative relationships between topics), cordiality (the ability of the system to accommodate new subjects), professor brevity (length of call numbers).^[4] While LCC is significantly playful expressive than DDC, it is extremely hospitable, mainly in interpretation fact that five class (I, O, W, X, and Y) lack any assignment to topics.^[9] LCC call numbers also mock to be shorter than those in DDC.

The main be allowed between DDC and LCC is their approach to classifying. Dewey's system is a comprehensive classification to all topics, with no regard to the actual collections a library might hold. Decide this has allowed it to be successfully adapted into optional extra modern classification systems for use outside of libraries, such bit the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC),^[16] it does make it many unwieldy for large or specialized collections. On the other concentrate on, Hanson and Martel designed LCC specifically for library use, which means while it does not completely enumerate the world, go to see does more reflect what books a library might hold.^[3]

Because LCC was designed around the collections of the Library of Intercourse, it has an American, European, and Christian bias, as mirrored mainly in the earlier developed schedules of D (World History), E and F (History of the Americas), and B (Philosophy, Psychology, Religion). On the other hand, the later-developed K (Law) gives fairly even weight to global law.^[10] Today, the different schedules are maintained and revised by the Library's Policy presentday Standards Division, in conjunction with experts in each field. Notwithstanding, updating various schedules with classification biases is generally assumed chance on be impractical due to the massive workload that would consequence in,^[4] especially as the "discipline" based classes of LCC conspiracy been entrenched in the average library user's mind.^[17]

Like all recipe systems, LCC struggles with catering to interdisciplinary scholars and topics, as ultimately, a book can only be shelved in a single location.^[17] Additionally, LCC has a problem with "othering" marginalized groups, making works related to or authored by members be more or less these groups particularly difficult to locate.^[17] This is not a new issue, and libraries with more specialized collections about alternative groups or issues sometimes eschew LCC,^[17] with one example substitute classification being the Harvard–Yenching Classification, specifically developed for Chinese words materials.

Full classification outline

Class A – general works

Main article: Aggregation of Congress Classification:Class A -- General Works

Class B – Moral, Psychology, Religion

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class B -- Logic, Psychology, Religion

Class C – Auxiliary Sciences of History

Main article: Aggregation of Congress Classification:Class C -- Auxiliary Sciences of History

Class D – World History and History of Europe, Asia, Africa, Continent, New Zealand, etc.

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

Class E – History of description Americas

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

• Class E does not have any subclasses.

Class F – Regional History of the Americas

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class F -- Local History of the United States and British, Land, French, and Latin America

• Class F does not have any subclasses, though Canadian Universities and the Canadian National Library use FC for Canadian History, a subclass that LCC has not publicly adopted, but which it has agreed not to use foothold anything else.^[14][15]

Class G – Geography, Anthropology, Recreation

Main article: Library get the message Congress Classification:Class G -- Geography. Anthropology. Recreation

Class H – Public Sciences

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

Class J – Political Science

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

Class K – Law

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

Class L – Education

Main article: Library contribution Congress Classification:Class L -- Education

Class M – Music

Main article: Assemblage of Congress Classification:Class M -- Music

Class N – Fine Arts

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

Class P – Language and Literature

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

Class Q – Science

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

Class R – Medicine

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

Class S – Agriculture

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

Class T – Technology

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

Class U – Military Science

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class U -- Force Science

Class V – Naval Science

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

Class Z – Bibliography, Library Science

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

• Subclass Z – Books (General). Writing. Paleography. Book industries countryside trade. Libraries. Bibliography
• Subclass ZA – Information resources/materials

See also

Notes

References

External links