Library of Congress Classification

Friday January 24thDTC 356 Spring 2014

Why do we careabout the Library of Congress

Classification System?

• It is used to organize the books in our library.

• It is a great example of:

• 2nd order of order organization

• taxonomy

• A really BIG organization project that shows issues that small projects don’t have to deal with

Library of Congress Classification

• 21 classes (categories) that books can be lumped in to

• Further subclasses

• Topics

Compared to Dewey:

• http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcc.html

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress_Classification

• Less idealogical and more practical

• It show how ONE COLLECTION is divided, not how the world’s information is divided.

Example:

HD 30.2 W4165 2007

• CLASS H: SOCIAL SCIENCES

• Subclass: HD: Industries. Land Use. Labor.

Example:

HD 30.2 W4165 2007

• HD28-9999 Industries. Land use. Labor

• HD28-70 Management. Industrial management

• 30.2 Electronic data processing. Information technology.

Including artificial intelligence and knowledge management

cf. HF5548.125+ Commerce

Taxonomy/Classification

• Class

• Subclass

• Topic

• Topic

• Topic

Lab Exercise:• In the pod you are sitting at examine the book given to

your group.

• Have one person start a post titled “LCC Lab”. Include the names of everyone in your group. Record notes on the group’s work.

• Use the LCC system to assign a class and subclass to your book. (Don’t look it up yet, that will come later.)

• Pick a couple of possible alternate classes or subclasses and discuss why these may be better fits.

Lab Exercise:

• Now, look up your book in the library’s SearchIT! tool

• http://bit.ly/SearchIT

• Compare their choice to your choice

• Compare the subject headings to the classification

• What do you think about the differences?

Cataloging

• Looking at everything and putting it into it’s place in the system.

• Authority and resolving disputes.

• CIP

• Copy cataloging

Compare to:

• Worldcat

• Books in Print (Library Database)

• Amazon

• Goodreads

• Librarything

• FVRL Catalog

• Slide 2: Andreanna Moya Photography