Library of Congress Classification
18327
225880525
2008-07-15T20:56:26Z
Wavelength
271168
/* See also */ alphabetizing list of internal links -- see [[Wikipedia:Guide to layout#See also]]
[[Image:Library of Congress.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|Library of Congress reading room]]
The '''Library of Congress Classification''' ('''LCC''') is a system of [[library classification]] developed by the [[Library of Congress]]. It is used by most research and academic libraries in the U.S. and several other countries. It is not to be confused with the [[Library of Congress Subject Headings]] or [[Library of Congress Control Number]]. Most public libraries and small academic libraries continue to use the [[Dewey Decimal Classification]] (DDC).
The classification was originally developed by [[Herbert Putnam]] in 1897, just before he assumed the librarianship of Congress. With advice from [[Charles Ammi Cutter]], It was influenced by [[Cutter Expansive Classification]], and the DDC, and was specially designed for the special purposes of the Library of Congress. The new system replaced a fixed location system developed by [[Thomas Jefferson]]. By the time of Putnam's departure from his post in 1939, all the classes except K (Law) and parts of B (Philosophy and Religion) were well developed. It has been criticized as lacking a sound theoretical basis; many of the classification decisions were driven by the particular practical needs of that library, rather than considerations of [[Epistemology|epistemological]] elegance.
Although it divides subjects into broad categories, it is essentially [[enumerative]] in nature. It provides a guide to the books actually in the library, not a classification of the world.
The [[National Library of Medicine classification]] system (NLM) uses unused letters ''W'' and ''QS''–''QZ''. Some libraries use NLM in conjunction with LCC, eschewing LCC's R (Medicine).
== The system ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Letter||Subject area
|-
|A||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class A -- General Works|General Works]]
|-
|B||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class B -- Philosophy, Psychology, Religion|Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion]]
|-
|C||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class C -- Auxiliary Sciences of History|Auxiliary Sciences of History]]
|-
|D||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class D -- History, General and Old World|General and Old World History]]
|-
|E||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class E -- History of America|History of America]]
|-
|F||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class F -- Local History of the United States and British, Dutch, French, and Latin America|History of the United States and British, Dutch, French, and Latin America]]
|-
|G||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class G -- Geography. Anthropology. Recreation|Geography, Anthropology, and Recreation]]
|-
|H||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class H -- Social sciences|Social Sciences]]
|-
|J||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class J -- Political science|Political Science]]
|-
|K||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class K -- Law|Law]]
|-
|L||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class L -- Education|Education]]
|-
|M||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class M -- Music|Music]]
|-
|N||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class N -- Fine Arts|Fine Arts]]
|-
|P||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class P -- Language and Literature|Language and Literature]]
|-
|Q||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class Q -- Science|Science]]
|-
|R||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class R -- Medicine|Medicine]]
|-
|S||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class S -- Agriculture|Agriculture]]
|-
|T||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class T -- Technology|Technology]]
|-
|U||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class U -- Military Science|Military Science]]
|-
|V||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class V -- Naval Science|Naval Science]]
|-
|Z||[[Library of Congress Classification:Class Z -- Bibliography. Library Science. Information resources|Bibliography, Library Science, and General Information Resources]]
|}
==See also==
{{wikisource}}
* [[ACM Computing Classification System]]
* [[Brinkler classification]]
* [[Chinese Library Classification]]
* [[Comparison of Dewey and Library of Congress subject classification]]
* [[Harvard-Yenching Classification]]
* [[ISBN]]
==References==
<references/>
==External links==
* [http://www.loc.gov/aba/cataloging/classification/ Library of Congress - classification]
* [http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/lcco.html Classification outline]
* [http://geography.about.com/library/congress/blhowto.htm How to read LCC call numbers]
<div class="plainlinks selfreference">{{Contents pages (footer box)}}</div>
[[Category:Knowledge representation]]
[[Category:Library of Congress|Classification]]
[[Category:Library of Congress Classification|*]]
[[Category:Library cataloging and classification]]
[[ar:تصنيف مكتبة الكونغرسِ]]
[[bn:লাইব্রেরি অফ কংগ্রেস শ্রেণীবিন্যাস]]
[[de:Library of Congress Classification]]
[[es:Clasificación de la Biblioteca del Congreso]]
[[fr:Classification de la Bibliothèque du Congrès]]
[[it:Classificazione della Library of Congress]]
[[he:שיטת ספריית הקונגרס]]
[[pl:Klasyfikacja Biblioteki Kongresu]]
[[tr:LCC Kongre Kütüphanesi]]
[[zh:美国国会图书馆图书分类法]]