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]]