Systems of Library Classifications

Flashcards covering the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress classification systems, as well as library card catalog structures and call numbers.

Two systems of library classification

The Dewey Decimal System and the Library of Congress System, which group materials by subject for easy access.

Dewey Decimal System

A system devised by Melvil Dewey in $1876$ that divides knowledge into $10$ major classes with further decimal division using Arabic numerals.

Melvil Dewey

A librarian born on December $10$, $1851$, and died on December $26$, $1931$, who divided non-fiction books into $10$ broad categories.

$$000 - 099$$

The Dewey Decimal category for General Information/General Knowledge, answering the question: How do we organize information?

$$100 - 199$$

The Dewey Decimal category for Philosophy & Psychology, answering the question: Who am I?

$$200 - 299$$

The Dewey Decimal category for Religion, answering the question: How did we get here?

$$300 - 399$$

The Dewey Decimal category for Social Sciences, answering the question: Who are the people around me?

$$400 - 499$$

The Dewey Decimal category for Language, answering the question: How can I communicate with others?

$$500 - 599$$

The Dewey Decimal category for Science, answering the question: How can I explain the world around me?

$$600 - 699$$

The Dewey Decimal category for Technology, answering the question: How can I control the world around me?

$$700 - 799$$

The Dewey Decimal category for Arts & Recreation, answering the question: How can I enjoy my free time?

$$800 - 899$$

The Dewey Decimal category for Literature, answering the question: What are the stories of our lives?

$$900 - 999$$

The Dewey Decimal category for History & Geography, answering the questions: What was the world like in the past? What is it like now?

Library of Congress System

A system that groups materials into $21$ major classes represented by capital letters, excluding the letters W, I, X, O, and Y.

LC Class A

General Works (e.g., Encyclopedias, Almanacs, Newspapers).

LC Class B

Philosophy-Religion.

LC Class C

History – Auxiliary Sciences.

LC Class D

History & Topography (Except America).

LC Class E

America (General) & United States (General).

LC Class F

United States (local) & America except the US.

LC Class G

Geography-Anthropology.

LC Class H

Social Sciences (e.g., Economics, Law, Customs, Education).

LC Class J

Political Sciences.

LC Class K

Law.

LC Class L

Education.

LC Class M

Music.

LC Class N

Fine Arts (e.g., Sculpture, Architecture, Painting).

LC Class P

Language and Literature.

LC Class Q

Science (e.g., Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry).

LC Class R

Medicine.

LC Class S

Agriculture – Plant & Animal Industry.

LC Class T

Technology.

LC Class U

Military Science.

LC Class V

Naval Science.

LC Class Z

Bibliography & Library Science.

Card Catalog

An alphabetical index to a library's collection made of trays containing $3 \times 5$ inch cards.

Author Card

A catalog card filed under the author's complete name containing title information, edition, imprint, and collation.

Imprint

The part of a catalog card that includes the publisher, place, and date of publication.

Collation

The part of a catalog card describing the physical book, including number of pages, volume, illustrations, and size.

Title Card

A catalog card containing the same information as an author card but with the book's title appearing above the author's name.

Subject Card

A catalog card containing the same information as an author card but with the book's subject appearing above the author's name.

Joint Author's Card

A card added to the catalog for each secondary author, with their name typed above the name of the first-mentioned author.

Call Number

A number appearing on the back of a book and the upper left-hand corner of catalog cards that acts as the key to the book's location on the shelf.

Components of a Call Number

Consists of the Class Number, Author Number, and Year of Publication.