#Library of Congress Classification System

[theamateurreviewer]

Review: Library of Congress Classification (LCC) System

Rating: 9/10

See, this is where I get into the weird shit when it comes to ratings... Everything is on the table, no matter how obscure or trivial!

In my quest to find an acceptable manner to organize my books, because I do not comprehend 'vibes' and Dewey Decimal is kinda nonsense, I looked into LCC, which is what most academic libraries use. Boy how, it's quite a fantastic system, built with more care, I've grown very fond and familiar of the system.

Spoiler warning? Where we're going, we don't need spoiler warnings!

Strengths

Unlike the Dewey system, which uses strictly numbers, the LCC uses an alpha-numeric code with at least four distinct sections. As an example, here is a typical LCC number:

PS 3563 .I4215 C3 1963

PS refers to the Class and Subclass. Class P is Literature, and subclass PS is American Literature.

3563 is the Topic Number. This number is more arbitrary, but usually follows a pattern that makes sense when in a large library. It has an associated topic, which can be found for free in the Library of Congress Classification Schedule PDFs. In this case, 3563 is American Authors 1961-2000 whose last names begin with M.

.I4215 and C3 are Cutter Numbers, alpha-numeric renditions of usually the author's last name, editor, or other specific distinguishing characteristic. In this case, under the Topic 3563, Cutter Numbers are assigned from the second letter of the author's last name, which is the first Cutter Number. The second number, C3, translates to Ca, and refers to the title of the book.

And lastly, 1964 refers to the date of this edition's publication.

With all four sections of this LCC Number, every book, even different editions of the same book, has it's own number. This is in contrast to Dewey System

The Dewey Decimal System (DDS) is broken into ten broad categories, each running from X00 to X99 of a given hundred. As a book gets more specific in its content, the number gets more specific. For example,

800 = Literature

810 = American Literature in English

813 = American Fiction in English

813.0 = American Fiction in English by Type

813.08 = American Genre Fiction in English

813.087 = American Adventure Fiction in English

813.0876 = American Speculative Fiction in English

813.08762 = American Science Fiction in English

813.087622 = American Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction in English

813.0876220 = American Post-Nuclear Apocalyptic Science Fiction (in English)

This, 813.0876220, is the full, canonical DDS number for A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller Jr.... and also Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick (which is ironically not under the cyberpunk classification, by the way).

To me, at least, PS 3563 .I4215 C3 1963 is far more easy to understand than 813.0876220. This is often why libraries use a different, usually simply Last Name based organization for their fiction.

Weakness:

There are a couple of weaknesses, as it is an American centric system. Class E and F are both American History, but I can forgive this as it is a system invented by the Library of Congress for books to be used for Congress (at least, originally).

Another minor gripe is that sometimes, it can be difficult to figure out where a book should be classified, especially if it could be classified under two areas. This can usually be mitigated, but with more fringe or obscure materials, becomes more of an issue.

[darlingofdots]

at a conference I attended recently, a researcher pointed to the difficulty of finding material in archives because so much depends on the metadata and the terminology used to describe things changes over time. "it would be so helpful," the researcher said, "if I typed 'lesbian' into the library of congress database, it would also show me results that were categorised in the 50s, when the materials were interpreted as 'intimate female friendships'"

which is what tag wrangles at Archive Of Our Own do incredibly effectively: searching for "omegaverse" also leads to "alpha/beta/omega dynamics" and "alternate universe: a/b/o" and so on. but ao3 achieves this frankly incredible categorisation and indexing system by the power of countless volunteers putting in hours and hours of unpaid and unthanked free time, and it's completely understandable that most archives do not have that kind of infrastructure, but also how incredible that a fan-run website has better searchability, classification, and accessibility than the library of congress

[sillimancer]

I'm thinking about being cute and using the dewey decimal system to tag my more structured blog but I am foreseeing some problems as someone who takes a great interest in world religions

do you see the problem

[hardcockcafe]

I know at least a couple of my mutuals on here are in the MLIS field so: just sharing that the Library of Congress has a proposal to change the subject heading "trans-exclusionary radical feminism" to "gender critical feminism." I know most of us already have a good understanding on the politics there but for more context there's a google doc explaining much more about it here.

For anyone not in the field: the Library of Congress headings is the most widely used subject vocabulary / classification system used across the world, especially in academic libraries. This would set a precedent for legitimizing trans-exclusionary ideologies in academic settings. If anyone has the time, the comment period runs until December 17th, and they accept comments at the email listcomments@loc.gov

[mumblingsage]

In hindsight it was SUCH a good job, because it blended moderate physical activity with moderate brain usage, and that brain usage came in the form of "scanning library shelves." Probably one reason my to-read list has never been manageable in my life. But when I was shelving books in a section I didn't care much about (sorry, sports collecting and certain crafts), it'd just be a matter of focusing on the classification numbers, and then my mind could wander a little bit. I brainstormed so many story plot points in there!

The librarians were quite nice and patient with me, and the pay wasn't fantastic (at the time, few cents above minimum wage - with the caveat this was literally a high school sophomore's first job) but the work environment felt a lot healthier than higher-paying retail jobs.

Unfortunately I don't know how many libraries have it? But it could be something to check your local system for. I know over the years the library where I work shifted from just wanting high school kids for it (they gently pushed me out when I graduated) to also taking on adults for shifts during the school day, since when you let all the book returns pile up until 2:30 pm it gets very crowded behind the desk!

Not unrelated to the exercise kick I've been on, I was thinking it'd be nice to have a part time volunteer position in a warehouse sort of setup, where I just need to spend a few hours walking around and carrying moderately heavy things from one point to another. Not too much thinking or decision-making, not a ton of social interaction, and no paperwork. Maybe the food pantry would have a use for me in that capacity?

Anyway what I realized is I'd really like my old job as a library page back. But my current library system is not hiring and I'm not sure that even when they are, they even have a 'library page' position, or if that's work they have their librarians do (the main element of the page job is putting books back on shelves; it is the ultimate "walk around carrying moderately heavy things" activity. You need to know the library's classification system but that just comes down to attentive label-reading and practice and it kind of seems a waste of a librarian's skillset and time to have her doing that when you could hire a high schooler or former high schooler like myself to do it?).

[rose-ellis]

Library AUs

I love a good Library AU - if there's one in a fandom I'm part of, I've probably read it. Some are pretty accurate…others not so much.

And listen, I'm not usually a stickler about job accuracy in other people's fics cause I understand that we aren't all doctors, firefighters, innkeepers, or whatever other job we give our characters, and most of us don't have people in our lives that we could ask questions to. So if a fic writer doesn't know everything about a job, it's totally fine.

But one thing that I see a lot in Library AUs that irks me is fic writers making their characters work in a library on a whim because it's an "easy job." Maybe they're using it to pay for school or just putting in time until they find their true calling.

It may be surprising to learn that to work in most libraries, you need some sort of formal library education. There's the university route of getting a BA and MA in Library and Information Science, or the college/vocational route of Library and Information Technician programs, among others.

Of course there are exceptions, particularly in smaller, rural public libraries - there's always going to be exceptions. But if your character works in a mid-to-large sized city public library or as a full-time (non-student) staff at an academic library in the 21st Century, they basically have to have a library degree.

Being a librarian/library tech is more than just greeting people and scanning their books.

It's organizing programs and events based on the demographics and needs of the community - reading and literacy groups, after school activities, social gatherings for lonely seniors, budgeting and cooking classes for college kids, hosting mobile health clinics, etc.

It's knowing where to find reliable information and resources when a patron asks a question - books for a public/high school project, academic articles for college students, info about immigration and citizenship for newcomers, by-laws for someone fighting a parking ticket, community resources for those needing assistance, etc.

It's caring for the library's collection on a tight budget to better serve the community - ordering new releases, subscribing to useful databases, purchasing licenses for ebooks, repairing damaged items, weeding redundant material, etc.

It's sorting the library's new acquisitions - understanding how to find and build numbers in the Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress Classification systems (among others), creating cataloguing records, assigning subject headings, etc. to make the collection searchable.

It's finding someone their next book, helping them create and print their resume, and teaching them how to use their new device.

It's a million little things that no one thinks about. And library staff must do all of this while trying to market the library as something valuable in order to justify their existence in the face of constant budget cuts. Add onto that the increasing censorship issues and hostility that library staff must face.

And I may be screaming into the void because I know that 99% of that won't ever make it into fics. I get it - it's very dry and ruins the fantasy of working at a library. I'm not suggesting that you should have your characters spouting Dewey numbers left and right. And I know that it’s fanfic - it’s supposed to just be something fun and cute. It would just be nice to see it written like it's an actual career instead of an easy little filler position that anyone can do on a whim.

tl;dr: being a librarian is not an "easy job" - most librarians actually have degrees in library science. Show librarians some love by not undervaluing their hard work.

Sincerely,

a very tired library technician student

[tayloralisonswift]

that post that’s like “stopping praising libraries, they’re just as evil as everything else in america and should be defunded” is sooooooooooooooooooo dumb.

first of all i recommend reading the library bill of rights. we’re taught to stand by it and i would guess 95% of us do.

second of all yes libraries have a bad history but do you know how i know that? do you know how i know very specific details about our bad history? because of the classes upon classes that all librarians must take in order to be a librarian.

third of all yes libraries have used the dewey decimal classification system, and yes it’s racist. that’s why most libraries have overhauled, or are in the process of overhauling, to the library of congress classification system OR their own. the library of congress has meetings quarterly to discuss necessary changes to their classifications, and makes them regularly. there is a robust system of accountability that makes sure that as language evolves, so does our classification of it. like i said, some libraries opt to create their own. 9 times out of 10, if a library uses the dewey decimal system, they’re doing their best to get away from it. (you clearly have no idea how much work it takes to do that.)

fourth of all yes there are librarians who have in the past and are presently disregarding the library bill of rights policies, especially when it comes to coming up with reasons to kick people out of the library for being houseless, a person of color, neurodivergent, etc. not pretending here that these librarians aren’t a fucking scourge on our name. they’re generally untrained like the new generations* of librarians are (by generation, i mean everyone currently in and getting out of a library science degree, age is unrelated.) they don’t care about their job. they don’t value the first amendment like they’re meant to. they fucking suck. but they are not a reason to say that libraries don’t deserve funding. libraries need funding so they can hire new librarians who will do what it takes to protect your intellectual freedom.

so when you see people say “well libraries also have systems of privilege, so don’t trust them. if they lose their funding, that’s on them”, know that we’re actually consistently and determinedly trying to undo our systemic privilege. cutting our funding won’t help, it will only hurt.

also wdym cutting our funding we barely have any as is

[tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors]

hi autistic librarian in training (the librarian part is the in training part, I don't need anyone to teach me how to be autistic) here to answer your library question

a lot of college libraries will use the library of congress classification, which just goes more detailed than the dewey decimal classification does. ddc works well for smaller libraries and lcc is better for research/academic libraries.

ddc uses just numerals (and then by authors last name if two books have the same call number) to classify books and has about 10 broad classes to sort topics into, while lcc uses letters and numbers (and also years sometimes) and has 21 classes to sort into. they get stacked on top of each other like some unholy warlock sigil, I love it.

for example, here's the call number for the self-help book my boss made me check out, using llc:

BF 575 .H27 H375 2022

meanwhile with ddc, it's call number is just 158.1

and all fiction books are classified under 813.54, which is. a lot of books.

but yeah there are a whole bunch of library classification systems just in english but a whole bunch more when you branch out to other languages which I think is super neat

some other examples in english-speaking places include the colon classification (cc), universal decimal classification (udc), moys classification system (used in law libraries in canada, australia, new zealand, the uk), etc. there are a bunch more too

for folklore books and fairy tales, if your library uses library of congress, I'd go look in the GRs, maybe dabble into the GTs, for the non-fiction aspect of learning mythology, and pop by the PS200-300s for fictional stories that draw from a lot of folklore (but that's not going to be all inclusive for the PSes, as P is the lovely literature section. there's gonna be a lot in there).

*jazz hands* thanks for coming to my tedtalk

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh gosh this is actually so cool, ive been schooled !! /pos

i get annoyed with libraries when they use things other than ddc because thats the one i have my favorites memorized in, but i always thought those libraries were being pretentious and using their own proprietary system or something. this makes WAY more sense and now im gonna go ham memorizing my favorites in all of these two. thank you for sharing!!!!

[a-dux]

TMAGP's classification system is definitely a bit chaotic, but frankly after using the Library of Congress Classification System while working at a library I'm just like yeah classification systems are like that. Here are real actual categories the LCC has:

misc. biographies "including adventurers, eccentrics, misers, etc."

dueling as it relates to chivalry and knighthood

the biographies of archivists

"circuses, spectacles, etc." which includes "rodeos, waxworks, amusement parks, etc."

nudism and sunbathing

These are all organized in a series of pdfs which you can find here: https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/

Anyways, the LCC is a delight to look through and TMAGP's classification system reminds me of it 💗

[sodomyaspraxis]

the thing with the dewey decimal classification system is it sucks and is racist but it doesn’t scare me like the library of congress classification system

[ancienjeans]

headcanon alfred has the library of congress classification system memorized

[barstoolblues]

whoever invented the bastardized library of congress classification system that my univeristy uses should be shot

[10bmnews]

Justice Department's Todd Blanche appointed acting Librarian of Congress

The Department of Justice’s second-in-command can add “librarian” to his résumé. Todd Blanche has been appointed acting Librarian of Congress, the Justice Department confirmed Monday. Blanche is President Trump’s former personal criminal attorney. It is unclear if the career lawyer has previously done work involving the Dewey Decimal System (or the Library of Congress Classification system). Two…

[a-dux]

the public's enjoyment of learning about tmagp's classification system means that I desperately want to make a post about the library of congress classification system

[university24x7]

Career Opportunities After a Bachelor in Library and Information Science If you like books, love information, and have a heart to help people find what they want, B.LIB or Bachelor of Library and Information Science can be your calling. It's about information management and organization, particularly in libraries. So, let's break it down in the simplest way possible.

What is B.LIB?

B.LIB stands for Bachelor of Library and Information Science. It is an undergraduate 1-year course teaching students the handling of books, information, and technology in a library. A librarian organizes books, magazines, and other stuff in libraries in such a manner that others can easily locate what they need. The course best suits people who like reading, organization of information, and serving others.

Who should consider B.LIB? 

B.LIB is quite suitable for information management lovers with a passion to read. Someone does not need to be a bookworm to pursue B.LIB, though having a flair for books and research helps greatly. B.LIB is good for people with good organizational skills, patience, and attention to detail.This program helps those interested in understanding information systems and learning how to maintain them in a digital world.

This B.LIB course can be attended by different students, primarily those in the arts, commerce, and science fields. The B.LIB is appropriate for those who need a professional librarian's position or even work as information managers in many organizations.

What does the B.LIB course curriculum comprise?

B.LIB typically integrates theoretical as well as practical aspects in the study program. Among these major subjects include:

Library Management: You will learn how to run a library effectively. Topics under study include inventory management, cataloging books, and daily running of a library.

Information Science: You will learn how to organize and manage information in physical and digital forms. Databases, digital libraries, and retrieval of information are among the other areas for study.

Library Technology: With the invention of the internet, libraries have digital content. Students will learn to use digital libraries and manage e-books besides using online systems that improve the services they are offering in libraries.

Cataloging and Classification: It is a process of learning how books and other resources are categorized and stored so they are easy to find. You will study different systems, like the Dewey Decimal System and the Library of Congress Classification.

Reference Services: This is the unit where students learn to help users of the library in getting the needed information. It could be answering questions and providing sources or just taking a user through a search over the internet.

Information Retrieval: These are processes of search and collection of information from various sources. Students in this course will learn how to make use of engines, databases, and catalogues to find resources quickly and accurately.

Preservation of Information: The B.LIB course will also teach you how to preserve physical and digital content. This could involve looking after old books, manuscripts, or even websites, ensuring they are available for future generations.

Careers Available After B.LIB

The moment you successfully complete your B.LIB course, there is a whole set of careers in front of you. Several sectors require librarians and information specialists. The popular career paths include the following:

Librarian: The most visible career path available is to be a librarian. You can join public libraries, school libraries, university libraries, or even corporate libraries.

Information Scientist: An information scientist manages digital databases, research projects, and helps organizations use information more effectively.

Archivist: An archivist takes care of old records, books, documents, and other valuable pieces of information. They often work in museums, government offices, or historical organizations.

Content Manager: Companies, primarily media and publishers, need someone to manage many pieces of text, images, or multimedia through content management.

Digital Librarian: As everyone is increasingly reliant on the web, digital librarians manage their online libraries or e-books/databases, such that users would be able to access information on the internet.

Some experts may work as consultants, helping businesses or organizations develop and improve their information management systems.

A B.LIB graduate can also pursue higher studies in M.LIB or a related field which may open up more exciting career prospects.

Advantages of B.LIB

Growing Demand for Information Experts: With time, the need for competent librarians and information science students is growing. The meaning of information is valuable, and proper management is the key.

Respectable Career: B.LIB, you would have diverse career options in the areas like education, government, business, media, and even in healthcare. The skills you acquire are transferable to a huge number of sectors.

Job Security: Some of the jobs most critical in society are information management and librarianship. Most public and private institutions require professional, organized experts to put away and store important information.

Personal Satisfaction: If you're interested in books and like helping others discover knowledge, this has to be one of the most fulfilling jobs ever. You are making it possible for the entire world to gain access to knowledge as a librarian or information expert.

Conclusion

B.LIB is a superb program for the individual who is interested in career development in the management of either physical or digital information. A student learns the process of listing books to learn how to use a digital database. As this information becomes so vital in all aspects of everyday life, people will need those trained professionals all the more. If you enjoy reading, organizing and helping others search for information, B.LIB will be the key to your ideal career.

[twinkl22004]

J. Reznick & K. Koyles, “United States National Library of Medicine”, 2017, PART TWO (2).

Here I present:  J. Reznick & K. Koyles, “United States National Library of Medicine”, 2017, PART TWO (2). INTRODUCTION.  The Library of Congress (LOC) and National Library of Medicine (NLM) are two (2) different libraries of the United States government in Washington DC (district/suburban). The National Library of Medicine (NLM) classification system is derived from the Library of Congress (LOC)…