Library of Congress Classification System

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Library of Congress Classification System

• How to Find Your Way

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What is the Library of Congress Classification
System?

• Books and videos are now shelved by the Library
  of Congress Classification System.
• Books are sorted by groups of letters.
• They are further subdivided into classes by
  groups of numbers and letters.
• The old classification system was called Dewey
  Decimal (DC). DC begins with numbers.

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Why the Change?

• Many graduate schools use LC, so being acquainted
  with it will help students who plan to continue
  in their studies.
• Unlike DC, LC is designed for subject growth,
  expansion, and additions.
• The Library can catalog and process items in LC
  faster.

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What Was Changed to LC?

• These collections are now in LC
• Circulating Collection
• Walker Room
• Reference Books
• Video Collection (VHS DVD)
• Patterson Collection

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What Was Not Changed to LC?

• The following collections will remain Dewey
• Historical Collection
• Instructional Resource Collection (Childrens
  Collection)
• Music Collection
• Play Collection
• WJ Collection
• Periodicals and Microfilm
• Abstracts

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What Has Been Moved?

• Plays are now on the bottom floor, near the IRC
  Collection, in alphabetical order by title.
• VHS and DVDs are interfiled with LC call numbers.
  They are shelved near the Reference desk upstairs.

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Geotom Search Screen with DC and LC Results
LC
DC
DC
LC
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How Do I Find a Book Using the LC Call Number?
How the call number appears in Geotom
How the call number appears on the spine
NK 4645 .S735 2007
NK4645 .S735 2007
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How Are Books Arranged on the Shelf? (Class
Letter)
Read the LC call number line by line. This is the
order of four books as they would appear on the
shelf
HB 72 .L574 2003
HD 4904 .H62 2001
HQ 1236.5 .U627 2003
HQ 1236.5 .U8 2007
LC Class or Subclass, can have 1-3 letters. Read
in alphabetical order.
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How Are Books Arranged on the Shelf?(Class
Number)
HQ 72 .L574 2003
HQ 332 .H62 2001
HQ 1236.5 .U627 2003
HQ 1237 .U8 2007
Read the Class Number as a whole number from 1 to
9999.
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How Are Books Arranged on the Shelf?(Cutter
Number)
HQ 4904 .H62 2003
HQ 4904 .L754 2001
HQ 4904 .U627 2003
HQ 4904 .U8 2007
Cutter number, for authors last name or book
title. Read letter in alphabetical order, then
read numbers as decimals.
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How Are Books Arranged on the Shelf?(Year,
Volume, or Copy Number)
HQ 4904 .H62 2001 c.1
HQ 4904 .H62 2001 c.2
HQ 4904 .H62 2003
HQ 4904 .H62 2007 v.2
Year, volume, or copy number. Read
chronologically or sequentially.
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• Are these books in proper LC order?

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H Social Sciences

• H Social Sciences (General)
• HA Statistics
• HB Economic theory. Demography
• HC Economic history and conditions
• HD Industries. Land use. Labor
• HE Transportation and communications
• HF Commerce
• HG Finance
• HJ Public finance
• HM Sociology (General)
• HN Social history and conditions. Social
  problems. Social reform
• HQ The family. Marriage. Women
• HS Societies secret, benevolent, etc.
• HT Communities. Classes. Races
• HV Social pathology, criminology and public
  welfare
• HX Socialism. Communism. Anarchism

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Where Can I Learn More?

• Library Arcade Game
• LC Classification Outline
• Finding What You Want Using LC
• LC Conversion FAQ on Library Website
• Circulation Desk Staff
• Reference Librarian

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If You Need Help Finding an Item, Please Ask Us!