December 3, 2008

Purdue Libraries switching to Library of Congress classification for new materials

The classification will not affect the more than 2.5 million volumes in the libraries' current collection that are shelved by the Dewey Decimal system, said James L. Mullins, Purdue Libraries dean. The switch will make it easier to view and locate materials, he said.

"Library of Congress is one of the most widely used classification systems in the world, particularly among large, academic research libraries," Mullins said. "Moving to Library of Congress (LC) classification for new materials will allow Purdue Libraries to streamline workflow for quicker receipt, processing and shelving, which will free up staff to focus on new services in the online environment."

The Library of Congress classification breaks information into 21 classes, each identified by a single letter. These are further categorized by two- and three-letter combinations to identify subclasses. Topics within those subclasses are assigned numbers. More information about the classification system can by found online at https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcc.html

Writer: Jim Bush, (765) 494-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu

Source: James L. Mullins, (765) 494-2900, jmullins@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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