Library of Congress Classification Information & Library of Congress Classification Links at HealthHaven.com

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 epistemological considerations.

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 the classification scheme's unused letters W and QS–QZ. Some libraries use NLM in conjunction with LCC, eschewing LCC's R (Medicine). Others prefer to use the LCC scheme's QP-QR schedules and include Medicine R.

[edit] The system

Java programming books in the QA subclass.

Letter	Subject area
A	General Works
B	Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion
C	Auxiliary Sciences of History
D	General and Old World History
E	History of America
F	History of the United States and British, Dutch, French, and Latin America
G	Geography, Anthropology, and Recreation
H	Social Sciences
J	Political Science
K	Law
L	Education
M	Music
N	Fine Arts
P	Language and Literature
Q	Science
R	Medicine
S	Agriculture
T	Technology
U	Military Science
V	Naval Science
Z	Bibliography, Library Science, and General Information Resources

[edit] Class A - General Works

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class A -- General Works

Subclass AC - Collections. Series. Collected works
Subclass AE - Encyclopedias
Subclass AG - Dictionaries and other general reference works
Subclass AI - Indexes
Subclass AM - Museums. Collectors and collecting
Subclass AN - Newspapers
Subclass AP - Periodicals
Subclass AS - Academies and learned societies
Subclass AY - Yearbooks. Almanacs. Directories
Subclass AZ - History of scholarship and learning. The humanities

[edit] Class B - Philosophy, Psychology, Religion

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class B -- Philosophy, Psychology, Religion

Subclass B - Philosophy (General)
Subclass BC - Logic
Subclass BD - Speculative philosophy
Subclass BF - Psychology
Subclass BH - Aesthetics
Subclass BJ - Ethics
Subclass BL - Religions. Mythology. Rationalism
Subclass BM - Judaism
Subclass BP - Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc.
Subclass BQ - Buddhism
Subclass BR - Christianity
Subclass BS - The Bible
Subclass BT - Doctrinal Theology
Subclass BV - Practical Theology
Subclass BX - Christian Denominations

[edit] Class C - Auxiliary Sciences of History (General)

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class C -- Auxiliary Sciences of History

Subclass CB - History of Civilization
Subclass CC - Archaeology
Subclass CD - Diplomatics. Archives. Seals
Subclass CE - Technical Chronology. Calendar
Subclass CJ - Numismatics
Subclass CN - Inscriptions. Epigraphy
Subclass CR - Heraldry
Subclass CS - Genealogy
Subclass CT - Biography

[edit] Class D - World History (except American History)

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class D -- History, General and Old World

Subclass D - History (General)
Subclass DA - Great Britain
Subclass DAW - Central Europe
Subclass DB - Austria - Liechtenstein - Hungary - Czechoslovakia
Subclass DC - France - Andorra - Monaco
Subclass DD - Germany
Subclass DE - Greco-Roman World
Subclass DF - Greece
Subclass DG - Italy - Malta
Subclass DH - Low Countries - Benelux Countries
Subclass DJ - Netherlands (Holland)
Subclass DJK - Eastern Europe (General)
Subclass DK - Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics - Poland
Subclass DL - Northern Europe. Scandinavia
Subclass DP - Spain - Portugal
Subclass DQ - Switzerland
Subclass DR - Balkan Peninsula
Subclass DS - Asia
Subclass DT - Africa
Subclass DU - Oceania (South Seas)
Subclass DX - Gypsies

[edit] Class E and F - American History

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class E -- History of America

[edit] Class F - Local History of the United States and British, Dutch, French, and Latin America

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class F -- Local History of the United States and British, Dutch, French, and Latin America

[edit] Class G - Geography, Anthropology, Recreation

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class G -- Geography. Anthropology. Recreation

Subclass G - Geography (General). Atlases. Maps
Subclass GA - Mathematical geography. Cartography
Subclass GB - Physical geography
Subclass GC - Oceanography
Subclass GE - Environmental Sciences
Subclass GF - Human ecology. Anthropogeography
Subclass GN - Anthropology
Subclass GR - Folklore
Subclass GT - Manners and customs (General)
Subclass GV - Recreation. Leisure

[edit] Class H - Social Sciences

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class H -- Social sciences

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

[edit] Class J - Political Science

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class J -- Political science

Subclass J - General legislative and executive papers
Subclass JA - Political science (General)
Subclass JC - Political theory
Subclass JF - Political institutions and public administration
Subclass JJ - Political institutions and public administration (North America)
Subclass JK - Political institutions and public administration (United States)
Subclass JL - Political institutions and public administration (Canada, Latin America, etc.)
Subclass JN - Political institutions and public administration (Europe)
Subclass JQ - Political institutions and public administration (Asia, Africa, Australia, Pacific Area, etc.)
Subclass JS - Local government. Municipal government
Subclass JV - Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration
Subclass JX - International law, see JZ and KZ (obsolete)
Subclass JZ - International relations

[edit] Class K - Law

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class K -- Law

Subclass K - Law in general. Comparative and uniform law. Jurisprudence
Subclass KB - Religious law in general. Comparative religious law. Jurisprudence
Subclass KBM - Jewish law
Subclass KBP - Islamic law
Subclass KBR - History of canon law
Subclass KBU - Law of the Roman Catholic Church. The Holy See
Subclasses - KD-KDK United Kingdom and Ireland
Subclass KDZ - America. North America
Subclass KE - Canada
Subclass KF - United States
Subclass KG - Latin America - Mexico and Central America - West Indies. Caribbean area
Subclass KH - South America
Subclasses KJ-KKZ - Europe
Subclasses KL-KWX - Asia and Eurasia, Africa, Pacific Area, and Antarctica
Subclass KZ - Law of nations

[edit] Class L - Education

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class L -- Education

Subclass L - Education (General)
Subclass LA - History of education
Subclass LB - Theory and practice of education
Subclass LC - Special aspects of education
Subclass LD - Individual institutions - United States
Subclass LE - Individual institutions - America (except United States)
Subclass LF - Individual institutions - Europe
Subclass LG - Individual institutions - Asia, Africa, Indian Ocean islands, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific islands
Subclass LH - College and school magazines and papers
Subclass LJ - Student fraternities and societies, United States
Subclass LT - Textbooks

[edit] Class M - Music

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class M -- Music

Subclass M - Music
Subclass ML - Literature on music
Subclass MT - Instruction and study

[edit] Class N - Fine arts

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class N -- Fine Arts

Subclass N - Visual arts
Subclass NA - Architecture
Subclass NB - Sculpture
Subclass NC - Drawing. Design. Illustration
Subclass ND - Painting
Subclass NE - Print media
Subclass NK - Decorative arts
Subclass NX - Arts in general

[edit] Class P - Language and Literature

Main article: Library of Congress Classification:Class P -- Language and Literature

Subclass P - Philology. Linguistics
Subclass PA - Greek language and literature. Latin language and literature
Subclass PB - Modern languages. Celtic languages
Subclass PC - Romanic languages
Subclass PD - Germanic languages. Scandinavian languages
Subclass PE - English language
Subclass PF - West Germanic languages
Subclass PG - Slavic languages and literatures. Baltic languages. Albanian language
Subclass PH - Uralic languages. Basque language
Subclass PJ - Oriental languages and literatures
Subclass PK - Indo-Iranian languages and literatures
Subclass PL - Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania
Subclass PM - Hyperborean, Indian, and artificial languages
Subclass PN - Literature (General)
Subclass PQ - French literature - Italian literature - Spanish literature - Portuguese literature
Subclass PR - English literature
Subclass PS - American literature
Subclass PT - German literature - Dutch literature - Flemish literature since 1830 -Afrikaans literature - Scandinavian literature - Old Norse literature: Old Icelandic and Old Norwegian - Modern Icelandic literature - Faroese literature - Danish literature - Norwegian literature - Swedish literature
Subclass PZ - Fiction and juvenile belles lettres