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Library of Congress Classification
The Edmonds Community College Library, like most college and university libraries in the United States, uses the Library of Congress (LC) Classification System to organize the majority of its library materials. Both the Circulating Collection (the books you can check out) and the Reference Collection are organized by subject according to their LC classification.
In libraries, as elsewhere, having a classification system helps people find things. You have used the Dewey Decimal classification system at your school library. It works in much the same way, books about a particular field of knowledge are together on the shelf, whether that field is music, education or biology.* This system helps the researcher find books by browsing.
Call Numbers
In any library classification system, each book has its own call number -- a unique combination of letters and numbers shown on the spine or on the front of the book. Books are arranged on the shelves by the call number, which serves as an address. In the Dewey Decimal system, call numbers begin with a three-digit figure. In the Library of Congress system, call numbers begin with one or two letters. Click on the call number above to learn more about the anatomy of a call number.
Call numbers and library classification are intertwined because each field of study is represented by a call number. For example, in the Library of Congress system:
L represents education, Q represents science, N represents the arts, and so forth. Each book in that field receives a corresponding call number -- books about education have a call number beginning with L and books about science have a call number beginning with Q. In the Dewey Decimal system, books about education have call numbers in the 370’s and books about science have call numbers in the 500’s. This is why books about the same discipline are together on the shelf. Call numbers get longer as the subject represented become more specific.
Please feel free to contact the library reference staff with any questions you may have.