This guide is possibly the most comprehensive volume on LCC available. The author devotes over 500 pages to various aspects of the classification scheme including history, development, notation, and use of tables. There is also a chapter that details the individual classes. This book is an excellent ready reference book for a cataloger or other technical service worker. Library educators may choose this book as a text over other sources because of its broad treatment of the subject. 

--. 1994. Library of Congress Classification. In Cataloging and Classification: An Introduction (p. 327-367). 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

This chapter is a more concise overview of LCC, but it still manages to cover many of the key aspects of the scheme. There are sections on history, basic principles and structure, and notation. Chan also offers an evaluation of the scheme, including a balanced list of merits and weaknesses. The second half of the chapter has numerous examples of application, including the use of tables to build call numbers. The author has also included call number assignment exercises. This book is clearly geared toward library science students. Beginning catalogers may also refer to this volume for an understanding of other classification schemes or general cataloging principles.

--. 1995. "Library of Congress Classification: Alternative Provisions," Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 19 (3-4): 67-87.

Chan asserts that because LCC was originally developed for internal use, it has traditionally not allowed for alternative classing of materials, even as alternative classification numbers are frequently found in MARC records. Chan discusses three alternatives for library classification: different locations for the same subject within a scheme, alternative citation orders for a class of subjects, and rearrangement of some or all material into another scheme. This article will undoubtedly pique the interest of librarians who use a split classification in their libraries. Students will also be interested in the strategies for classification by libraries with unique or highly specialized collections.

Childs, James Bennett. 1976. "Genesis of the Library of Congress Classification," Herald of Library Science 15 (3-4): 330-334

This article offers a detailed examination of the development of the LCC. Childs traces the careers of Martel and Hanson, and their understanding of extant classification schemes. The article also discusses the unwillingness of Melvil Dewey to accept changes to his system. The last part of the article discusses Martel's life and his contribution to the Library of Congress. Library students may wish to read this piece to gain a better understanding of the history and the development of LCC. 

Chressanthis, June D. "The Reclassification Decision: Dewey or Library of Congress?" Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 19 (3-4): 169-182.

Ms. Chressanthis discusses her efforts at Mississippi State University to retrospectively convert materials from DDC to LCC. The author presents the history and theory of retrospective conversion efforts, in order to assist librarians in their decision whether or not to invest time and resources into a reclassification project. The first half of this article is an analysis of the classification literature from the 1950s to the 1990s, with an emphasis on the history of and reasons for academic library conversions, many of which occurred in the 1960s.

The author describes how MSU switched from DDC to LCC in 1976. This change affected new titles only, leaving older titles in the DDC format. The reclassification project dealt with 175,000 titles to convert to LCC. The second half of the article details some practical matters in conducting the reclassification, such as working with vendors and what portion of the collection to start with. (Chressanthis found that starting with higher numbers in the DDC classification gave the staff more room with which to reshelf items in the new scheme.) This article should be of particular interest to Technical Services Librarians, especially those with collections that employ more than one classification scheme.

Cole, John Y. "Jefferson's Legacy: A Brief History of the Library of Congress," <http://lcweb.loc.gov/loc/legacy/loc.html> (1 March 2002). 

This article covers the history of the national library from 1800 to 1992, and includes details about the collection and facilities that are often omitted in print accounts. The page also contains images of some of the more unique items in the Library collection, including a picture of the Gutenberg Bible, acquired in 1930. This piece is geared toward those who wish for a detailed account of the history of the Library. Some students may find the detail somewhat turgid, but librarians will probably appreciate learning some of the lesser-known facts about the Library and its collection.

Foskett, A. C. 1996. The Library of Congress Classification. In Subject Approach to Information (p. 324-335). 5th ed. London: Library Association Publishing.

The author provides an excellent overview of the organization of LCC, keeping notes on history and development short. Foskett provides an outline of the scheme, along with notes on publication and revisions of the various schedules. Aids for the cataloger, such as the subject cataloging manuals, are discussed, as well as the future of the scheme.

This article is most useful for the student or novice librarian, who wants a basic understanding of the organization of the LCC scheme. Professionals may be interested in the author's discussion of the British Library's Science Reference and Information scheme, which has much in common with LCC.

Glassel, Aimée D. and Amy Tracy Wells. 1998. "Scout Report Signpost: Design and Development for Access to Cataloged Internet Resources," Journal of Internet Cataloging 1 (3): 15-45.

The purpose of the Scout Report Signpost was to explore how metadata could be used in conjunction with traditional classification schemes like LCC to catalog web resources. Glassel and Wells give a history of the project, which received funding from the National Science Foundation and ceased operation in 2000.

Signpost used 13 publicly displayed elements in its database for cataloging and access. These elements closely mimic those of the Dublin Core, and include LC Classification. The project had four methods of access for patrons, including a quick search, which searched five "minimal" fields, such as title and URL. Patrons could also browse by subject heading or LC classification.

Unfortunately, the Signpost archives are currently unavailable. This article is still useful though, as it describes an attempt to bring metadata together with traditional classification to provide a deeper level of access to material. This project should interest any library student who wishes to work in technical services or metadata. Professionals will also be interested in projects like this as they may very well represent the future of cataloging.

Guenther, Rebecca S. 1996. "Automating the Library of Congress Classification Scheme: Implementation of the USMARC Format for Classification Data," Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 21 (4): 177-203.

Guenther gives a detailed overview of the new format. The author provides several figures, which list the MARC fields in the new format. The author gives a detailed discussion of some of the more important fields, including the 153 field that is used for listing hierarchical relationships between terms. 
Catalogers and other librarians will benefit from this work, as they are already benefiting from the interpolation of this format into comprehensive desktop products that give them ready access to all flavors of the MARC record in one place. Students may choose this article over the former for a more detailed discussion of the subject matter.

--. 1994. "The Library of Congress Classification in the USMARC Format," Knowledge Organization 21 (4): 199-202.

Guenther discusses how an experiment to test the USMARC Classification Format turned into a full-scale retrospective conversion project. The author discusses the success of the Library of Congress in working with an outside vendor and completing the conversion in a relatively short amount of time. She discusses some of the possible uses of the new format, including printing schedules and providing more timely updates, linking to bibliographic and authority records, and acting as the basis for an online shelflist. Students will be most interested in this work, as it is a brief treatment of the subject. They may be interested in the conversion effort, which started with materials in the social sciences. 

Gunjal, S. R. 1976. "Charles Ammi Cutter and His Contribution to Librarianship," Herald of Library Science 15 (3-4): 302-308.

This article covers the life and work of Charles Cutter, from his education in the 1850s, to the development of his own classification scheme. Cutter's work later formed the basis of LCC in the 1890s. Cutter was also deeply involved in professional library groups, having been twice selected as President of the American Library Association in 1888 and 1889. He also served editor of Library Journal from 1881 to 1893. 

This piece should be required reading for library students in cataloging, but it contains enough detail to be valuable for professionals as well. One comes away from this piece in awe of the fact that one person could have such an impact on the development of librarianship as a profession. 

Hanson, J. C. M. 1921. "The Library of Congress Classification for College Libraries," Library Journal 46 (Feb. 15, 1921): 151-54. 

Hanson recounts his cataloging experience, starting with his work with Cutter's Expansive Classification (EC) at University of Wisconsin and continuing through his work at the Library of Congress. As one might expect, the author gives a mainly positive review of the LCC scheme, listing numerous advantages of the it, although his criticism of the speed of publication of classes seems to anticipate a long-standing problem for libraries. 

Hanson's brief discussion about unique schemes that were drawn up by Harvard College and New York Public Libraries in the early 1890s is particularly interesting. Apparently, these institutions came to the same conclusion as the Library of Congress: Both Cutter's EC and Dewey's scheme were inadequate for classifying their collections. 

Johnston, George F. 1993. "The Literature of Classical Antiquity and the PA Schedule," Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 17 (1-2): 69-85. 

The author has limited the scope of this article to a discussion of the coverage of Latin and Greek literature, omitting any discussion of classical language. Johnston starts with a review of the types of material that are printed in the subject area. He then reviews the general organization of the subclass, pointing out that the PA has two parts - - an original schedule, completed in 1928, and a Supplement, printed forty years later. 

Johnston concludes that most types of material are well covered by the PA schedule, but he criticizes that fact that non-literary translations of works are classified in the various subject areas, resulting in a scattering of the material. He also points out the need for a new schedule, as the Supplement was produced back in 1968. Librarians and scholars with classical literature expertise will be particularly interested in Johnston's work. The author has given a fair and balanced assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of this subclass. 

Library of Congress, Cataloging Policy and Support Office. <http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/> (6 March 2002). 

This page contains a wealth of information about LCC, Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), and MARC formats. A link to the complete LCC outline in Adobe Acrobat format is provided, as well as weekly updates to classes and subclasses within the scheme. The latest news about schedule changes and the CPSO is added continuously. 

Catalogers will likely visit this page often for information on the new schedule, but library students will also benefit from this resource. Catalogers and students alike will find the ready access to the LCC outline most helpful, and these resources can be used to gain a better understanding of the overall structure and organization the scheme. 

The Library Corporation. Catalogers' Reference Shelf. <http://www.itsmarc.com/crs/crs0000.htm> (4 June 2006). 

This effort by The Library Corporation brings together the many resources that are needed to perform original cataloging of materials. Available here are outlines of LCC, LC Rule Interpretations, LCSH structure and application, all five MARC formats, and more. While this site only offers outlines of these schemes, it is still a boon to professional catalogers, and may be of interest to library students who wish to find out what materials they need to achieve a mastery of to become a cataloger. The site should also serve as an excellent ready reference for the various schemes.

McKiernan, Gerry. 1997. "The New/Old World Wide Web Order: The Application of 'Neo-Conventional' Functionality to Facilitate Access and Use of a WWW Database of Science and Technology Internet Resources," Journal of Internet Cataloging 1 (1): 47-55. 

McKiernan discusses his ongoing effort at Iowa State University entitled Cyberstacks[i], in which the traditional LCC scheme is being used to catalog Web resources. The author has classified and annotated several hundred web sites at the project web site. The author started in 1995 with classification of works in the Sciences and Technology, and has since expanded the project to include other subject areas. 

The author makes the point that his team applied the same selection criteria to resources as are commonly used in traditional print resources, such as authority of source, accuracy of information, currency or timeliness, and community needs. The author has taken advantage of the high level of specificity available in the LCC, and has created a resource that can be browsed by class, subclass, and subdivision. In addition, McKiernan has built indexes to help users perform subject browsing of the resources. 

This article and website will be of particular interest to technical and user service librarians alike, who are interested in finding effective schemes for organizing electronic collections. Library students and educators may wish to explore how the use of LCC in the electronic environment may augment or mitigate the flaws of the popular scheme. 

Shelton, Judith M. 2000. "Library of Congress' Class L: Education, Table L7 - An Expansion for Local Use," Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 31 (1): 31-42. 

Picking up on Chan's discussion on alternative provisions, this paper is a case study that describes how the librarians at Georgia State University expanded Table L7 from class L, Education, for local use. Prior to this effort, the library lacked a uniform manner for organizing the University's institutional publications. 

Shelton discusses how the GSU staff used the general to specific hierarchy from LCC, as well as conventions in another L class table to create a logical organization for the publications. This article would be of particular interest to students and novices who want to learn about local modifications of classes and tables. Professionals working in so-called "one-number" institutions will want to see how to adapt tables for their use. 

Studwell, William E. 1994. "What's the Number?: An Unofficial and Unabashed Guide to the Library of Congress Classification for Social Sciences," Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian 13 (1): 39-48. 

Studwell gives an overview of the theory behind LCC, and then lists some advantages and disadvantages of the scheme. The author criticizes his employer for the slowness of updates and revisions in the schedules. He offers Schedule J, Political Science, as an example of a schedule that likely should have been completely reworked instead of revised. Still, he cedes that the new revision is easier to use. 

The author counts the H schedules among the most problematic for several reasons. First, it is debatable would should be included in many of the subclasses. (The H's tend to include non-technical information on economic, business, and social concepts.) Second, there is a lack of precision within the class. Some subclasses have very exact numbers, while others are very imprecise. In spite of these shortcomings, Studwell concludes that the scheme for the social sciences is "reasonably effective and is overall the best game in town." 

Surprisingly, Studwell offers much analysis of the J, K, and L schedules, when his topic is the H's. However, his discussions of the inconsistencies in the other schedules fortify his points about the H's. Catalogers and librarians who work with social science material will probably get the most out of this article. 

Taylor, Arlene G. 2000. Library of Congress Classification (LCC). In Wynar's Introduction to Cataloging and Classification (p. 303-323). 9th ed. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. 

 This chapter gives a brief overview of the LCC scheme. The author covers the schedules as they have been published, update publications, format of the schedules, and notation. This volume also contains other excellent references, such as a chapter on LC call number building (p. 324-331), and a table comparing Cutter's original class scheme to that of LCC (p. 334.) This book will be most useful to the library student in cataloging. Readers will appreciate the author's straightforward writing and easy-to-read tables. 

Zhou, Jian-zhong. 1998. "A New Subclass for Library of Congress Classification, QF: Computer Science," Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 26 (1): 37-44. 

 Zhou identifies the problem of overcrowding in QA 75-76, which presently is the location for computer science materials.  The author elicits the historical reasons for the placement of the computer science in the scheme, then compares the numbers of publications of computer science to that of the other hard sciences (QA-QD.) Because of the huge number of publications in this subject area, and the ready availability of space, the author suggests a reclassification of this material into the vacant QF class. This article should particularly interest professional collection managers for the hard sciences.

[i] Cyberstacks is located at http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/