Medical libraries use the National Library of Medicine classification, but it operates on the same basic principles as LCC. Academic libraries usually use the Library of Congress Classification (LCC), for example KFI1376.L. Most American libraries use one of two classification systems. Whatever you find in a library catalog, someone wrote the description, analyzed the subject, and classified it according to strict rules. It can also separate United States copyright law from, say, Japanese copyright law. At any level of detail, the classification can differentiate between a dictionary, a treatise, or a work intended for non-lawyers. So does the library, but within that subject, it has a special place for intellectual property law, and within that, for copyright, trademarks, and patents. It works less well for people who want a narrower topic or who want something that crosses categories.Ī bookstore may have a section for law. The system works well enough for people who want to browse a broad subject or who want a particular title and can easily identify the category. Book stores use ordinary language, such as Religion, History, Reference, etc. Libraries are not organized like book stores. It puts every item in the library close to related items, and it tells patrons exactly where to find what they have found in the catalog. Library classification has two functions. These strings of characters are derived from two different library classification systems. I have written about asking reference questions and using the catalog, but once you identify something to read, you must decipher KFI1376.L or 346.043096761 M891p. They bigger they are, the more intimidating. Some people find libraries confusing places.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |