Library of Congress Classification System

The main collections in the WCSU Libraries are organized using the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) classification system. This system was first developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to organize and arrange the book collections of the Library of Congress and was subsequently adopted for use by other libraries, especially large academic libraries.

The system divides all knowledge into twenty-one basic classes, each identified by a single letter of the alphabet. Most of these alphabetical classes are further divided into more specific subclasses, identified by two-letter, or occasionally three-letter, combinations. For example, class N, Art, has subclasses NA, Architecture; NB, Sculpture, ND, Painting; as well as several other subclasses, etc.

Other collections in the Libraries use different classification systems, such as the Dewey Decimal Classification used in the Curriculum Collection, and SuDocs Numbers used in the Government Documents Collection.

Parts of the above were adapted from text on the LOC website.

Here is a basic breakdown of the classes:

Please note: Circulating books A-N are on the 4th floor of the Haas Library; P-Z are on the 5th floor. Business-related books are in Young Library on the westside campus.

A       General Works  Haas 4th Floor
        AE      Encyclopedias
        AG      Dictionaries
        AI      Indexes
        AY      Almanacs, Yearbooks, Directories

B       Philosophy*Psychology*Religion Haas 4th Floor 
        B-BJ    Philosophy, including
        BF      Psychology
        BJ      Ethics
        BL-BX   Religion, including
        BS     Bible

C       Auxiliary Sciences of History Haas 4th Floor 
        CB      History of Civilization & Culture
        CC      Archaeology
        CD      Archives
        CJ      Numismatics
        CR      Heraldry
        CS      Genealogy
        CT      Biography

D       History:  General & Old World Haas 4th Floor
        (including geography of individual countries)
        D       World History, including World Wars
        DA      Great Britain
        DAW     Central Europe
        DB      Austria
        DC      France
        DD      Germany
        DE      Greco-Roman World
        DF      Greece
        DG      Italy, Rome
        DJK     Eastern Europe
        DK      Russia, former Soviet Republics, Poland
        DP      Spain and Portugal
        DQ      Switzerland
        DR      Turkey and Balkan States
        DS      Asia, Middle East
        DT      Africa
        DU      Oceania

E       History--America Haas 4th Floor
        E1-143  America (General)
        E 51-99 Indians of North America
        E 151-857       United States (General)
        E 184.M5        Mexican American
        E 185   Afro-Americans
        E 201-298       Revolutionary War
        E 456-655       Civil War
        E 740-  Twentieth Century
        
F       History--Americas Haas 4th Floor
        F 1-957 United States: States and Local
        F 1203-1409     Mexico
        FC              Canada
        
G       Geography*Anthropology*Folklore*Recreation Haas 4th Floor
        G       Geography (General)
        GB      Physical Geography
        GC      Oceanography
        GE      Environmental Sciences
        GF      Human Ecology
        GN      Anthropology
        GR      Folklore
        GT      Manners and Customs, Holidays
        GV      Recreation (Sports, Dance)

H       Social Sciences Haas 4th Floor
        HA      Statistics  YOUNG LIBRARY
        HB-HC   Economics YOUNG LIBRARY
        HD-HG   Business YOUNG LIBRARY
        HM      Sociology
        HQ      Family, Marriage, Sexual Life, Woman, Feminism
        HV      Social/Public Welfare, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, Criminology
        HX      Socialism, Communism, Anarchism

J       Political Science Haas 4th Floor
        JA-JC   Political Science
        JF-JQ   Constitutional History and Public Administration
        JS      Local Government
        JX      International Law
        JZ      International Relations 

K       Law, Civil Rights Haas 4th Floor
        KE      Law of Canada
        KEO     Law of Ontario

L       Education Haas 4th Floor

M       Music Haas 4th Floor
        M       Scores
        ML      Literature of Music
        MT      Musical instruction & study

N       Fine Arts Haas 4th Floor
        NA      Architecture
        NB      Sculpture
        NC      Graphic Arts
        ND      Painting
        NE      Print Media
        NK      Decorative Arts

P       Language and Literature Haas 5th Floor
        P       Philology and Linguistics
        PA      Classical Languages and Literatures
        PC      Romance Languages
        PD-PF   Germanic Languages, including
        PE      English Language
        PG      Slavic Languages and Literatures
        PJ-PL   Oriental Languages and Literatures
        PN      General and Comparative Literature
        PQ      Romance Literatures, Spanish Literature
        PR      English Literature
        PS      American Literature
          PS 8000+ Canadian, English & French, Literature
        PT      Germanic Literature
        PZ      Fiction in English*Juvenile Literature

Q       Science Haas 5th Floor
        QA      Mathematics
        QB      Astronomy
        QC      Physics
        QD      Chemistry
        QE      Geology
        QH      Natural History, Ecology
        QK      Botany
        QL      Zoology
        QM      Human Anatomy
        QP      Physiology
        QR      Microbiology

R       Medicine Haas 5th Floor
        RA      Public Aspects of Medicine, Death
        RC      Internal Medicine, Practice of Medicine
        RD      Surgery
        RG      Pregnancy, Childbirth, Gynecology
        RJ      Pediatrics
        RM      Therapeutics, Pharmacology, Diet Therapy
        RT      Nursing
        RX      Homeopathy

S       Agriculture*Conservation Haas 5th Floor
        SB      Plant Culture & Horticulture
        SD      Forestry
        SF      Animal Culture
        SH      Fish Culture & Fisheries
        SK      Hunting Sports

T       Technology Haas 5th Floor
        TA      General Engineering, including General Civil Engineering
        TC      Hydraulic Engineering
        TD      Sanitary and Municipal Engineering
        TE      Highway Engineering
        TF      Railroad Engineering
        TG      Bridge Engineering
        TH      Building Construction
        TJ      Mechanical Engineering
        TK      Electrical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering
        TL      Motor Vehicles, Aeronautics, Astronautics
        TN      Mining Engineering, Mineral Industries, Metallurgy
        TP      Chemical Technology
        TR      Photography
        TS      Manufactures
        TT      Handicrafts, Arts & Crafts, Fashion, Sewing
        TX      Home Economics, Cookery

U       Military Science Haas 5th Floor
        UG      Space Warfare

V       Naval Science Haas 5th Floor

Z       Bibliography*Word Processing*Library Science Haas 5th Floor
        ZA      Information Resources, Internet, Etc.