L.C & D.D.C: A COMPARISON
Eleanor S. Y. Lo
Library of Congress Classification (LCC) and Dewey Decimal Classification
(DDC) are the king and queen that have been reigning over the kingdom
of classification for several decades in America. Both of them originated
in the U. S. A.; but they are different in nature and structure. Since LCC
and DDC have been widely adopted by libraries outside their mother country,
a comparison between them may be of interest to library patrons.
It was for a unique library that LCC was formulated. The special nature
of the Library of Congress influenced the whole structure of the scheme. The
Congress library consists of several collections, each housed separately; the
resulting scheme is a series of individual classifications designed separately
by subject specialists.
On the contrary, DDC is intended for use in all sorts of libraries of
various sizes with abridged editions specially constructed for relatively small
libraries of any type: public, school, and junior college libraries. It is the
invention of one man, Melvil Dewey.
The most important feature in the classification is the notation, which is
defined as "a series of symbols which stand for the names of a class or any
division or subdivision of a class, and forms a convenient means of reference
to the arrangement of a classification."* LCC notation is a mixed one, consisting
of capital letters and arabic numerals. Single capital letters are used
for main classes (e.g. M for Music), and double letters ase used for main
divisions (e.g.
ML for Literature of Music). These capital letters are combined
with numerals, used integrally in conventional sequence, e.g.
T Technology
TJ Mechanical engineering
248 Mechanical models
249 Erecting work
250 Prime movers in general
On the other hand, DDC notation is a pure one, consisting of arabic
numerals with decimals. A 'three-figure minimum' is used consistently, e.g.
Social Sciences is always numbered 300 not: 3 or 30. The first three figures
act as a numerical guide to the arrangement order before further decimal
arrangement is consulted, e.g.
source :
http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/6/600146.pdf
Links to :
The library of congress:www.loc.gov
British Library:www.bl.uk
Thai National Library:www.nlt.go.th
Sripatum University Library:library.spu.ac.th
ASEAN community website:www.asean.org
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