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Differences Between Library of Congress System and Dewey Decimal System_123506

The Library of Congress System has 21 classes for organizing library materials, while the Dewey Decimal System has only 10 classes, making it more limited. The Library of Congress System uses a combination of letters and numbers, suitable for larger academic libraries, whereas the Dewey Decimal System employs a numeric system, better suited for smaller collections like school libraries. Both systems have their own advantages and disadvantages in library classification.

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39 views5 pages

Differences Between Library of Congress System and Dewey Decimal System_123506

The Library of Congress System has 21 classes for organizing library materials, while the Dewey Decimal System has only 10 classes, making it more limited. The Library of Congress System uses a combination of letters and numbers, suitable for larger academic libraries, whereas the Dewey Decimal System employs a numeric system, better suited for smaller collections like school libraries. Both systems have their own advantages and disadvantages in library classification.

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josephmagic84
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SYSTEM AND

DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM


The main difference between Library of Congress System and Dewey Decimal
System is that Library of Congress System has 21 classes, allowing for more
call numbers, but Dewey Decimal System only has 10 classes, allowing only a
limited number of call numbers.
Library of Congress System and Dewey Decimal System are two popular
classification systems in libraries. Both these have their own advantages and
disadvantages.
What is Library of Congress System
Library of Congress Classification (LCC) or Library of Congress system is a
system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress. It was
created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to organize the books in the Library
of Congress. At present, many academic and research libraries in the United States,
as well as in, some other countries use this system. Moreover, this system divides
all library materials into 21 main classes; a letter of the alphabet identifies each of
these classes. These main classes are as follows:

Furthermore, these main alphabetical classes have numerous specific subclasses,


which are identifiable by two-letter or three-letter combinations. For example,
class P, which denotes language and literature has subclasses as PA (Greek
language and literature. Latin language and literature), PB (Modern languages.
Celtic languages and literature), PC (Romanic languages), etc.

In addition to that, each of these subclasses is once more subdivided into sections
that represent components of the subclass, indicating form, place, time &
subtopics. These are indicated by numbers, some with decimals. For instance,
Subclass PK has many subdivisions as follows:
PK1651-(1799) Bengali

PK1501-2899 Modern Indo-Aryan languages

PK1931-2212 Hindi, Urdu, Hindustani languages and literatures

PK1001-1095 Pali

What is Dewey Decimal System


Dewy decimal classification (DDC) or Dewey decimal system is a classification
system for organizing the contents of a library. It was introduced by Melvil Dewey
in 1876, in the United States. Moreover, this classification system is widely used in
libraries all over the world. The Dewey decimal system organizes library materials
according to subject or discipline. All fields are categorized into ten groups, and
each group is assigned 100 numbers. The main 10 groups are as follows:
Furthermore, these 10 main groups are divided again and again into subgroups to
accommodate specific topics. This system also divides the principal sub-series of
each main group by 10. In addition, the notation uses Arabic numbers; there are
three whole numbers indicating the main classes and sub-classes while decimals
designate further divisions. For example,
940 – History of Europe

942 – History of England

942.06 – History of the Stuart period

Using this system, library staff and members can generally locate a particular
volume in a library on the basis of its subject. Libraries of varying sizes can use
this system since there is an abridged version as well as a full classificatory guide
of the DDC. However, when we compare it with Library of congress system,
Dewey Decimal System is more suitable for smaller collections like school
libraries.

The Differences between Library of Congress System and Dewey Decimal


System:

Definition
Library of Congress Classification (LCC) or Library of Congress system is a
system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress, but Dewy
decimal classification (DDC) or Dewey decimal system is a classification system
introduced by Melvil Dewey in 1876.

Type of System
Library of Congress System uses a mixture of letters and numbers, but Dewey
Decimal System uses a numeric system.

Basic Division
While Library of Congress System has 21 main classes, Dewey Decimal System
has 10 broad classes.
Suitability
Since Library of Congress is larger and allows for more call numbers, it is more
suitable for large academic and research libraries. Dewey Decimal System, on the
other hand, is better for small collections like school libraries.

Conclusion
The main difference between Library of Congress System and Dewey Decimal
System is that Library of Congress System has 21 classes, allowing for more call
numbers, while Dewey Decimal System only has 10 classes, allowing only a
limited number of call numbers. Since the Library of Congress is larger, it is more
suitable for large academic and research libraries. Dewey Decimal System, on the
other hand, is better for small collections like school libraries.

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