preview

Comparison of Ddc and Lc Scheme

Good Essays

INTRODUCTION
Dewey decimal classification and Library of Congress Classification are the two most widely used classification schemes and both are very effective tools for organizing materials in public and academic libraries
Singh (2011) states that the Dewey decimal classification scheme is a system of library classification that classifies all topics, knowledge and information into ten main classes numbered from 000 to 900, which together cover the entire world of knowledge. These ten classes are further divided into ten divisions which are also divided into ten sections.
The system has value because of its well-defined categories, well-developed hierarchies, and rich network of relationships among topics, worldwide use, and …show more content…

It is an example of a pure notation, using only Arabic numerals and thus there is no confusion about which type of symbol to be cited first. LCC uses a mixed notation whereby main classes and their major sections are represented by letters, with Arabic numerals used to represent divisions within those classes and sections.
Batley (2005) states that unlike other schemes LCC is not based on theories of classification or the organization of knowledge. It was devised as a practical tool to classify the US National Library collection and was not originally intended to be adopted by other libraries. As a consequence of its purely practical purpose, no attempt was made to create an elegant or logical structure. LCC is not so much an embodiment of knowledge, more a detailed topic listing. This means that, unlike in the case of DDC, there is no advantage to be gained from learning the structure of the scheme by using the print version.
Whereas the DDC groups the books into 10 classes, the LC classifies them into subgroups or subdivisions
The library of congress differs from the Dewey decimal system in its use of letters instead of numbers. DDC class numbers can be abridged at many levels to fit different sized collections, LCC notation cannot easily be abridged (except to cut back to the initial 1-3 letters)
DDC has 4 volumes in full edition, 1 volume abridged edition, full and abridged web versions and is used by a wide range of sizes and types of libraries in 138

Get Access