The Library of Congress is the largest in the world in terms of its shelf space and the number of books. Whereas the British library uses the Dewey classification system, the Library of Congress classifies subjects first by letter. This document explains the subclassifications within each letter.

"The new edition of this essential work has raised the bar on an already excellent text about cataloguing." - Library Journal, Starred Review The fifth edition of the classic Cataloging and Classification covers the analysis and representation of methods used in describing, organizing, and providing access to resources made available in or through libraries. Since the last edition, there have new developments in cataloging, with the introduction of the IFLA Library Reference Model (LRM) and the new, official RDA, following the 3R Project. This text presents the essence of library cataloging and classification in terms of four basic functions: descriptive cataloging, authority work, subject access, and classification. Within this framework, content has been re-organized, all chapters have been rewritten, and new chapters have been introduced to incorporate the changes that have occurred during the interval between the four and fifth editions. In each part, the historical development and underlying principles of the retrieval mechanism at issue are treated first, because these are considered essential to an understanding of cataloging and classification. Discussion and examples of provisions in the standards and tools are then presented to illustrate the operations covered in each chapter. Divided into seven parts—a general overview; record production and structure, encoding formats, and metadata records; RDA (original and official); subject access and controlled vocabularies; the organization of library resources; encoding & records of bibliographic and authority data; and cataloging ethics--this book includes lists of the standards and tools used in the preparation and processing of cataloging records covered, lists of RDA elements, and sample records. Its companion website with interactive learning activities and supplementary materials located at catclassintro.org make it a true multimedia tool.

This book, first published in 1946, lays out the tools a librarian has to organize books for use and to make them productive. The methods of classing, cataloguing, indexing, personal guidance, display and publicity are directed to one end, the making know of books and their contents.