In the previous sections of this course, we have covered the basic descriptive cataloging necessary for describing an item being placed in the library collection. We have also talked about access points, or added entries, that are used to provide points of information that the patron can find in the library catalog.  In that course, there was an extensive discussion of subject headings.  Now we are going to address the third part of a complete cataloging record: the classification of a library item, or determining the address in the library where an item will be found.

Libraries have been facing the challenge of classifying their collections since their beginnings. Throughout history, libraries have organized their collections in a number of different ways.  Some have shelved materials by when the items arrived in the library.  Others have organized their collections by size or color of the book.  Still others are organized by author, by title, and/or by subject. Most libraries now classify items in the collection by a combination of subject and author. Non-fiction items are organized using a subject classification system, and fiction items are usually organized by author.

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