Library of Congress Classification Tutorial

This Research Guide is intended primarily as a tutorial in shelving and shelf-reading for library student workers, containing a complete text tutorial, links to interactive tutorials, a brief Library of Congress Classification (LCC) outline, and a link to the complete LCC outline. It is also useful for students and faculty conducting research at Northern Essex Community College Library.

(This tutorial was adapted from the Library of Congress Classification LibGuide, by Wilmington University Library. It has been edited for content.)

At the Northern Essex Community College Libraries we use the alphanumeric Library of Congress Classification System, like most other colleges and universities. This allows us to easily and efficiently keep track of large amounts of books. As a library assistant, part of your responsibility will be to use this system to shelve books and ensure that the shelves are properly ordered. This tutorial will teach you how to use the LCC system to shelve books, shelf-read, and to perform general stack maintenance.