The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) scheme is the main classification scheme in use at the English Faculty Library.
The LCC is one of the most popular and widely supported classification schemes in the world. It uses a combination of numbers and letters, which are assigned semantic categories, to arrange material according to its intellectual content. An example of an LCC shelf mark found in the library is PR4656.A2 R49 ELI 2008 - George Eliot's 'Adam Bede'. Other examples are listed below.
While most books in the English Faculty Library fall within Class P for Language and Literature (and more specifically PR for English Literature), it is important to remember that books in different classes may be of relevance.
This table gives an overview of how the classes within the Library of Congress Classification scheme are categorised. For a more detailed breakdown of these classes, click on the links provided.
A breakdown of Class P 'Literature & Language' is given for reference in the box to the bottom right.
This box is made up of example shelf marks that you might find in the library. They are ordered according to their arrangement on the shelves - 'DA485 POR 2000' would be shelved before 'P120.S48 MIL 2008' and so on.
Porter, Roy (2000) Enlightenment: Britain and the Modern World
LCC shelf mark: DA485 POR 2000
DA = History of Great Britain
485 = England - By period - 18th Century - Social life and customs
POR = First three letters of the author's surname
2000 = Date of publication
Mills, Sara (2008) Language and Sexism
LCC shelf mark: P120.S48 MIL 2008
P = Philology & Linguistics
120 = Philosophy, origin etc. of language
.S48 = Sex. Sex differences. Sexism.
MIL = First three letters of the author's surname
2008 = Date of publication
Amodio, Mark (2014) Anglo-Saxon Literature Handbook
LCC shelf mark: PR173.A46 AMO 2014
PR = English Literature
173 = History of English Literature - By period - Anglo-Saxon
.A46 = Amodio
AMO = First three letters of the author's surname
2014 = Date of publication
Lascelles, M. (1970) Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure
LCC shelf mark: PR2824.L3 LAS 1970
PR = English Literature
2824 = Shakespeare: Measure for Measure
.L3 = Lascelles
LAS = First three letters of the author’s surname
1970 = Date of publication
Some authors, such as Dickens, have their own unique range of shelf marks because of the large body of work they have produced, and many of their works have their own unique number.
Dickens, Charles (2011) Bleak House. Ed. Ingham
LCC shelf mark: PR4556.A2 I65 DIC 2011
PR = English Literature
4556 = Dickens: Bleak house
.A2 = by editor
I65 = Ingham
DIC = First three letters of the author’s surname
2011 = Date of publication
Conrad, J. (2006) Heart of Darkness
LCC shelf mark: PR6005.04 H4 CON 2006
PR = English Literature
6005 = 1900-1960-Individual authors- Surname beginning with C
.O4 = Conrad
H4 = Heart of Darkness
CON = First three letters of the author’s surname
2006= Date of publication
Items are ordered alphabetically and then in ascending order according to the whole number that follows. Books with shelf marks A-PR2411 are located on the ground floor of the library, while shelf marks PR2411-Z are located upstairs. All audiovisual material and oversize books are found on the ground floor. Some pertinent topics and their corresponding locations are given below.
Downstairs:
Upstairs:
The list in the next tab give the subclasses of Class P of the Library of Congress Classification scheme.
Examples include:
PR and PS are sub divided by period, for example:
Some authors are assigned their own shelf marks. See 'Example shelf marks - Example five'.
Subclasses of P are described at the link below and listed here for reference.
P: Philology and Linguistics
PA: Greek language and literature, and Latin language and literature
PB: Modern languages and Celtic languages
PC: Romanic languages
PD: Germanic languages and Scandinavian languages
PE: English language
PF: West Germanic languages
PG: Slavic languages, Baltic languages and Albanian language
PH: Uralic languages and Basque language
PJ: Oriental languages and literatures
PK: Indo-Iranian languages and literatures
PL: Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania
PM: Hyperborean, Indian, and artificial languages
PN: Literature (General)
PQ: French literature, Italian literature, Spanish literature, Portuguese literature
PR: English literature
PS: American literature
PT: German literature, Dutch literature, Flemish literature since 1830, Afrikaans literature, Scandinavian literature, Old Norse literature: Old Icelandic and Old Norwegian, Modern Icelandic literature, Faroese literature, Danish literature, Norwegian literature and Swedish literature