Learning Outcomes
After reading the sections on this page, you should be able to:
-
Identify the organization that produces the Library of Congress Classification System and explain what the letters are used for.
Introduction
Now that you're familiar with call numbers and how to find books on the shelves in the library, you many be wondering why items are assigned the call numbers that they have. Most college and university libraries in the United States, including the NOVA Libraries, arrange items on the shelves according to the Library of Congress Classification System. An outline of the System is below. For more information, see the official Outline 
on the Library of Congress' website, which includes lists of sub-classes.
Library of Congress Classification System
As shown on the outline below, philosophy is part of the B section. Not all philosophy books are in the B section, however. Books on political philosophy, such as Plato's Republic, are in the J section. This is because they have been classified as political theory, which is a sub-class of political science. As shown on the outline below, political science has been assigned the letter J.
