The Ross Pendergraft Library is making major changes to the arrangement of our collections. Beginning the summer, the Library has begun a project to reorganize and relabel the collection from the Dewey Decimal Call Number System to the Library of Congress Call Number System.
The vast majority of books, housed at the Ross Pendergraft Library are classified in the Dewey Decimal call numbers system (DDC). While popular in public libraries and school libraries, most university and research libraries have moved away from the Dewey Decimal system and adopted the Library of Congress Classification System.
As of this summer, the Ross Pendergraft Library is joining this movement to organize our collections in a more modern way that helps researchers browse books on a similar topic next to each other on the shelves.
What Does A Library Of Congress Number Look Like?
Each book will have a label to help you identify where it is located on the shelf. In the online database of library materials, Find It, searching for a book may result in an entry like this:
Think of it like the residential address of a book:
On the shelf, the items will feature labels like this:
Where Do I Find My Book Now?
Some of the library’s smaller collections have been converted to this system already. These include the New Books collection, the Popular Reading Collection, the Graphic Collection, and the Reference Collection. These are located on the first floor.
Some collections are partially being converted a little bit at a time. For example, the Book Collection on the 2nd floor has been divided into two sections:
- The North Section includes all of the book collection still in Dewey Decimal Call number order. This is the majority of the collection at this time.
- The South Section includes any new or returning books to the book collection that have been newly converted to Library of Congress Collection.
The range of shelves containing the new Library of Congress numbers will feature green labels on the ends, and a flyer with a map of the two distinct sections.
How Long Will This Project Take?
Because each book must be reclassified in our system and relabeled, the project will likely take more than a year to convert most of our book collections to the new system. Some collections like our children’s book collection in the Curriculum Materials Center will remain in Dewey Decimal call number order to preserve the style of most school libraries for the students in our K-12 Education focused disciplines.
If you find yourself confused or daunted by the new system, you can always request a book via our Hold System. When looking up a book in Find It, click on the title. In the Access Options window at the top, you’ll see a button to PLACE HOLD. After filling out the required information, a staff member will retrieve the item and place it at our Research Help Desk. You’ll then receive an email (usually within one business day) that your item is ready for pick-up.
Thanks for continuing to support the library as we modernize and transform our collections to help making locating research materials easier within our shelves. If you have questions, need help finding a book, or would like to know more about why the Library of Congress Classification System is far superior to the Dewey Decimal System, just ask us!
