A Comprehensive Approach to Algorithmic Machine Sorting of Library of Congress Call Numbers

Authors

  • Corey Wetherington The Pennsylvania State University
  • Scott Wagner The Pennsylvania State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i4.11585

Abstract

This paper details an approach for accurately machine sorting Library of Congress (LC) call numbers which improves considerably upon other methods reviewed. The authors have employed this sorting method in creating an open-source software tool for library stacks maintenance, possibly the first such application capable of sorting the full range of LC call numbers. The method has potential application to any software environment that stores and retrieves LC call number information.

References

Leo E. LaMontagne, American Library Classification: With Special Reference to the Library of Congress (Hamden, CT: The Shoe String Press, 1961).

Brady Lund and Daniel Agbaji, “Use of Dewey Decimal Classification by Academic Libraries in the United States,” Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 56, no. 7 (December 2018): 653-61, https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2018.1517851.

“Library of Congress Classification,” Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcc.html.

“How to Arrange Books in Call Number Order Using the Library of Congress System,” Rutgers University Libraries, https://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/staff/access_serv/student_coord/LibConSys.pdf.

J.F. Conley and L.A. Nolan, “Call Number Sorting in Excel,” https://scholarsphere.psu.edu/downloads/9cn69m421z.

Tim Danny, “Sorting LC Call Numbers in Excel,” https://medium.com/@tdannay/sorting-lc-call-numbers-in-excel-75de044bbb04.

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Published

2019-12-16

How to Cite

Wetherington, C., & Wagner, S. (2019). A Comprehensive Approach to Algorithmic Machine Sorting of Library of Congress Call Numbers. Information Technology and Libraries, 38(4), 62–75. https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i4.11585

Issue

Section

Articles