Library classification

Library classification organizes materials into classes according to subject or other shared characteristics, usually through a structured scheme that assigns each item a notation.

Classification scheme: A structured system of categories and rules for assigning items to classes. Library classification applies such a system to organize collections.
Bibliographic classification: The classification of documents and other recorded knowledge for bibliographic organization and retrieval. Library classification is its application to materials held in libraries.
Dewey Decimal Classification: A general library classification scheme that divides knowledge into ten main classes using decimal notation. It is widely used to arrange collections, especially in public and school libraries.
Melvil Dewey: An American librarian who created the Dewey Decimal Classification and helped standardize library practice. His scheme made decimal notation a prominent model for library arrangement.
Knowledge organization: The arrangement and representation of knowledge to support its description, access, and use. Library classification is one method within this broader practice.
Notation (library science): Symbols used in a classification scheme to represent classes and their relationships. Notation translates a subject class into a mark that can be arranged on shelves.
Subject indexing: The assignment of terms or descriptors that represent a document's subject for retrieval. Indexing offers subject access without requiring a single shelf class.
Library of Congress Classification: A library classification scheme that organizes knowledge into broad lettered classes and detailed subdivisions. It is a major system for organizing large research-library collections.
S. R. Ranganathan: An Indian librarian and mathematician who developed Colon Classification and the five laws of library science. His work advanced faceted approaches to organizing subjects.
Information architecture: The organization and labeling of information to support navigation and understanding. Classification principles also shape how digital collections structure subject access.

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