The Library of Congress
Librarians have been organizing information for centuries, long before the internet in fact. Information on any topic you think of can be found by using a library classification system. The Dewey Decimal System is one such system. You might have seen it in your high school or public library.
Since 1898 the Library of Congress (LC) in Washington DC has been organizing the world's knowledge, first for the U.S. Congress and then for all the major libraries in the United States. The lettering and numbering system the Library of Congress uses to organize information is called the Library of Congress System. This system is used today in most college and university libraries.
The Library of Congress System includes two important parts:
In the Cerritos College Library, as in most college and university libraries, it's the Library of Congress System that helps you find a book on your topic, find out what that book's about, and then find it on the shelf.
Go to The Library of Congress home page to find out more about our nation's premier library. Go to the other tabs in this guide to find out more about the Library of Congress Classification System.