WU Libraries Government, Etc.: Library Classification Systems

Subject librarian: Barbara Rehkop
Office Hours: By Appointment
Email: brehkop@wustl.edu
Phone: 314/935-7465
Fax: 314/935-4919

Link to Main Government page 

Do you prefer to browse for books, rather than using the Library's catalog? You can do it much more efficiently if you know the code!

Library of Congress Classification System
Library of Congress (or LC, as it is called) is the system used for most of the books and periodicals in the Washington University libraries. Depending on what you're doing, of course, you may want to pay special attention to Class H (Social Sciences, and especially HV, Social Work), Class J (Political Science) and Class K (Law). In Olin Library, all three of these classes are housed on the Second Level.

Superintendent of Documents Classification System
The Superintendent of Documents system (also known as SuDocs) is an arrangement based on the issuing agency. Most agencies have mnemonic designations -- "A" is for Agriculture, "C" is for Commerce, "D" is for Defense, and so on. "X" and "Y" are reserved for documents produced by Congress. This list will get you started finding the correct designation for the agency you seek.

United Nations Documents Symbols
Prepared by the staff of the Dag Hammarskjold Library at the United Nations, this page is very helpful for explaining the U.N. classification system.