Submitted September 26

   When I first began this assignment, I felt as though I was stepping back in time to my elementary school days, when I was first taught the Dewy Decimal System.  It was refreshing to review the classification system, as this my first in-depth review since enrolling in Southern Connecticut State University.  I found that as I navigated throughout the different websites, I learned that the means of classifying books is a lot more involved than it appears.  For example, I now can truly see how every part of a call number is assigned for a reason.  It is not enough for a book to be classified in the “A’s” instead of the “B’s”; even the following numbers have special significance.  Below, I will note my overall impressions of each site I visited:

http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/lcco.html : I thought it appropriate that this should be the first website on the list to visit, since it laid the classification system out succinctly.  I liked the list-format, and the use of color was aesthetically pleasing.  It was very straightforward.  I left feeling that it might be worth my time at some point in the future to print out hard copies of the lists provided in the website, to have on hand for a quick reference.

http://www.stkate.edu/library/connect/lcsubs.html : In contrast to the first website, this one had much more text.  It was less straightforward, and I found myself having to reread some parts, in order to fully grasp the concepts.  The fact that it was divided into three sections (What are LC subject headings, Structure of LC subject headings, and Standard LC subject headings) made it easier to follow.  Overall, these paragraphs were very detailed and thorough.

http://www.wcsu.ctstateu.edu/library/using_call_numbers.html : When I first tried to connect to this site, I was informed that the page was not available.  I then found my way to the “University Libraries” homepage.  I did a search for call numbers and found a page devoted to the Dewey Decimal Classification System.  I was actually disappointed when the link to “ten main classes” did not work.  However, I thought it was interesting that this library’s webpage promotes scheduling a research consultation with the reference librarians.  I was also impressed by the research assistance page, which lists research guides and bibliographies on what I would assume are some of the more prevalent topics, such as “job hunting sources.”

http://catalog.loc.gov/ : This website made a distinction between basic searches and guided searches.  I thought it was interesting that it also provides searches with two methods of searching by call number: call number browse (LC class) and call number browse (other).  Had I not previously taken the time to explore the above websites, I do not think I would have understood the difference.  This makes me wonder if this method of searching is confusing to everyday patrons.

http://www.spu.edu/depts/library/online_services/handouts_tutorials/tutorials/catalog/catalog_lib.htm : I was first surprised by how little color this website had (in contrast to the first website, in which color was abundant).  As with the first website, it used a list type of format, which was very easy to understand.  As I navigated throughout the linked webpages, I was reminded of how important and helpful supplying patrons with a map of library can be (both on webpages in visible to patrons as they walk through the library).

http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/fi_books_sh.htm#brb : I was less impressed by this webpage.  I actually found the sample entry to be quite confusing, although the abbreviations listed on the right were useful.