subject: What Classification Means? [print this page] In general the term classification is used for multiple purposes. It means the classification can be used for any purposes and for any subject. For instance; such classifications can be of countries based on the political affiliations. Some countries can be called democratic while others can be called socialist, capitalist, and authoritarian or autocratic. Another example of classification could be about living beings like animals, humans, and plant lives.
One of the best examples of classification is the library cataloguing of books. Libraries face multiple challenges of classifying the collections since the inception of library science. If one has a close look at the history of the libraries, he or she will find that collections in the libraries have been organized in multiple ways. Some of them have shelved the materials when books and periodicals arrived in the library. Others have categorized them in their custom methods.
Various reasons contribute towards library classification of books and periodicals. Similar issues arise in case of classification online because without such classification, the search engines will find linking up to the relevant sites quickly and conveniently. After all, search engines should take only seconds to find out relevant sites immediately. That is why Google, Yahoo, or Bing happens to be the first choice of most of the web surfers for searching relevant sites.
Whether it is brick and concrete library or the online library, classification and categorization is must. It makes the collection browsing easier. Usually similar types of items are clustered together and put under one head. Another advantage of library classification is that the books and periodicals can be returned to the shelf on completion of their use.
Usually the process of classification involves the use of established classification system. Numerical and alphanumerical systems are created for library uses. Such notations given to each item in the library will improve the chances of identifying them easily in the cluster.
Among the classification systems used in libraries, two are most prominent. First one is the Dewey decimal classification or the DDC system and the second one is the Library Congress or LC classification system. While the former is based on numerical breakdown of the topics, the second one is made of alphanumerical subject organization.
