Classification and Shelf Order of English and American Literature in the University of Minnesota Libraries
The University of Minnesota Libraries use two classification schemes for books in literature. Before 1984 a local adaptation of the 17th and 16th editions of the Dewey Decimal Classifications was used. In 1984 we began to apply the Library of Congress Classification. Books in the two classification systems are shelved in separate locations. Occasionally older books, especially added copies recently purchased, are reclassified from Dewey into LC, but we do not intend to reclassify all the older books. This description of the two systems interprets the arrangement of books on the shelves and may allow you to work more easily at the shelves.
Periodicals mostly stand outside of these classification systems. We do not assign classification ("call") numbers to the majority of serials, but instead arrange them by titles in the Periodicals Room in Wilson. A few, mostly annuals devoted to individual writers, are classified and shelved in the book collection. An example is Shaw: The Annual of Bernard Shaw Studies.
Literature published in the form of audio and video recordings is catalogued in MNCAT and housed in the Learning Resource Center in Walter Library.
We gradually are cataloguing our special collections, rare books, archives, and manuscripts in MNCAT.
The Library of Congress Classification Scheme, Selections Pertinent to Literature
The LC system presumes that readers will seek call numbers from the library catalog. It lacks the mnemonic features of the Dewey system.
Section P with its subdivisions covers language and literature. All belles lettres fall into P.
P: Linguistics
| 1-86 | Linguistics | |
| 87-96 | Communication. Mass media | |
| 101-409 | Language (General) | |
| 101-115 | Philosophy, psychology, origin, etc. of language | |
| 121-141 | Science of language. Linguistics | |
| 201-297 | Comparative grammar. Including origin of the alphabet, phonetics, morphology, parts of speech, syntax | |
| 301 | Style. Composition. Rhetoric | |
| 306-310 | Translating and interpreting | |
| 311 | Prosody. Metrics. Rhythmics | |
| 327-365 | Lexicography | |
| 375-381 | Linguistic geography | |
| 501-769 | Indo-European philology | |
| 901-1081 | Extinct (Ancient or Medieval) Asian and European languages | |
PB: Philology; Celtic Languages and Literatures
| 1- | Philology |
| 1001- | Celtic |
| 1213- | Irish |
| 1513- | Gaelic-Scotland |
| 1811- | Manx |
| 2109- | Welsh |
| 2633- | Breton |
PE: English Philology and Language
Arranged with comprehensive or general works first, then by period, followed by specific aspects (grammar, lexicography, pronunciation, etc.), these chronologically when suitable.
| 101-408 | Anglo Saxon |
| 451-693 | Middle English |
| 801-896 | Early modern |
| 1001-1693 | Modern |
| 1700-3601 | Dialects, provincialisms |
| 3701-3729 | Slang, argot |
PN: Literature, Literary History, Collections (General)
| 80-99 | Criticism |
| 101-245 | Authorship |
| 441-1009 | Literary history. Including folk literature, fables, prose romances |
| 1010-1551 | Poetry |
| 1560-1590 | The performing arts. Show business |
| 1600-3299 | The drama |
| 3311-3503 | Prose. Prose fiction |
| 4001-4355 | Oratory. Elocution, recitations, etc. |
| 4400 Letters | |
| 4500 Essays | |
| 4699-5650 | Journalism. The periodical press, etc. |
| 6011-6790 | Collections of general literature |
| 6080-6095 | Quotations |
| 6099-6110 | Poetry |
| 6110.5-6120 | Drama |
| 6121-6129 | Orations |
| 6130-6140 | Letters |
| 6141-6145 | Essays |
| 6147-6231 | Wit and humor. Satire |
| 6249-6790 | Miscellaneous. Includes anecdotes, aphorisms, maxims, mottoes, toasts, riddles, proverbs, comic books, comic strips |
PR: English Literature
For each national literature, LC follows a recurring pattern:
- history and criticism
- collections or anthologies of more than one writer
- individual writers
- the literature locally or in other countries (as in PR8309-9620 below)
Individual writers are grouped by period and then sub-arranged alphabetically. Works written by and about an individual writer follow this pattern:
- collected works
- selected works
- translations
- separate works, alphabetically by title
- biography and criticism
PR: English Literature
| 1-56 | Literary history and criticism | |
| 57-78 | Criticism | |
| 111-116 | Women authors | |
| 125-138 | Relations to other literatures and countries | |
| 161-479 | By period | |
| 171-236 | Anglo-Saxon (beginnings through 1066) | |
| 251-369 | Medieval. Middle English (1066-1500) | |
| 401-479 | Modern | |
| 421-429 | Elizabethan era (1550-1640) | |
| 431-439 | 17th century | |
| 441-449 | 18th century | |
| 451-469 | 19th century | |
| 471-479 | 20th century | |
| 500-618 | Poetry | |
| 521-611 | By period | |
| 621-739 | Drama | |
| 641-739 | By period | |
| 751-888 | Prose | |
| 821-888 | Prose fiction. The novel | |
| 901-907 | Oratory | |
| 908 | Diaries | |
| 911-917 | Letters | |
| 921-927 | Essays | |
| 931-937 | Wit and humor | |
| 951-978 | Folk literature | |
| 1098-1369 | Collections of English literature | |
| 1110 | Special classes of authors | |
| 1119-1150 | By period | |
| 1170-1226 | Poetry | |
| 1241-1273 | Drama | |
| 1281-1309 | Prose (General) | |
| 1321-1329 | Oratory | |
| 1330 | Diaries | |
| 1341-1349 | Letters | |
| 1361-1369 | Essays | |
| 1490-1799 | Anglo-Saxon literature | |
| 1803-2165 | Anglo-Norman period. Early English. Middle English | |
| 1850 | Chaucer | |
| 2199-3195 | English renaissance (1500-1640) | |
| 2750 | Shakespeare | |
| 3291-3785 | 17th and 18th centuries (1640-1770) | |
| 3520 | Samuel Johnson | |
| 3991-5990 | 19th century, 1770/1800-1890/1900 | |
| 4550 | Dickens | |
| 6000-6049 | 1900-1960 | |
| 6019 | Joyce | |
| 6050-6076 | 1961- | |
| 8309-8997 | English local and provincial | |
| 9080-9680 | English literature outside of Great Britain | |
| 9180-9199.3 | Canadian literature in English. (Canadian literature in French=PQ3900-3919.2 Canadian literature in Native American Languages=PM1-2711) | |
| 9210- | West Indies | |
| 9340 | Africa | |
| 9408- | Asia | |
| 9600- | Australia | |
| 9619.2 | Individual authors A-Z | |
| 9620 | New Zealand | |
| 9639.2 | Individual authors A-Z | |
PS: American Literature
| 126-138 | Biography, memoirs, letters, etc. | |
| 147-152 | Women authors (Not individual authors), women and literature | |
| 153 | Other classes of authors, such as African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Jews, gays, physically handicapped, prisoners. Thus here stands the book Black Women Writers at Work. | |
| 185-228 | By period | |
| 185-195 | 17th-18th centuries | |
| 201-217 | 19th century | |
| 221-228 | 20th century | |
| 241-286 | Special regions, states, etc. | |
| 241-255 | North | |
| 261-267 | South | |
| 271-285 | West and Central | |
| 301-325 | Poetry | |
| 330-351 | Drama | |
| 360-379 | Prose | |
| 400-408 | Oratory | |
| 409 | Diaries | |
| 410-418 | Letters | |
| 420-428 | Essays | |
| 430-438 | Wit and humor. Satire | |
| 451-478 | Folk literature | |
| 501-688 | Collections of American literature | |
| 530-536.2 | By period | |
| 537-574 | By region | |
| 538-549 | North | |
| 551-559 | South | |
| 561-572 | West and Central | |
| 580-619 | Poetry | |
| 593 | By form | |
| 601-615 | By period | |
| 623-635 | Drama | |
| 642-659.5 | Prose (General) | |
| 651-659 | By period | |
| 660-668 | Oratory | |
| 666-668 | By period | |
| 669 | Diaries | |
| 670-678 | Letters | |
| 680-688 | Essays | |
| 700-3576 | Individual authors | |
| 700-893 | Colonial period (17th and 18th centuries) | |
| 991-3390 | 19th century | |
| 3500-3549 | 1900-1960 | |
| 3550-3576 | 1961- | |
PZ: Fiction and Juvenile Belles Lettres
Used at Minnesota principally for a few collections of fiction, fiction in the Ames Library, and for a few works of children's literature.
Other portions of the classification scheme also hold books relevant to literary study.
CT: Biography
Collective biography, general and national biography.
Z: Bibliography
| 4-8 | History of books and bookmaking | |
| 40-115 | Writing | |
| 41-42 | Autographs. Signatures | |
| 43-45 | Calligraphy. Penmanship | |
| 48 | Copying processes | |
| 49-51 | Typewriting | |
| 53-102 | Shorthand | |
| 103-104 | Cryptography | |
| 105-115 | Paleography | |
| 116-549 | Book industries and trade | |
| 116-265 | Printing | |
| 266-276 | Bookbinding | |
| 278-549 | Bookselling and publishing | |
| 662-1000 | Libraries and library science | |
| 679-680 | Architecture and planning of the library | |
| 687-718 | The collections. The books Including acquisition, cataloging, classification, shelflisting, information storage and retrieval systems, reference work, circula- tion | |
| 719-876 | Libraries Including histories, reports, statistics of individual libraries | |
| 881-980 | Library catalogs and bulletins | |
| 987-997 | Private libraries. Book collecting | |
| 998-1000 | Booksellers' catalogs. Book prices | |
| 1001-8999 | Bibliography | |
| 1041-1107 | Anonyms and pseudonyms | |
| 1201-4980 | National bibliography | |
| 5051-7999 | Subject bibliography (When writers are the subjects of bibliographies, we place those bibliographies in PR and PS near the writers' works.) | |
| 8001-8999 | Personal bibliography (We depart from the LC standard here to classify the bibliography of a writer with the writer's works in PR or PS.) | |
Special Classification Scheme for Literature, adapted for the University of Minnesota Libraries from the Dewey Decimal Classification
| 801 | Philosophy and Theory | |
| .9 | Criticism. Theory and technique of literary criticism Including literary aesthetics | |
| 802 | Handbooks and outlines | |
| 803 | Dictionaries and encyclopedias | |
| 806 | Organizations and societies | |
| 807 | Study and teaching | |
| 808 | Literary composition (Rhetoric) | |
| 809 | History and criticism of literature | |
| .9 | Special aspects of literary criticism | |
| .91 | Literary movements and schools | |
| 810 | American Literature | |
| .1 | Collections of American poetry | |
| .119 | History and criticism of American poetry | |
| .12 | Collections of American drama | |
| .128 | American stage history | |
| .129 | History and criticism of American drama | |
| .13 | Collections of American fiction | |
| .139 | History and criticism of American fiction | |
| .14 | Orations | |
| .15 | Essays and other prose | |
| .16 | Wit and humor (includes collections of and works about wit and humor) | |
| .17 | Legends | |
| .9 | History and criticism | |
| 81 | Individual American Authors (Read this number as if it were 811. We construct a number using the first letter or two of the author's last name, thus 81Ad118 for Henry Adams, 81An24 for Sherwood Anderson, 81B47 for Ambrose Bierce, 81C59 for Samuel clemens, and so on.) | |
| 812 | Motley fiction | |
| 813 | Individual American Authors 1950- American authors whose first published work of literature appears in 1950 or later. | |
| Thus: 813St99 OL | Styron, William Lie down in darkness: a novel. Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill, 1951 | |
| 818 | Canadian literature | |
| 818.09 | History and criticism | |
| 818 | A-Z Individual Canadian writers | |
| 820 | English Literature | |
| .1 | Collections of English poetry | |
| .119 | History and criticism of English poetry | |
| .12 | Collections of English drama | |
| .124 | English miracle plays | |
| .128 | English stage history | |
| .129 | History and criticism of English drama | |
| .13 | Collections of English fiction | |
| .139 | History and criticism of English fiction | |
| .14 | Orations. Also collections of English and American orations | |
| .15 | Essays and other prose | |
| .16 | Wit and humor | |
| .17 | Legends | |
| .5 | Periodicals | |
| .6 | Societies | |
| .9 | History and criticism | |
| 821 | Anglo-Saxon to 1150 | |
| 821.09 | History | |
| 822 | 1150-1500 Middle English | |
| 823 | 1500-1700 | |
| 824 | 1700-1800 | |
| 825 | 1800- (Used also for English language South African and Indian Literature) | |
| 828 | Australian and New Zealand literature | |
| 828.09 | History and criticism | |
| 828.4 | Individual authors | |
| 867.8 | West Indies | |
| 891.6 | Provincial and local - Gaelic Celtic | |
| 891.62 | Irish | |
| 891.63 | Gaelic-Scotland | |
| 891.66 | Wales | |
| 891.67 | Cornish | |
| 896 | African | |
| 897 | American Indian literature, aboriginal literature of the Americas | |
Interpreting the Dewey Call Number for Individual Writers
The call number for each book in our Dewey system consists of two lines. The classification provides the top line of the call number, specifying the nationality, period, writer, or subject. For books by or about individual writers, the Cutter number, the second line, reflects the nature or form of the particular book according to the following table.
Book Number Scheme for Literature
| A | Bibliography |
| C | Correspondence |
| D | Critical works and biography |
| E | Concordances |
| F | Lexicons |
| I | Collected works |
| J | Translations (Includes poetry into prose, older forms of language into modern forms.) |
| M | Miscellany (Includes celebrations, etc.) |
| O | Individual works, autobiography and journals |
| P | Parodies, imitations, burlesques, etc. |
Understanding this book number scheme allows you to work directly at the shelves, rather than having to look up every book in the catalog. Knowing that bibliographies are identified with A and that Styron is a contemporary American writer, you can go to 813, find your way to the Styron section by following the authors alphabetically by name, and come immediately upon James West's descriptive bibliography of Styron.
(813 St99)
AW52
Before 1960 we used a more detailed breakdown.
| A | Bibliography |
| B | Biography. Autobiography |
| C | Correspondence |
| D | Critical works and biography |
| E | Concordances |
| F | Lexicons |
| G | Grammatical works |
| H | Text critical works |
| I | Collected works |
| J | Translations (Includes poetry into prose, older forms of language into modern forms.) |
| K | Selections (Including Paraphrases) |
| M | Miscellany (Includes celebrations, etc.) |
| O | Individual works, autobiography and journals |
| P | Parodies, imitations, burlesques, etc. |
| R | Celebrations; Anniversaries |