The general scheme used within CyberStacks(sm) has been adapted from the most recent edition of the LC Classification Outline (Washington: Library of Congress, 1990). As resources are incorporated within CyberStacks(sm), the classification outline will be refined, with more specific subject categories and their associated ranges added for each class and subclass.

While an increasing number of sites are adopting the Library of Congress classification scheme as a system for organizing WWW and other Internet resources, most notably the WWW Virtual Library, specific relationships to other resources are not indicated. Typically, selected resources are classified only at a broad level, and within particular classified groups, only listed alphabetically. While a listing within a broad category does offer the user some assistance in identifying relevant resources, such an arrangement requires a user to review an entire list to be assured that an appropriate resource has not been overlooked.

We believe that a more comprehensive application of the Library of Congress classification system, as it has been implemented within the current version of CyberStacks(sm), offers the value-added structure, organization, context, and an appropriate level of specificity and description, that enhances the efficiency and effectiveness in identifying and using relevant and related WWW and other Internet resources.