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HIST 150: Liberal Arts Education and the Vision of a Liberal Society (Spring 2024)

Organizing Knowledge as an Exercise in the Liberal Arts

Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), created 1876. Still used by many public and school libraries, but largely abandoned by academic libraries in the late 20th century.

Library of Congress System.

Established in 1897, completed into modern form ~1969.  By the late 20th century, it became the standard for academic libraries and large public libraries in the United States.

For your Consideration

As we talk about the library's services, databases, and the general organization of information, consider:

  • The modern library, and Library Science, grew out of the development of Liberal Arts Education you study in this class.
  • How our organization and evaluation of information reflects these ideals.
  • The place of libraries within liberal arts education, historically and currently.