Volume 26, No. 3/4 March/June 2001

http://www.aallnet.org/sis/tssis/tsll/tsll.htm ISSN: 0195-4857

INSIDE:

Staff / Officers / Deadlines From the Chairs: TS-SIS OBS-SIS Features: Classification Web AALL Conference Schedule AALL Program Descriptions OBS Survey Results TS Bylaws Amendments Columns: Acquisitions Classification Internet Miss Manager OBS OCLC Committee Preservation Private Law Libraries Research & Publications Serial Issues Serials Subject Headings Parting Thoughts: From Your Editors

Library of Congress Classification Web Karen Selden University of Colorado Law Library karen.selden@colorado.edu In early January 2001, I received an e-mail announcing that the Library of Congress Cataloging Distribution Service had chosen the University of Colorado Law Library to be an in-depth tester of Classification Web, a World Wide Web interface for the Library of Congress classification schedules. Although any interested person could use Classification Web during the testing period (January 1 to May 31, 2001), my library joined a group of thirty-two other institutions as in-depth testers. This diverse group of institutions ranged from single librarian operations to major research institutions, and included nine foreign sites. Prior to January 2001, the tools I used for cataloging were the standard "paper" sources found in most law library cataloging departments: the Library of Congress Subject Headings "red books;" the full set of loose-leaf classification schedules compiled by Larry Dershem and published as part of the AALL Publications Series; and the full set of Library of Congress editions of the classification schedules. While these tools were completely adequate for my needs, the chance to test a web-based product was too tempting to pass up. This article will briefly describe Classification Web and my experiences with it over the past three months as I used it to revise copy cataloging, create original bibliographic records, and even perform reference work. What is Classification Web? Classification Web (also known as Class Web) allows anyone with access to the World Wide Web to browse and search the full text of the Library of Congress Classification schedules and the Library of Congress Subject Headings. According to Classification Web's Product Support staff, [t]he advantages of a web-based design … are remarkable. Classification Web requires nothing but a web browser and an Internet connection. You don't have to install special software to run the application, you don't have to install the data and you never have to worry about updates — this is all done for you. You can run the application from anywhere in the world and on almost any type of computer (including those from Apple). There are no floppy disks or CD-ROMs to worry about, carry around or store. All you [...continued]

Newsletter of the Technical Services Special Interest Section and the On-Line Bibliographic Services Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries

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