After 111 years of using the Billings Classification system, developed by John Shaw Billings, their first director, the New York Public Library is switching over to LC Classification.

It’s a huge change for the library and for its patrons. The biggest change is probably that LC has been continually updated over the years, keeping it more current and applicable. Now the NYPL will be able to make books and other materials easier to find for their 21st-century patrons, with a clearer arrangement and more transparent system of classifying materials.

According to the NYPL QuickFacts page, “The NYPL Research Libraries has a unique classification system. Many of the books are shelved according to a system designed by the first Director, Dr. John Shaw Billings. His system was not always easy to adapt so since the 1950s books in many parts of the collection have been shelved according to size.”

See the NY Times Opinion article for this story.

The official website for the NYPL press releases is http://www.nypl.org/press/. While there is no official press release about this change, a librarian at the NYPL tells me that it should be showing up there soon. (I used their Chat tool to connect with a librarian, who in turn checked with their Public Relationships office.) Gotta love technology!