The Putnam Classification System is a

library classification A library classification is a system used within a library to organize materials, including books, sound and video recordings, electronic materials, etc., both on shelves and in catalogs and indexes. Each item is typically assigned a call number ...

system developed by George Herbert Putnam. Putnam was the librarian at the Minneapolis Athenaeum in 1887. When that became the Minneapolis Public Library, Putnam wanted a way to democratize the collection and make it available to the public. He developed a handwritten system of classification, dividing the books into categories and subcategories. He even came up with uniform handwriting examples. The letters were written on the spine of the books in white paint. The system for shelving is in a zigzag pattern. The system is still in use in parts of the Hennepin County Library.Andy Sturdevant

''

MinnPost ''MinnPost'' is a nonprofit online newspaper in Minneapolis, founded in 2007, with a focus on Minnesota news. Content and format The site does not endorse candidates for office or publish unsigned editorials representing an institutional posit ...

'', 02/05/14. Putnam went on to become the Librarian of Congress, where he retooled his system and developed the current

Library of Congress Classification The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress in the United States, which can be used for shelving books in a library. LCC is mainly used by large research and academic li ...

system.

External links

Complete text of ''System of classification, index and scheme for numbering books''.
Printed by the Minneapolis Public Library in 1889.

References

{{Library classification systems Library cataloging and classification