I went into a public library as opposed to a research library for the first time in 10 years and was taken aback by the cataloging; I know the LOC system well enough that I couldn’t find anything quickly. Why is fiction and non fiction separated in public libraries? What makes something fiction vs non?
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Fiction is, well, fiction. Made-up stories written primarily for entertainment. Non-fiction is factual/informative.
As for the difference between a research library and a public library, public libraries typically use the [Dewey Decimal System](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Decimal_Classification), which is cheaper, more streamlined, and generally more user-friendly.
LOC is much, *much* more in-depth in its classification (21 classes vs 10 classes). The numbers/letters in both are call numbers. It allows you to narrow down from broad to specific. I.E., 900’s in Dewey Decimal is for history/geography. If you add a 7 after the 9 (970), it becomes history of North America. 973 is United States, and on and on.
With 10 available slots for numbers, it can only get so specific. With 21 slots for numbers *and* letters, LOC can get *really* specific. Which is especially useful for very specific topics you can research (especially academically), as you can imagine.
DDS has many flaws (don’t get me started) but it’s easier in smaller collections, such as public libraries.
Hope this makes sense. I’m a librarian so I get very into all this and hope the explanation is easy enough. (I prefer LOC tbh)
Then fiction is “fuck it, just go by name.” Much easier that way.
Also, this hit me last night…
The 800s in Dewey are literature, which could arguably also be classified under the general fiction sections by author name. However, it covers more poetry, plays, and classic literature – not so much modern fiction.
Of course there can be overlap and I have to say I don’t really know what can constitute either/both. The public libraries I worked at would have authors like Oscar Wilde in both sections, so it can be wonky.
If this helps with your searching needs in DDS, LibraryThing has [a great breakdown](https://www.librarything.com/mds) of classes as well as examples of what’s in those classes.
This is a good resource for figuring out not only differences, but those examples if you’re looking for a certain thing. Clicking on each category/sub-category will lead to the next. 🙂
Not sure why you got downvoted so heavily; the systems are so different that it helps to have explanations. I’m here for your library questions!
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