LCC from UDC: Managing the conversion

The Singapore Polytechnic (SP) Library embarked on the project to convert books and periodicals from the Universal Decimal Classification system to the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) system after benchmarking projects showed that work performance could be improved upon the conversion. Planning began in 2005 with strong support from SP management. It was decided to carry out the project in-house. Internship at the National University of Singapore Library was arranged for one staff to learn the use of LCC and how special collections and issues were handled. Student assistants were recruited to assist in various processes. In addition, 10,000 bibliographic records were outsourced to a vendor to assign LCC call numbers in order to speed up the project. The library collection was converted and re-shelved during the Polytechnic vacation periods from February 2007 to March 2008, with the Library remaining open throughout the period.