In spring 2000, tentative drafts of subclasses KBM (Jewish law) and KBP (Islamic law) in the Library of Congress Classification were distributed to various user communities and scholars in the United States and abroad with an invitation to comment on their structure and detail.
In Summer of 2002, final drafts were posted on the Cataloging Policy and Support Office Web site so that the use of these subclasses could be tested and evaluated by cataloging and collection staff at the Library of Congress and other institutions. The drafts were accessible to institutions that subscribed to Classification Web, the online version of the Library of Congress Classification.
Following the formal implementation of the KBM and KBP subclasses by the Library of Congress in 2003, extensive cataloging and reclassification projects, especially in the field of Islamic law, led to some changes of the principles that were formulated during the development of the schedules, and to a number of refinements, conceptual realignments, or changes in classification procedures. The notes on design and suggested use of the schedules, drafted by Jolande Goldberg and accessible via the link below, are intended to provide background information and guidance for application of subclasses KBM and KBP.
