Classification Web Interface Updated

The Library of Congress recently updated the interface for its Classification Web product. For those of us in libraries that use LC Classification and subject headings, Classification Web has long been a valuable tool for quickly researching and assigning call numbers and subjects. It's more frequently updated and infinitely more convenient for users than the printed schedules of yesterday. In addition to call numbers and subject headings, Classification Web contains several other controlled vocabularies as well as the name authority file. As someone who used to look these things up in the printed volumes, I greatly appreciated the office real estate I was able to reclaim when this all went online. While Classification Web has always contained a vast amount of useful and timely information, it has not always been easy to navigate. There have been incremental changes in the interface over the years but this latest upgrade, to Classification Web 4, promises to be be the most substantial improvement yet. How does it fare? 

For one thing, Classification Web 4 has a much cleaner, more modern look and feel than previous versions. The official announcement claims that it, "incorporates modern web navigation techniques and a responsive design that runs on a wide range of hardware from desktop computers to tablets and smart phones." I found this to be true. It immediately looked more streamlined from previous versions. Even on a desktop computer, the display is reminiscent of a mobile app. The now familiar "hamburger button" in the upper left offers quick access to all the searchable collections as well as user and account settings. 

Once logged in, the browse and search options offer different enough experiences to meet a wide-range of user preferences. I tend to rely more on browsing than searching and the predictive text makes browsing even easier. It's a welcome addition to the functionality of Classification Web. I also found the drop-down menus make the system much easier to navigate as well.

Search results, to my eye, seem to be better spaced and easier to read. One feature of the interface that, thankfully, did not change is how clicking on search results opens new tabs. This makes comparing results and returning to the original search a breeze and has long been one of my favorite aspects of Classification Web.

Overall, I found the changes in Classification Web 4 to be much needed and very welcome improvements over previous versions of the interface. I'm glad to see this tool that I've relied on for year is continuing to be developed and adapted for new platforms.