The ClassificationofBusinessLiterature presented herewith is a di-
rect outgrowth of the expansion of the Harvard Business School Library, an
expansion that took place with particular rapidity in the decade of the 1920's.
More fundamentally, it is a product of that extension of writing in the field
ofbusiness which has characterized the twentieth century. The existing
schemes ofclassification were found by this Library unsuited or inadequate
for the proper handling of the increasing flood ofliterature; a system im-
provised by the Library in its early efforts to meet the problem soon proved
almost equally unsatisfactory; and the decision was eventually made to at-
tempt a thoroughgoing and scientific development ofa new classification
which not only would satisfy the urgent needs of Baker Library, but also
would reflect the modern analysis of the profession ofbusiness.
The problem of the desirable scope of the new classification was, of
course, early encountered. Here the needs of Baker Library and the hopes
of subsequent adoption of the new analysis by other library institutions of
similar character were the most potent factors in determining the result.
There was also the desire for a well-rounded, self-contained classification
system. Accordingly, the scope of the new scheme was extended beyond
the area which would be generally recognized as that ofbusiness, to include
various related subjects, such as economics, technology, or social psychol-
ogy. As will appear from a cursory examination of the final product, the
schedules pertaining to these affiliated subjects are developed in much less
detail than those pertaining to the fields that are integral parts ofbusiness
administration. However, a place will be found in the classification for
practically all books that are likely to be needed in a library devoted primar-
ily to businessliterature.