What is an example of an alphanumeric filing system?

An alphanumeric filing system includes numbers and letters of the alphabet to represent a concept within the organization. One of the most common examples is the Library of Congress classification system.

The Library of Congress classification system uses letters to denote specific classes of information and further specifies the subject matter by adding second letters, which denote subclasses. These subclasses are hierarchically arranged from broader ideas to more specific contexts and are assigned numbers.

Determining whether an alphanumeric filing system works for the purpose depends on defining the information and if the records need to be arranged in a certain way. The Library of Congress system, for example, is designed to show relationships between subjects.