  The Infrared Space Observatory observed over 900 objects with the Short
Wavelength Spectrometer in full-grating-scan mode (2.4-45.2 micron). We have
developed a comprehensive system of spectral classification using these data.
Sources are assigned to groups based on the overall shape of the spectral
energy distribution (SED). The groups include naked stars, dusty stars, warm
dust shells, cool dust shells, very red sources, and sources with emission
lines but no detected continuum. These groups are further divided into
subgroups based on spectral features that shape the SED such as silicate or
carbon-rich dust emission, silicate absorption, ice absorption, and
fine-structure or recombination lines. Caveats regarding the data and data
reduction, and biases intrinsic to the database, are discussed. We also examine
how the subgroups relate to the evolution of sources to and from the main
sequence and how this classification scheme relates to previous systems.
