Dewey Classification

Nature of bibliographic control systems (Dewey) IST 603 November 15, 2006 Denise A. Garofalo

Bibliographic control systems
Allow for the organization of the bibliographic universe into some systematic order
In libraries, provide the systematic arrangement by subject of materials in a manner most useful for retrieval

What is classification?
A bibliographic control system
A system of arranging a library’s collection on the shelves which provides formal and orderly access to the materials shelved
A means of bringing together related items in a useful sequence from general to specific
A way to lead the user to the needed items

Shelf types--open stacks
Open stacks : allows for a direct search of the shelves by a user
encourage browsing
stimulate awareness of collection
require comprehensible classification system

Shelf types--closed stacks
Closed stacks : a library staff member retrieves requested items from the shelves
only staff are permitted in the stacks
lessen chance that items will be mishandled, misplaced or taken
require patron to limit searching to the catalog and wait for staff to retrieve items

Catalog
Primary source of reference to the collection by users
Must be complete and current in order to be useful
Provides information about items through access points

Call number
The call number contains the information about where the item is shelved
May have a location or collection prefix--j or REF or VIDEO
Next element is the classification number--736 or 917.3 or PZ4
Next is the Cutter number, an alpha-numeric related to the main entry or author--H74 or Q14
May include a copy or accession number as the final element

Classification--background
Collections have always had some sort of arrangement
groupings by title or broad subject or date or size, etc.
arrangements generally involved a fixed shelf location for materials
Substantive developments in library collection arrangement occurred in the 19th century

Thomas Jefferson is one of the best known early American classifiers—he adapted elements from Francis Bacon’s outline of knowledge
Using this outline materials are classified under functions of three basic faculties--history under memory, philosophy under reason, and poetry under imagination
the outline enjoyed widespread influence

The Catalogue of Benjamin Franklin’s Library Company of Philadelphia also was based on Bacon’s outline
The 1812 Catalogue of the Library of Congress was a variant of Franklin’s Philadelphia scheme
In 1815 Jefferson’s Catalogue of the Library of the United States was installed at LC (based on Bacon’s outline)

William Torrey Harris inverted the Baconian system and created an independent American classification
1876 saw the birth of the Dewey Decimal Classification
based on W.T. Harris’s system
is a hierarchical system , subdivision and collocation must show the “natural” organization of the subject
the DDC spread across America and around the world

Charles A. Cutter began working at the Boston Athenaeum
sought a practical method of arranging library materials, not a classification of knowledge
his Expansive Classification does indicate other influences and contains subordinate classes

By the early 1900s LC’s collection had grown to almost 1 million items
The DDC was not robust enough for LC
J.C.M. Hanson and Charles Martel designed an independent system governed by the actual content of the collection--the LC classification system
not a philosophic approach
is an enumerative classification because it seeks to assign designations (to enumerate) all the subject concepts required in the system

Another type of classification is synthetic, where lists of designations are confined to single, unsubdivided concepts and providing generalized rules from which to construct headings for composite subjects

Classification schemes
Most traditional schemes are enumerative
Recent schemes are synthetic
Note that materials on shelves or in files are arranged in a single order
may have multiple access points (subject, author, title, etc.)
can only by organized by one of these at a time

Questions?

Classification schemes--overview
A general works class accommodates items so broad in scope that no one class can be chosen--encyclopedias, dictionaries
Form classes organize materials according to how information is presented rather than content--poetry, plays, fiction, scores
Form divisions group items according to form--philosophical treatments, biographies
Includes an index for an alpha approach to the classified part of the scheme

Faceted classification
Uses clearly defined, mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive aspects of a class or subject
S.R. Ranganathan’s Colon Classification (1930s)
PMEST formula--five basic facets: p ersonality, m aterial, e nergy, s pace and t ime (Wynar, p. 285)
serves not just for shelving but for arranging items for bibliographies and access service dbs
discernible in verbal subjects ( List of Subdivisions in Sears is a list of generally applicable facets)

Classification criteria
Inclusive as well as comprehensive (encompass the whole field of knowledge)
Systematic (bring together related topics in logical fashion)
Flexible and expansible (new subjects can be inserted with dislocating the general sequence)
Employ clear and descriptive terminology

Classification--broad, close
Close classification : classing each work as specifically as possible, using all available subdivisions (LC classification)
Broad classification : groups works under the main divisions and subdivisions, without using breakdowns into narrower concepts (most useful in smaller collections; DDC)

General principles

Choosing the best location
Please note : Classification schemes vary in their flexibility regarding local manipulation
Try to be consistent to avoid confusion

General precepts
Class first according to subject, then by form (except in generals, where form may be paramount)
Class where it will be most useful
Place it in the most specific subject division that will contain it, rather than with the general topic
If it deals with 2 or 3 subjects, place it with the predominant subject or the one treated first. More than 3 subjects--place it in the general class which combines all of the subjects

Refining precepts
A work discussing the Spanish influence on Portuguese literature should be classed with Portuguese literature--class works dealing with two subjects where one influences another are placed in the subject acted upon or influenced
Monographic sets--class either all together under a broad number or class separately under each individual volume’s subject

No classification is perfect
Each classification scheme is limited
A scheme can be logical within itself but have inconsistencies
language is separate from literature and history from social sciences in DDC
language is classed with literature and history close to social sciences in LCC
DDC and LCC are linear and uni-dimensional

More limitations
Reorganization and relocation cause problems
new numbers for new concepts
moving concepts to more logical locations
Notations become more complex when keeping a scheme up-to-date
Purchased cataloging is only as good as the vendor’s catalogers

Questions?

Break time

Dewey Decimal Classification
The oldest and most widely used in America
Born Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey, he shortened his name to Melvil Dewey (he wanted it to be Dui)
founded ALA
founded the first American library school (Columbia University)

Dewey never claimed to have originated decimals
His relative index was his claim to originality in his classification
a key to the diverse material included in his tables
however his most significant contribution IS decimals, in the hierarchical divisions

First DDC came out anonymously in 1876 and was titled A Classification and Subject Index for Cataloguing and Arranging the Books and Pamphlets of a Library
The second, revised and greatly enlarged, edition came out in 1885 under Dewey’s name
UDC ( U niversal D ecimal C lassification) is based on the DDC

DDC--basic concepts
Arranges all knowledge (library materials) into 10 broad subject classes numbered from 000-900
Numbers can be expanded to cover aspects of general subjects
The more specific the item being classified the longer the number grows
Long numbers may be accurate but are impractical and unwieldy

DDC--basic concepts
A compact scheme--4 volumes total (22 nd )
Incorporates mnemonic devices transferred from one class to another (-03 at the end of a class number of any length indicates a dictionary of the subject at hand)
Allows for a great detail of specification
Arranges subjects from the general to the specific

DDC--basic premise
Under Dewey there is no one class for any given subject
Primary arrangement is by discipline
Any specific topic may appear in any number of disciplines
Aspects of a topic are brought together in the relative index

DDC--schedule format
Summaries
DDC provides three summaries
10 main DDC classes
Divisions of a typical DDC class
Sections of a typical DDC division
Typical DDC hierarchical sequences or multilevel summaries can be found in eight places in the schedules

DDC--basic concepts
Notes are a helpful source of information
notes that tell what is found at a class #
notes that tell what is found at other class #s
notes that ID topics in “standing room” (topics that don’t have enough works about them to justify a separate number--computers were like this for awhile, 001.6 then 004-006)
notes that explain changes in schedules and tables
notes that instruct in number building
notes that prescribe precedence order
notes that explain options

DDC--basic concepts
Number building
way to expand existing numbers in the schedules
in tables these numbers are preceded by a “-” to indicate they cannot stand alone (omit the dash when attaching to a number)

Standard subdivisions
Originally “Form divisions”
Some treat format
Others represent modes of treatment which cover theoretical or historical aspects of the subject (such as philosophy and theory, history, etc.)
Unless specific instructions indicate otherwise, these can be used with any number if application is meaningful
More info available

Geographic areas
When a given heading can be subdivided geographically and the library has many books dealing on the subject use Table 2 (area table)
The number can be expanded by region or site
The bulkiest table

Individual literatures
Table 3 is actually three tables
They are never used alone but under the instructions given at 808-809 and 810-890

Individual languages
Table 4 is used with base numbers for individual languages
See 420-490 for explanation
Does provide mnemonic form divisions
-1 for writing systems
-2 for etymology
-3 for dictionaries

Racial, ethnic groups
Table 5 is used according to specific instructions in the schedules or other tables
May also be used through -89 interposition
Use is parallel to that of Table 2

Languages
Table 6 is a basic mnemonic table to indicate the particular language of the work or the language which is the subject

Groups of persons
Table 7 is used as instructed in the schedules or in other tables
Deals with various characteristics or persons (social groups)

Adding from other parts
There are many places in the DDC schedules where the classifier is directed to find a number elsewhere in the schedule and add it whole to the number at hand
Check DDC itself for examples

Relative index
Claimed to show relationships of each specific topic to one or more disciplines and to other topics
Contains terms found in the schedules and tables and synonyms for those terms
Also has names of states, provinces, cities, geographic features, some personal names
Does not contain phrases that begin with adjectival phrases (Portuguese plays)

Relative index
Enumerates alphabetically all the main headings in the class schedules
Also contains certain specific entries not actually listed in the schedules
Index terminology varies from that found in the schedules (Perspiration)
Should never become a substitute for the schedules

Other DDC info
DDC segments
636.6/01
small libraries may just use 636.6
larger libraries would use 636.601
Updating--new edition every 8 years or so
Abridged editions are available for the very small libraries (can “grow” into full DDC) (14 th )

Questions?

Assignment
Do DDC classification assignment
Read Wynar
Brown cover—Chapters 14, 16,17
Blue cover—Chapters 9, 11, 12

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Dewey Classification

by Denise Garofalo on Mar 08, 2009

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