It described Canons of Idea Plane.

1. Canons of Library
Classification
Dr. Shalini R. Lihitkar
Associate Professor
Department of Library and
Information Science
Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj
Nagpur University
Nagpur

2. What is Canon
Canon of Idea
Plane
Canon of Verbal
Plane
Canon of Notational
Plane
Total 43 canons for
all three planes

3. Canons
Canons means a rule,regulation or law.
It can also be defined as a principle, model, standard or criterion hence
various models, principles, test used for the working and efficiency of
different schemes of classification are called canons of classification.
Ranganathan recognized three plane of work to explain the design and
application of work, he provided a specific norms for designing a
scheme of classification and classify the documents according to it
In designing a scheme for classification , it has to deal with dynamics,
infinite and multidimentional universe knowledge which need to be
clearly and thoroughly analysed thereafter it is required to be
transformed into an artificial language for smooth and convenient use
of the scheme as well as systematic and helpful arrangement of
documents.
To make this complicated system smooth Ranganathan has formulated
a separate set of canons for work into three plane,they are
1) Idea plane, 2) Verbal plane, and 3) Notational plane
i) Canons for Idea
Plane (15).
ii) Canons for
Verbal Plane (4).
iii) Canons for
Notational Plane
(24).

4. Canons of Library Classification
The first used of “Canons of library classification” by W C B
Sayers.
Then many library science professionals tried to development of
Canons of library classification such as E C Richardson, H E Bliss
etc.
In the 1937 criticized the canons of library classification
by Dr. Ranganathan in his book “Prolegomena to library
classification”.

5. Canons for the Idea plane –
In idea plane all aspects of the universe of
knowledge are analyzed by its structure,
dimensions, qualities, characteristics, kind
of relationship and bond of strength
among each item of knowledge.
A scheme for classification assumes
the prior concept of a
scheme of classes. A scheme of
classification involves five inherent
concepts, they are
a) Canons for
characteristics,
b) Canons for
succession of
characteristics,
c) Canons for array,
d) Canons for chain,
and
e) Canons for
filiatory sequence.

6. Canons for the verbal plane –
Verbal plane helps to decide the type of terminology to
be used in the scheme of classification. Natural language
is imperfect, there is a vagueness in the meaning of
ordinary words used in everyday conversation.
There are also the incidence of homonyms and
synonyms. New terms appear from time to time and
these may be used to express new ideas, the meaning of a
new term often keeps changing from time to time unless
it is accepted in the concerned subject.
Classifier are concerned with the application of schemes,
they may find this useful in interpreting the terms in the
schedule at the time of classifying documents.
These canons must be followed by those engaged in the
designing and construction of the schedules of a scheme.
Ranganathan has formulated the following canons of work
at the verbal plane, they are
a) Canons of
context,
b) Canons of
enumeration,
c) Canons of
currency,
and
d) Canons of
reticence.

7. Canons for notational plane –
It has the responsibility
of implementing the
findings
of the idea plane.
While designing the
scheme of classification
the idea plane decides
the necessary
characteristics to be
used for the
arrangement of the
universe of subjects in
the filiatory sequence.
The notational plane
therefore has to provide
the mechanism in the
form of the notational
system for the helpful
and systematic
arrangement for the
existing as well as for
future unknown subjects
in a scheme for
classification.
The canons for
notational plane are,
Canons for NP
Canon of
synonym,
Canon of
homonym,
Canon of
relativity and
canon of
uniformity,
Canon of
hierarchy and
canon of
non-
hierarchy,
Canon of
mixed
notation and
canon of
pure
notation,
Canon of
faceted
notatio and
canon of
non-faceted
notation, and
Canon of co-
extensiveness
and canon of
under-
extensiveness
.

8. “Canons of Characteristics (Idea Plane)
—Someone Famous
Canons
of
Characteristics Differentiation
Relevance
Ascertainability
Permanence
Classification should be according to characteristics of things,
concepts and Substance.
The four canons for characteristics deal with the process of
division of knowledge.
1. A characteristic used for classification of a universe should
differentiate the entities of the universe. It should give rise to at
least to two classes.
2. Characteristic should be relevant to the purpose of
classification.
3. A Characteristic used as the basis for the classification of a
universe should be definite and ascertainable.
4. A characteristic used a
as the basis for the classification of a universe should be continue
to be unchanged so long as theree is no change in the purpose of
classification

9. Canons for Succession of
Characteristics
Concomitance
No two characteristics
in the associated
scheme of
characteristics should
be concomitant i.e they
should not give rise to
the same array of
subjects.
Relevant
Succession
Characteristics should
be relevant to the
purpose of classification
Consistent
Succession
Characteristics should
be consistently adhered
to , so long as there is
no change in the
purpose of the
classification
1. Eg. Age and year of
birth
2. Eg. In CC Problem
facet was kept as first
but user wants reverse
3. DC “GA” and Period
as the required
characteristics in main
class History

10. Canons for Array
Whenever similar
classes occur in
different array, their
sequence should be
parallel in all such
array.
Array should be helpful
to the purpose of those
for who it is intended.
The classes in any array
should be mutually
exclusive i.e they should
not overlap with each
other.
The Classes in an
array of classes
should be totally
exhaustive of their
respective common
immediate universe (
other,..9)
Canons for Array
Canon of
Exhaustivene
ss
Canon of
Exclusiveness
Canon of
Helpful
Sequence
Canon of
Consistent
Sequence

11. Canon of Helpful Sequence (Canon of Array)
Principles of Helpful Sequence
• Chronological Sequence
• Evolutionary order
• Principle of Spatial Contiguity
• Principle of Quantitative Measure
• Principle of Increasing Complexity
• Literary Warrant Principle
• Canonical Sequence
• Alphabetical Sequence
• Exceptions to the Helpful Order
• As already said, an array is essentially
a systematically ranked and arranged
group of equal entities. There are
many ways the members of a group
can be arranged.
• Librarians have to choose their
sequence which is helpful to the
majority of the users and also logical.

12. Ranganathan (Prolegomena,FA2) has formulated the eight principles
for arranging entities of an array in a helpful way:
Principle
of Helpful
Sequence
Principle
of Later-
in-Time Principle
of Later-
in-
Evolution
Principle
of Spatial
Contiguity
Principles
for
Quantitativ
e Measure
Principle
of
Increasing
Complexity
Principle
of
Canonical
Sequence
Principle
of Literary
Warrant
Principle
of
Alphabetic
al Sequence

13. Further of the third principle of Spatial Contiguity he
has given 13 sub principles to suit a given situation.
1. Principles for Entities along a Vertical Line
1.1 Principle of Bottom Upwards
1.2 Principle of Top Down
2. Principles for Entities along a Horizontal Line
2.1 Principle of Left to Right
2.2 Principle of Right to Left
3. Principles for Entities along a Circular Line
3.1 Principle of Clockwise Direction
3.2 Principle of Counter-Clockwise Direction
4. Principles for Entities along a Radial Line
4.1 Principle of Periphery to Centre
4.2 Principle of Centre to Periphery
5. Principle of Away-from-Position

14. ● Entities in an array may be arranged in a chronological or historical
sequence.
● A group of boys and girls may be arranged by age; Kings of a country
may be arranged according to their period of rule.
● Indian Prime ministers may be arranged in the order: Nehru, Shashtri,
Indra Gandhi, Morarji Desai…Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh.
● The DDC arranges Moughal Kings in the order of their ascending the
throne: Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb and
the rest.
● Extending this analogy a bit, a queue waiting for a bus or before a
booking window is also according to this order. It is an order which
may be called “First come-first-served”.
2.1 Principle of Chronological
Sequence:

15. ● Related principle is of Later in Evolution.
● Some entities can be arranged as they have evolved: animals can be arranged from amoeba to
mammals; plants are arranged from Thallophyta to Dicotyledons.
● Societies can be arranged: Hunting society, Agriculture Society, Industrial Society, and
Information society.
● Evolution can be biological, social, or technological.
● In fact the Evolutionary order subsumes chronological order. For example, generations of
computers exhibit both the orders;
● so do the types of governments in W Political science.
○ Anarchy W1
○ Primitive W2
○ Feudal W3
○ Monarchy W4
○ Oligarchy W5
○ Democracy W6
2.2 Evolutionary order:

16. ● Another Principle is of geographical proximity or Spatial Contiguity.
● If the entities exist in space their arrangement should be near to one another
as they configure naturally in space or on earth.
● We can arrange Indian states in the order: J & K, Punjab Himachal, Haryana,
Delhi, UP, and so on.
● Planets in space may be arranged like: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto.
Body organs are arranged top downwards order; while parts of a building can
be arranged bottom upwards.
● This method provides many techniques to arrange many different types of
entities in different spatial orders.
2.3 Principle of Spatial Contiguity:

17. It recommends that if entities are associated with some quantity, then
these may be arranged in the order of their increasing quantity.
For example,
● Indian currency notes may be arranged in the order: one rupee two rupee,
five rupee, Twenty rupee, fifty rupee hundred rupee, Five hundred rupee and
one thousand rupee.
● Public libraries may be arranged in the order: National Library, Regional
Library, State Library, District Library, Municipal Library & lastly Village
Library.
● In Town Planning we can arrange like: Village Planning, Town Planning,City
Planning, and Metropolitan Planning.
2.4 Principle of Quantitative
Measure:

18. ● It lays down that the entities may be arranged in the order of their
increasing complexity, e.g., Linguistic elements can be arranged as:
syllable, word, phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph, chapter, book
and so on.
● Algebraic equations can be arranged as 1st order, 2nd order, 3rd
order equations, etc.
● Quantity and complexity are concomitant to one another. If the
national library is large it is also hugely complex compared to a
village library.
2.5 Principle of Increasing Complexity:

19. Further, entities can be arranged according to their popularity of use,
e.g., we can arrange food seeds in the order:
Rice,
Wheat,
Rye.
2.6 Literary Warrant Principle:

20. ● Further if there is any traditional sequence of entities then it may be
followed as we traditionally say Radhe-Shaam, Sita-Ram, Algebra-Geometry,
not the other way, and so on.
● We never say Ram-Sita. It is known as Principle of Canonical sequence.
Canonical means traditional, and tradition wherever it exists is respected
in civilized society, and is upheld by law.
● This principle implies that if any traditional sequence is prevalent
(irrespective of its logic) then the library classification designer must
resort to that.
● Ranganathan has used the principle in arranging branches of B Math and
C Physics.
2.7 Canonical Sequence :

21. ● Lastly if no other principle applies then the entities may be arranged in
alphabetical order.
● All the UN member states are arranged in alphabetical order. Long list of
names of persons is better arranged in alphabetical order.
● Library of Congress uses it as the most frequently applied principle. In
Psychology the human emotions have been arranged alphabetically:
○ BF575.A5 Anger
○ BF575.A9 Awe
○ BF575.F2 Fear
○ BF575.H3 Hate
○ BF575.L8 Love
2.8 Alphabetical Sequence::

22. ● Every principle of helpful sequence is subject to the exception “When any other
● overwhelming consideration rules it out”. Ranganathan has not given any example of such an
exception in any of the principles. The two exceptions that seem to the logical and helpful order are:
● a) Principle of Local Variation
● b) Reader’s Interest Classification
● Local variations allows an entity to be taken out of its logical order to be placed at some favourable
position .
● Ranganathan has allowed the placement of local subjects, such as philosophy, language or even
history to be given the first place in the array.
● This is also in accordance with the favouredcategory principle. This has also prompted many libraries
using DDC to place main classes 400 Languages & 800 Literatures together instead to be separated
by the intervening 500-700 main classes.
● The Bliss’s BC and the DDC also make provisions for alternative places for some of the subjects.
2.9 Exceptions to the Helpful Order:

23. There are two self evident canons for arranging entities in a chain:
● Canon of Decreasing Extension
● Canon of Modulation
● 6.1.1 The Canon of Decreasing Extension:
● It means that the entities should be arranged in a broader to narrower or general to specific, or whole
to parts order. For example, Asia, South Asia, India, North India, Delhi makes a chain of classes in
decreasing extension.
● Social sciences –Economics – Financial Economic – Money – Banking make another chain of broader
to classes. As we move down the chain extension (breadth) of entities goes on decreasing while their
intension (depth) goes on increasing.
Canon for Chain

24. 6.1.2 Canon of Modulation
● It means that no intervening link should be missed in the classes arranged in their decreasing
extensions: no gaps, no jumping; no snapping. In the first example, we should not directly jump from
North India to Amritsar omitting Punjab.
● Though this snapped chain will satisfy the canon of decreasing extension, but will violate the canon
of modulation.
● This means that at every step we should apply the broadest possible characteristic. India should not
be divided directly into cities and states, but first into states and UTs and then into districts, and
further to cities and towns.
● In this way in the Idea plane we will have a network of discrete facets and isolates arranged and laid
out in a network of arrays and chains. These will be arranged in a filiatory sequence in the schedules.
Canon for Chain

25. It is a set of two canons :
Canon of subordinate classes
Canon of coordinate classes
It is concerned with the layout of the classes in arrays and chains in printed schedules.
In arrays and chains, the classes exist in two dimensions, whereas in the schedule these
have to be printed in a single linear order. This canon lays down that while listing,
classes should not be separated from their immediate genus. If we are to arrange in a
filiatory sequence the classes as in the diagram, their order should be :
A, A1, A2, A21, A22, A221, A222, A223, A223, A23, A3, B, C, D, D1, D2, D3.
As another example, if you are making a chart of your joint family lineage, then you
and your brothers/sisters should be listed under your father. Your cousins i.e. children
of your uncle and aunt, which make a collateral arrays with you, should be listed under
their parents. For a filiatory sequence, children should not be separated from their
parents, or species from the genus.
Canons for Filiatory sequence

26. ThanK You
Questions and
Discussion Time