Fundamental Category

1. FUNDAMENTAL CATEGORY
PRESENTED BY
SHUVRA GHOSH
Roll – 07
Course: MLIS
Department of Library and Information
Science
GUIDED BY: Prof. Subarna Kumar Das

2. INTRODUCTION
• Different persons have used the word “category” in library
classification, but the concept has been used differently. Therefore,
one should try to understand this term in the context in which it
might have been used. Wildhack regards a category as a synonym of
“point of view”, according to which a subject can be divided.
Glossary and subject index defines it as “a concept of high
generality and wide application which can be used to group other
concepts.” D.J. Foskett goes further and regards it as a synonym of
the term “faceted”, brought into popular use by Ranganathan. We
may generalise that categories are used to group different concepts.
• Ranganathan uses the term “Fundamental category”. His basic
postulate is concerned with the conception of fundamental
categories. “There are five and only five fundamental categories –
viz., Time, Space, Energy, Matter and Personality”. Thus
fundamental categories are defined by enumeration only.

3. DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIELD
 In 1876, Melvil Dewey introduced the principle of division by
transferring literature, history and philology
 C.A. Cutter was the first to use “common subdivisions”
separated from the table of general divisions.
 James Duff Brown, in his scheme entitles subject
classification, included chronological divisions, as well as
division of form, place and language.
 UDC made a provision for common subdivision regarding
places, chronological divisions, languages, races,
bibliographical forms, point-of-view divisions and analytical
divisions.
 H.E. Bliss conceived his scheme in 1910. Even at that time, he
made an effort to use auxiliary tables.

4. J. Kaiser, in 1911, developed the process of systematic indexing.
He developed two categories: concretes and processes
In 1944, Ranganathan postulated five fundamental Categories to
be used in library classification

5. Background of Fundamental Categories
• In 1952, Ranganathan published the 4th edition. This included
a major new development, the introduction of the PMEST
(Personality, Matter, Energy, Space, Time) categories. The
basic idea of five categories was present in the earlier edition,
but was not clearly defined.

6. Some such opinions of library Science disciplines
 B.I. Palmer: ‘The concept of PMEST formula has facilitated
the teaching of classification to a remarkable degree’. ‘PMEST
provides a frame for the initial laying out of a new scheme of
classification’.
 A.C. Foskett: Analysis into Ranganathan’s Fundamental
Categories is often useful in establishing the correct citation
order for subjects in other schemes.
 Norman Roberts: These categories were introduced having
their existence without proof.
 JEL Farradane: For a classification to be fully relational and
logical, we must define true relations and the logic involved
therein – and that philosophic, non-experimental or intuitive
methods of approach to knowledge offer no conviction of
truth.

7. Derek Austin: His Fundamental Categories operate within the
separate main classes as per their respective contexts –
essentially a discipline centred or traditional approach, which has
broken down under the strain of modern information
requirements and as such they are unsuited to a new general
scheme of classification which needs categories applicable
directly to the whole field of knowledge.
S.R. Ranganathan: ‘There is nothing sacred or metaphysical
either about their number or about them individually. They are
only postulated entities which do the work for us. The moment
they fail to the works satisfactorily we may retire them, or add to
them and thereby reinforce them’… ‘It is open to anyone to bring
forth another set of postulates and do all the work necessary to
make them do library classification with efficiency, meeting all
the challenges thrown out by the documents’.

8. The Sequence of the Categories
 The sequence of five Fundamental Categories is based on the
principle of decreasing concreteness
 This forms the foundation of Colon Classification.
 Ranganathan has expounded the following postulates to
determine the consistent order of different facets for all
subjects.
Postulate of Basic Facet: Every compound subject has a basic
facet.
Postulate of First Facet: In a compound subject, the basic facet
should be the first facet.
Postulate of Isolate Facet: Each isolate facet of compound subject
can be a manifestation of one and only of the five Fundamental
Categories.

9. Postulate of Concreteness: The five Fundamental Categories fall
into the following sequence when arranged according to their
decreasing concreteness: P, M, E, S, T.
Postulate of Facet Sequence within a Round: In any round of
facets of a compound subject in which each of any of
Fundamental Categories – Personality, Matter and Energy – occur
only once, their sequence should be Personality facet, Matter
facet and Energy facet.
Postulate of Facet Sequence within the Last Round: In the last
round of facets of a compound subjects, in which each of the
Fundamental Categories other than Energy may occur and occurs
only once, the sequence of facet should be Personality Facet,
Matter Facet, Space Facet and Time Facet.
Postulate of a Level Cluster: Facets of different levels of the same
Fundamental Category within a round of facets in a compound
subject should be kept together.

10. FUNDAMENTAL CATEGORIES
• There are five fundamental category
 PERSONALITY [P]
 MATTER [M]
 ENERGY [E]
 SPACE [S]
 TIME [T]
PERSONALITY [P] WHO (Comma) ,
MATTER [M] WHAT (Semi Colon) ;
ENERGY [E] HOW (Colon) :
SPACE [S] WHERE (Dot) .
TIME [T] WHEN (Inverted Comma) ‘

11. EXAMPLE
 Classification of books in Indian national library during 1991.
 1991 [T]
 India [S]
 Classification [E]
 Books [M]
 National library [P]

12. Another Example
• “Circulation of periodicals in University Libraries in India up
to the 1970’s”
• --- Libraries
• --- University Libraries
• --- periodicals
• --- Circulation
• --- India
• --- up to the 1970’s

13. Basic class: Library Science
Basic class number : “2”
, (Comma)= Personality: Who
University Libraries: “34”
“2,34” / “234”
; (SEMI-COLON)= Matter: What
“Periodicals”: “46”
“234;46”
: (COLON)= Energy: How
“Circulation”: “6”
“234;46:6”
.(DOT)= Space: Where
“India”: “44”
“234;46:6.44”
‘ (APOSTROPHE)= Time: When
“Up to the 1970’s”: “N7”
“234;46:6.44’N7”

14. Personality [P]
 The Personality facet indicates the core point of the subject at
hand.
 Characteristics of main class.
 Comma (,) is Connecting symbol for personality.
 Use of personality in different main classes according to their
facet formula and specific rules.

15. Use of Personality
 Personality as a Space [S]
Ex. Indian history V44
British law Z56
 Personality as a time [T]
Ex. Biography of Dr. Ranganathan 2wM92
 Personality as a Language
Ex. English Language P111
Hindi Literature O152

16. Matter [M]
 The Matter facet typically deals with some concrete object
typically inanimate.
 Matter are basically material, property and things.
 Semicolon (;) is the connecting symbol for the matter.
 Use of matter only in few main classes such as Library
science, Biology, Fine arts etc.

17. Use of matter
• For example
• Reference book in Library 2;47
• Painting on wood NQ;1
• Paper currency X61;4

18. Energy
 The energy facet indicates to actions, problems or work
efficiency.
 This could be persons, objects or any entity acting alone or
with another.
 This could include conceptual or intellectual entities as well.
 The connecting symbol for energy is colon (:).

19. Use of Energy
• For example
 Reference services in national library 213:7
 Management of foreign banks X6295:8

20. Space
 Space facet indicates to geographical area such as nation, state,
city, continent, country, village.
 Space isolate gave on the page no. For different areas.
 Use of space in few main class for [P] such as History, Law.
 Dot (.) is Connecting symbol for space.

21. Use of Space
Political geography of India U5.44
 Income tax in India X724.44
Curriculum in USA T:2.73

22. Time
 We can easily understand to time facet.
 To the time facet given a chapter time isolate on the page no.
2.7 In the colon.
 In the time isolate, time period can be divided in millennium,
decade, year, month, day, hour etc.
 Use of time in different main class according to their rules.
 The connecting symbol for time is single inverted comma (‘).

23. Use of Time
For example,
International trade in 20th century. X:5.1’N
 University education in 1951 T4’N51

24. Conclusion
• It is generally agreed that a faceted scheme is superior to an
enumerative scheme. Any good faceted scheme formulated these
days would clearly state the number of categories used as its basis. If
one follows Ranganathan’s approach, then five fundamental
categories would prove sufficient for all subjects. Otherwise one
would have to determine the number of categories separately for
each basic class. There is no doubt that Ranganathan’s solution has
proved to be quite successful. Ranganathan’s fundamental categories
have been criticized a great deal but many of the critics have not
fully understood the basis of these categories. He used the order
PMEST to determine the citation order for facets in a class number.
This has proved to be helpful in CC as well as in other schemes. He
never claimed any philosophical basis for accepting five and only
five fundamental categories. He merely postulated these and
accepted the order PMEST. This has proved to be a remarkable
contribution.

25. References
• Dhyani, Pushpa. (2008). Library Classification: theory and
principles. New Delhi: New Age International.
• Kumar, Krishan. (2009). Theory of Classification. New Delhi:
Vikas.

26. Thank You