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Footnote

Rez. in: Australian library journal 45(1996) no.4, S.323-326 (S. Davis); Journal of librarianship and information science 29(1997) no.3, S.169-171 (A.G. Curwen); Knowledge organization 24(1997) no.3, S.192-193 (M.P. Satija)

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Abstract

This book is an extension and total revision of the author's earlier Guide to the use of UDC. The original was written in 1993 and in the intervening years much has happened with the classification. In particular, a much more rigorous approach has been undertaken in revision to ensure that the scheme is able to handle the requirements of a networked world. The book outlines the history and development of the Universal Decimal Classification, provides practical hints on its application and works through all the auxiliary and main tables highlighting aspects that need to be noted in applying the scheme. It also provides guidance on the use of the Master Reference File and discusses the ways in which the classification is used in the 21st century and its suitability as an aid to subject description in tagging metadata and consequently for application on the Internet. It is intended as a source for information about the scheme, for practical usage by classifiers in their daily work and as a guide to the student learning how to apply the classification. It is amply provided with examples to illustrate the many ways in which the scheme can be applied and will be a useful source for a wide range of information workers

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Footnote

Rez. in: Knowledge organization 31(2004) no.2, S.112-114 (M.P. Satija) : "With nearly 130 years of eventful and checkered history, the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) is the oldest living yet thriving modern library classification. Having undergone 21 revisions, it is the most applied library classification structure all over the world. Apart from its use in libraries in more than 135 countries across six continents, many national and trade bibliographies use it for content organization. Furthermore, it is now making successful forays into the world of electronic documents and networked information. The print version of the 22nd edition was released in September 2003, two months later than the scheduled time of July 2003, and two months after the release of the electronic version, WebDewey. The period between print editions now seems settled to seven years as a matter of policy. As WebDewey, an the other hand, is updated an a quarterly basis, what really constitutes a new edition is problematic; edition is rolling, always in a flux without much fixity. The last half century, and more specifically the tenure of Benjamin A. Custer as editor (1956-1980; Editions 16-19), has been an era of structural changes in the DDC, backed by professional management and organizational planning. Custer was instrumental in not only resuscitating the system, but also in putting DDC back an the path of progress. His able successor, Dr. John P. Comaromi, edited the 20`h edition (1989) and ushered in a period of simplification and consolidation. Following the acquisition of Forest Press by OCLC in 1988, much more research has gone into making new editions of the DDC. The OCLC Office of Research has involved itself in classification research, especially in the harmonization of various knowledge classification systems and mapping of DDC numbers to subject headings, above all to make DDC capable of organizing electronic information of every sort. The acquisition of DDC by OCLC has also inaugurated an era of new products and services, along with organized marketing. DDC21 (1996) was a product of high IT, and the 22nd edition can safely be termed a child of network technology. It is indeed the first edition produced in the web environment. To stay abreast of current developments an knowledge practices, the editors relied an the Internet and electronic databases for new topics and terms. Editors and policy makes got constant feedback and suggestions via the Internet to add new features and to achieve accuracy and efficiency. In addition to the feedback and expert advice, this edition, as usual, is based an actual classification of three quarters of a million current books in the Decimal Classification Division of the Library of Congress since 1996.
Changes DDC22 is the second edition prepared by Joan S. Mitchell who took over as editor in 1993. It carries forward the policies and improvements started in DDC21, especially the onslaught an the Christian and western cultural blas in the schedules and tables. The plan for reducing Christian blas in 200 Religion, initiated in DDC21, has now been completed, with some additional provisions in 296 and 297. An outstanding change has been the abrogation of Table 7 Persons. The functions of Table 7 are now filled by using T1-08 and whatever notation is appropriate from 011-999. There are at least six places in the tables and 12 places in the schedules where the use of T7 was prescribed; what good the abolition of T7 has produced is not clear. In fact, it does make number building in some cases a bit circuitous, especially while using Table 3C. It has also resulted in the reuse of many DDC 21 numbers with new meanings. However, some numbers remain the same e.g., Social customs of artists 390.47 (both in DDC21 and DDC22). A few numbers have also become shorter in length. In compliance with the recommendations of D'Elia's survey, all works relating to directories of travel facilities such as hotels, lodges, Motels, inns, have been shifted to 910.46 and to 913/919 whereas 647.94 continues to be in place for general information about hotels. A common practice in previous editions, that is full class or extensive revisions (phoenix schedules), appear to have been discontinued in the preparation of DDC22. But minor changes are numerous. There are more than one thousand relocations and discontiuations of class numbers. Some 40 numbers have been reused. ... However, all these changes are not those projected as slated changes for DDC22 in the DDC21 (1996), namely in 520 Astronomy, 355-359 Military science, 636-639 Animal husbandry and 690 Buildings. Obviously the switch over to the DDC 22 will put less strain an libraries. There has been considerable improvement in the manual, now shifted to volume 1 of the print edition (pp. 1-182). Notes in the manual have been shortened by removing redundant information and by dividing them into smaller sections. Some information from the manual has been transferred to the schedules and tables, in the form of notes. The manual is now clearer and easier to read. Flow Charts, built-in numbers, and see also references should help classifiers achieve greater consistency. The relative index has been beefed up. With its 928 pages, it is 333 pages longer than the previous one, including new built-in numbers and many additional terms. The entry vocabulary is wide-based and current. DDC 22, the first edition of this millennium, has kept pace with the fast changing information environment to map and organize it squarely. To quote our friends at OCLC: knowledge is a big world, and they have organized it."

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Imprint

Medford, NJ : Information Today

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Footnote

Rez. in: Managing information 4(1997) no.6, S.48-49 (J. Bowman); International cataloguing and bibliographic control 26(1997) no.4, S.95-96 (M. Heiner-Freiling)

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Footnote

Rez. in: KO 33(2006) no.2, S. 120-121 (S. Ducheyne): "To the readers of this journal the founding founder of bibliography and information science, the Belgian Paul Otlet (1868-1944), ground-layer of the Universal Decimal Classification, anticipator of multimedia, virtual libraries, and the Internet, and co-inventor of the microfilm or, as it was originally called, "le Bibliophote" (p. 107) (an achievement he shares together with Robert Goldschmidt), scarcely needs introduction. Françoise Levie's new biography of Otlet embodies the research she has started with the production of the documentary of the same name (Sofidoc, 2002, 60 min.). It is impossible to give a chapter-bychapter overview of this informatively dense and beautifully illustrated book, which consists of twenty chapters, a concluding piece by Benoît Peeters, a very useful list and description of the pivotal figures in Otlet's life, and a list containing the locations of the sources consulted (an index is, unfortunately, not provided). I will therefore restrict myself by pointing to Levie's innovative contributions to our knowledge of Otlet and to topics that are of genuine interest to the readers of this journal. Levie's book is the result of a fascinating, worldwide quest into the remains of Otlet's work and his international connections. Ever since W Boyd Rayward's monumental 1975 The Universe of Information: The Work of Paul Otlet for Documentation and International Organization (Moscow: VINITI), this book is the second systematic survey of the Collections of the Mundaneum (now, after various peregrinations, preserved at Bergen/Mons, Belgium) (cf. pp. 339-340), which contains Otlet's private documents, the "Otletaneum". Sixty-eight unopened banana boxes were the main source of inspirations for Levie's research. Of special interest in this respect is Levie's discovery of Otlet's 1916 diary "le Cahier Blue". As these boxes were, at the time Levie conducted her research, not classified and as they were thereafter re-divided and re-classified, precise references to this collection are not provided and the text is simply quoted during the course of the book (p. 339). While this is perfectly understandable, I would have welcomed exact references to Otlet's main works such as, for instance, Traité de documentation and Monde, Essai d'universalisme which are also quoted without supplying further details.
Levie's focus is not exclusively on Otlet's contributions to bibliography and information science per se, but aims at offering a very complete, chronological overview of the life and work of Paul Otlet. Levie succeeds very well at documenting Otlet's personal and familial life, and offers ample socio-historical and political contextualisation of Otlet's activities (e.g. the interaction between Otlet's internationalist endeavours and the expansionist politics of King Leopold II (p. 59), and Otlet's ardent pacifism during World War I are relevantly highlighted (pp. 161176)). Levie begins by exploring Otlet's childhood days and by bringing into perspective some of the traits which are relevant to understand his later work. She shows how his father Edouard, an internationally active railway contractor, awoke a mondial awareness in the young Otlet (pp. 20-21) and how his encyclopaedic spirit for the first time found expression in a systematic inventory of the small Mediterranean isle his father bought (L'île du Levant, 1882) (p. 31). From the age of 16 Otlet suffered from a disorder of his literal memory (Otlet's personal testimony in the Cahier Blue, on p. 47), which might perhaps explain his lifelong obsession with completeness and accuracy. Of special interest to the readers of this journal are chapter 4, in which Otlet's and Henri Lafontaine's adaptation of Melvil Dewey's Decimal Classification and the origin of the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) is discussed in extenso (pp. 5170; also see chapter 6, p. 98 for Otlet's attempt at a universal iconographical index) and chapter 17, in which Traité de documentation (1934) is presented
(pp. 267-277). In chapter 5 (pp. 75-89), Levie discusses Otlet's interest in urbanism (also see, p. 147 ff) and recounts how in Westende he built from scratch a complete coastal village, a kind of miniutopia, in close collaboration with the architects Octave Van Rysselberghe and Henry Van de Velde (unfortunately, it was destroyed in 1914). In close connection to their pacifist ideals, Otlet and his Nobelprize winning co-worker Lafontaine sought to realize a World City and in 1911 saw their ambitions shared by the joint work of the French architect Ernest Hébrard and the American-Norwegian sculptor Hendrik Anderson (pp. 128-141). Later, in the late 1920s, Otlet joined forces with Le Corbusier to establish such a world-centre (pp. 229-247, a 1930 letter of Le Corbusier to Otlet on this matter is reproduced on pages 234-235). In his later moments of desperation, Otlet called on virtually every major political leader, including Mussolini, Franco, and Hitler to achieve this goal (pp. 217-218, p. 294). In these chapters related to architecture, Levie draws extensively on previously unstudied correspondence and adds much detail to our knowledge of Otlet's explorations in this area. In several other chapters, Levie documents in great detail the less unknown rise and downfall of Otlet's "Mondial Palace" (which was inaugurated in 1919) (chapters 12-14 and 16). Looking back on Otlet's endeavours it is not difficult to realize that many of his "utopian" ideas were realized in the course of history. Levie's unique work represents a most welcome update of our knowledge of Otlet. It bears direct relevance for historians of information science and bibliography and historians of architecture, but will, no doubt, attract many scholars from other disciplines, as it places Otlet against the background of several important historical trends and as it is very accessibly written. I take it that publishers are already preparing an English edition of this work - or else, they should be. I wholeheartedly agree with Levie's conclusion that we haven't finished discovering Otlet's work (p. 318)."

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Content

This work is a comprehensive guide to Edition 21 of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC 21). The previous edition was edited by John Phillip Comaromi, who also was the editor of DDC 20 and thus was able to impart in its pages information about the inner workings of the Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee, which guides the Classification's development. The manual begins with a brief history of the development of Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) up to this edition and its impact internationally. It continues on to a review of the general structure of DDC and the 21st edition in particular, with emphasis on the framework ("Hierarchical Order," "Centered Entries") that aids the classifier in its use. An extensive part of this manual is an in-depth review of how DDC is updated with each edition, such as reductions and expansions, and detailed lists of such changes in each table and class. Each citation of a change indicates the previous location of the topic, usually in parentheses but also in textual explanations ("moved from 248.463"). A brief discussion of the topic moved or added provides substance to what otherwise would be lists of numbers. Where the changes are so dramatic that a new class or division structure has been developed, Comparative and Equivalence Tables are provided in volume 1 of DDC 21 (such as Life sciences in 560-590); any such list in this manual would only be redundant. In these cases, the only references to changes in this work are those topics that were moved from other classes. Besides these citations of changes, each class is introduced with a brief background discussion about its development or structure or both to familiarize the user with it. A new aspect in this edition of the DDC study manual is that it is combined with Marty Bloomberg and Hans Weber's An Introduction to Classification and Number Building in Dewey (Libraries Unlimited, 1976) to provide a complete reference for the application of DDC. Detailed examples of number building for each class will guide the classifier through the process that results in classifications for particular works within that class. In addition, at the end of each chapter, lists of book summaries are given as exercises in number analysis, with Library of Congress-assigned classifications to provide benchmarks. The last chapter covers book, or author, numbers, which-combined with the classification and often the date-provide unique call numbers for circulation and shelf arrangement. Guidelines in the application of Cutter tables and Library of Congress author numbers complete this comprehensive reference to the use of DDC 21. As with all such works, this was a tremendous undertaking, which coincided with the author completing a new edition of Conversion Tables: LC-Dewey, Dewey-LC (Libraries Unlimited, forthcoming). Helping hands are always welcome in our human existence, and this book is no exception. Grateful thanks are extended to Jane Riddle, at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Library, and to Darryl Hines, at SANAD Support Technologies, Inc., for their kind assistance in the completion of this study manual.

Footnote

Rez. in: Managing information 6(1999) no.2, S.49 (J. Bowman)

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Abstract

Summary: The book examines the history, management and technical aspects of the Dewey Decimal Classification system (DDC), the world's most popular library classification. The main emphasis is on explaining the structure and number building techniques in the DDC. The book concentrates on all aspects of subject analysis and number building by the latest edition of the DDC. Key Features: Contains a brief history of the system Describes the governance, revision machinery and updating process Describes the structure of knowledge as represented in the DDC Explains the structure of the four volumes of the DDC Explains the process of subject analysis with respect to the system Explains in a graded way with numerous examples the process of number building in the DDC The Author: Dr M P Satija is a Professor of Library and Information Science in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India. He has been writing about the DDC and other related areas in knowledge organization for the last two decades in international journals. He has collaborated with the successive two chief editors of the DDC, and is the Indian Coordinator of the International Society for Knowledge Organization.Readership: Prac Contents: A brief history of the DDC Layout of the DDC22 Subject analysis of documents in context of the DDC Locating simple class numbers in the DDC Number building using the schedules and internal tables Number building using each of the six tables of the DDC (a chapter on each table) Multiple synthesis using schedules and tables Order of precedence and citation order Use of the relative index Appendix Answers to exercises Glossary of terms

Footnote

Rez. in: Mitt VÖB 61(2008) H.1, S.99-103 (M. Sandner): "In der Schriftenreihe "Information Professional Series" möchte der Verlag vielbeschäftigten Angehörigen der Bibliothekszunft leicht lesbares, sehr praxisorientiertes, durch ausgewiesene Autoritäten ihres Faches abgesichertes und aktuelles State-of-the-art-Wissen anbieten. - Der Verfasser des vorliegenden Bandes gilt als solch ein arrivierter Experte in Sachen Wissensorganisation, Klassifikation im Allgemeinen und DDC, Kolonklassifikation und UDK im Besonderen. Er ist Vorstand des Departments für Bibliotheks- und Informationswissenschaft an einer indischen Universität. Seinem Text stellt er einige tiefe Verbeugungen voran: die erste gilt dem 1991 verstorbenen Herausgeber der 20. Ausgabe der DDC, den er als geistigen Koautor mit herein nimmt, die zweite gilt Melvil Dewey und dessen phänomenaler Erfindung (The sun never sets on its ever-spreading empire.), die dritte, den ganzen Text begleitende, gilt - unausgesprochen - dem Konzept der Facettierung von Ranganathan. Satijas erklärte Absicht ist es, Anfängern die DDC22 verständlich zu machen und Anwendern zu nützlichen Einsichten zu verhelfen. Einerseits, so kündigt er im Vorwort an, werde er den philosophischen Hintergrund immer wieder beleuchten, andererseits stelle das Buch einen kompletten Kurs dar: anhand didaktisch ausgewählter Beispiele solle nämlich Schritt für Schritt jeder wichtige Bereich des Klassifikationssystems angesprochen und würden alle Methoden für dessen Anwendung erklärt werden. - Keine geringen Ansprüche, die sich Verlag und Verfasser selbst stellen! Das Äußere des Buches wirkt erfrischend und modern - gerne greift man zu dem einladend bunten Band, der laut Inhaltsverzeichnis klar strukturiert scheint. Nur: wo versteckt sich wohl der angekündigte DDC-Kursteil? ... Fazit: sollte dieses Buch, liebe Leserin, lieber Leser, Ihre erste Lektüre über die DDC sein, dann lesen Sie es nicht allein und vor allem, lesen Sie nicht allein dieses! Sollten Sie aber schon einige Erfahrung mit der Dewey haben, dann werden Sie gewiss mit Gewinn all das heraushören, was ein erfahrener Professor aus der Schule zu plaudern vermag, und das, was nur Satija aus seinem Blick auf die DDC Ihnen eröffnen kann."

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Abstract

A system of library classification that flashed across the inquiring mind of young Melvil Louis Kossuth Dewey (known as Melvil Dewey) in 1873 is still the most popular classification scheme.. The modern library classification begins with Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC). Melvil Dewey devised DDC in 1876. DDC has is credit of 128 years of boudless success. The DDC is being taught as a practical subject throughout the world and it is being used in majority of libraries in about 150 countries. This is the result of continuous revision that 22nd Edition of DDC has been published in July 2003. No other classification scheme has published so many editions. Some welcome changes have been made in DDC 22. To reduce the Christian bias in 200 religion, the numbers 201 to 209 have been devoted to specific aspects of religion. In the previous editions these numbers were devoted to Christianity. to enhance the classifier's efficiency, Table 7 has been removed from DDC 22 and the provision of adding group of persons is made by direct use of notation already available in schedules and in notation -08 from Table 1 Standard Subdivision. The present book is an attempt to explain, with suitable examples, the salient provisions of DDC 22. The book is written in simple language so that the students may not face any difficulty in understanding what is being explained. The examples in the book are explained in a step-by-step procedure. It is hoped that this book will prove of great help and use to the library professionals in general and library and information science students in particular.

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Abstract

This book examines a core topic in traditional librarianship: classification. Classification has often been treated as a sub-set of cataloguing and indexing with relatively few basic textbooks concentrating solely an the theory and practice of classifying resources. This book attempts to redress the balance somewhat. The aim is to demystify a complex subject, by providing a sound theoretical underpinning, together with practical advice and promotion of practical skills. The text is arranged into five chapters: Chapter 1: Classification in theory and practice. This chapter explores theories of classification in broad terms and then focuses an the basic principles of library classification, introducing readers to technical terminology and different types of classification scheme. The next two chapters examine individual classification schemes in depth. Each scheme is explained using frequent examples to illustrate basic features. Working through the exercises provided should be enjoyable and will enable readers to gain practical skills in using the three most widely used general library classification schemes: Dewey Decimal Classification, Library of Congress Classification and Universal Decimal Classification. Chapter 2: Classification schemes for general collections. Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress classifications are the most useful and popular schemes for use in general libraries. The background, coverage and structure of each scheme are examined in detail in this chapter. Features of the schemes and their application are illustrated with examples. Chapter 3: Classification schemes for specialist collections. Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress may not provide sufficient depth of classification for specialist collections. In this chapter, classification schemes that cater to specialist needs are examined. Universal Decimal Classification is superficially very much like Dewey Decimal, but possesses features that make it a good choice for specialist libraries or special collections within general libraries. It is recognised that general schemes, no matter how deep their coverage, may not meet the classification needs of some collections. An answer may be to create a special classification scheme and this process is examined in detail here. Chapter 4: Classifying electronic resources. Classification has been reborn in recent years with an increasing need to organise digital information resources. A lot of work in this area has been conducted within the computer science discipline, but uses basic principles of classification and thesaurus construction. This chapter takes a broad view of theoretical and practical issues involved in creating classifications for digital resources by examining subject trees, taxonomies and ontologies. Chapter 5: Summary. This chapter provides a brief overview of concepts explored in depth in previous chapters. Development of practical skills is emphasised throughout the text. It is only through using classification schemes that a deep understanding of their structure and unique features can be gained. Although all the major schemes covered in the text are available an the Web, it is recommended that hard-copy versions are used by those wishing to become acquainted with their overall structure. Recommended readings are supplied at the end of each chapter and provide useful sources of additional information and detail. Classification demands precision and the application of analytical skills, working carefully through the examples and the practical exercises should help readers to improve these faculties. Anyone who enjoys cryptic crosswords should recognise a parallel: classification often involves taking the meaning of something apart and then reassembling it in a different way.

Footnote

- Similarly, there is very little space provided to the thorny issue of subject analysis, which is at the conceptual core of classification work of any kind. The author's recommendations are practical, and do not address the subjective nature of this activity, nor the fundamental issues of how the classification schemes are interpreted and applied in diverse contexts, especially with respect to what a work "is about." - Finally, there is very little about practical problem solving - stories from the trenches as it were. How does a classifier choose one option over another when both seem plausible, even given that he or she has done a user and task analysis? How do classifiers respond to rapid or seemingly impulsive change? How do we evaluate the products of our work? How do we know what is the "correct" solution, even if we work, as most of us do, assuming that this is an elusive goal, but we try our best anyway? The least satisfying section of the book is the last, where the author proposes some approaches to organizing electronic resources. The suggestions seem to be to more or less transpose and adapt skills and procedures from the world of organizing books an shelves to the virtual hyperlinked world of the Web. For example, the author states (p. 153-54): Precise classification of documents is perhaps not as crucial in the electronic environment as it is in the traditional library environment. A single document can be linked to and retrieved via several different categories to allow for individual needs and expertise. However, it is not good practice to overload the system with links because that will affect its use. Effort must be made to ensure that inappropriate or redundant links are not included. The point is well taken: too muck irrelevant information is not helpful. At the same time an important point concerning the electronic environment has been overlooked as well: redundancy is what relieves the user from making precise queries or knowing the "right" place for launching a search, and redundancy is what is so natural an the Web. These are small objections, however. Overall the book is a carefully crafted primer that gives the student a strong foundation an which to build further understanding. There are well-chosen and accessible references for further reading. I world recommend it to any instructor as an excellent starting place for deeper analysis in the classroom and to any student as an accompanying text to the schedules themselves."

Series

Information professional series