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Footnote

Rez. in: KO 31(2005), no.4, S.257-258 (B.H. Kwasnik): "According to the author, there have been many books that address the general topic of cataloging and indexing, but relatively few that focus solely an classification. This Compact and clearly written book promises to "redress the balance," and it does. From the outset the author identifies this as a textbook - one that provides theoretical underpinnings, but has as its main goal the provision of "practical advice and the promotion of practical skills" (p. vii). This is a book for the student, or for the practitioner who would like to learn about other applied bibliographic classification systems, and it considers classification as a pragmatic solution to a pragmatic problem: that of organizing materials in a collection. It is not aimed at classification researchers who study the nature of classification per se, nor at those whose primary interest is in classification as a manifestation of human cultural, social, and political values. Having said that, the author's systematic descriptions provide an exceptionally lucid and conceptually grounded description of the prevalent bibliographic classification schemes as they exist, and thus, the book Could serve as a baseline for further comparative analyses or discussions by anyone pursuing such investigations. What makes this book so appealing, even to someone who has immersed herself in this area for many years, as a practicing librarian, a teacher, and a researcher? I especially liked the conceptual framework that supported the detailed descriptions. The author defines and provides examples of the fundamental concepts of notation and the types of classifications, and then develops the notions of conveying order, brevity and simplicity, being memorable, expressiveness, flexibility and hospitality. These basic terms are then used throughout to analyze and comment an the classifications described in the various chapters: DDC, LCC, UDC, and some well-chosen examples of facetted schemes (Colon, Bliss, London Classification of Business Studies, and a hypothetical library of photographs).
The heart of the book lies in its exceptionally clear and well illustrated explanation of each of the classification schemes. These are presented comprehensively, but also in gratifying detail, down to the meaning of the various enigmatic notes and notations, such as "config" or "class elsewhere" notes, each simply explained, as if a teacher were standing over your shoulder leading you through it. Such attention at such a fine level may seem superfluous or obvious to a seasoned practitioner, but it is in dealing with such enigmatic details that we find students getting discouraged and confused. That is why I think this would be an excellent text, especially as a book to hold in one hand and the schedules themselves in the other. While the examples throughout and the practical exercises at the end of each chapter are slanted towards British topics, they are aptly Chosen and should present no problem of understanding to a student anywhere. As mentioned, this is an unabashedly practical book, focusing an classification as it has been and is presently applied in libraries for maintaining a "useful book order." It aims to develop those skills that would allow a student to learn how it is done from a procedural rather than a critical perspective. At times, though, one wishes for a bit more of a critical approach - one that would help a student puzzle through some of the ambiguities and issues that the practice of classification in an increasingly global rather than local environment entails. While there is something to be said for a strong foundation in existing practice (to understand from whence it all came), the author essentially accepts the status quo, and ventures almost timidly into any critique of the content and practice of existing classification schemes. This lack of a critical analysis manifests itself in several ways: - The content of the classification schemes as described in this book is treated as fundamentally "correct" or at least "given." This is not to say the author doesn't recognize anomalies and shortcomings, but that her approach is to work with what is there. Where there are logical flaws in the knowledge representation structures, the author takes the approach that there are always tradeoffs, and one must simply do the best one can. This is certainly true for most people working in libraries where the choice of scheme is not controlled by the classifier, and it is a wonderful skill indeed to be able to organize creatively and carefully despite imperfect systems. The approach is less convincing, however, when it is also applied to emerging or newly developed schemes, such as those proposed for organizing electronic resources. Here, the author could have been a bit braver in at least encouraging less normative approaches. - There is also a lingering notion that classification is a precise science. For example the author states (p. 13): Hospitality is the ability to accommodate new topics and concepts in their correct place in the schedules ... Perfect hospitality world mean that every new subject could be accommodated in the most appropriate place in the schedules. In practice, schemes do manage to fit new subjects in, but not necessarily in their most appropriate place. It world have been helpful to acknowledge that for many complex subjects there is no one appropriate place. The author touches an this dilemma, but in passing, and not usually when she is providing practical pointers.