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Unit 2: Classification Schemes

Collocation of terms depicts relations and qualifiers are added to homonymous words to Notes
show the context, e.g. , axes ( tools) , 672.7; axes (plants) , 581.4, or line (art), 7.013. In case of
a synonym all its popular terms are indexed to avoid see- references, e.g. , both Aves and
Birds have been indexed. Index is tidy and easy to use.
(x) Management, Maintenance, and Revision: Since the1990s the UDC has undergone sea
changes in its technicalities, contents organisation, and management. It has been com-
pletely rejuvenated. The original FID/CCC, the committee in charge of the UDC, was
replaced in 1985 by the UDC Management Board. On the recommendation of a Task Force
constituted by the Board, the FID (now defunct ) handed over the ownership of the UDC to
the non-profit, but self-financed UDC Consortium (UDCC) , which came into being on
1 January 1992. Since 2007, it consists of the publishers of the Dutch, English, French,
Japanese, Russian, Spanish, and Czech editions of the UDC (ww.udcc.org). It owns markets,
maintains, innovates, and keeps the UDC updated10. The office of the UDCC is housed in
the National Library of the Netherland at the Hague and is a managed by a Chairman. The
first Edit or of the UDC, since the establishment of the UDC Consortium, was Professor Ia
C. MacI lwaine (1993-2006), and the present Chief Editor since June 2006 is Dr Maria Ines
Corderio. The UDC Advisory Board consists of about 20 information professionals from
all over the world. Each of the Consortium members has the right to issue UDC edition in
its own language.
Language versions are not mere translations. These are updated with local and cultural additions.
The BSI, a member of the UDCC, is responsible for the English editions (www.bsi .org). A UDC
discussion list moderated by Dr. Andrew Buxton exists at UDC- FORUM@JISCMAIL.AC.UK. It is
a forum to get and share UDC news and developments.

Revision
The UDC revision is planned and regular. The UDCC controls its development acting as an
international clearing house. It seeks help from special is in many subject fields. Normally revision
proposals are published in the Extensions and Corrections to the UDC and comments and suggestions
are invited from users and the members of the Advisory Board before finally being incorporated in
the UCD-MRF. With the appointment of the Editor with sole and unlimited authority over revision
for the first time since September 1993, the pace of revision has become quick. Users are informed of
changes and expansions in the annual publication, UDC: Extensions and Corrections published
every year in November (the last issue is Vol. 29, 2007). This annual publication also contains
articles, major revision proposals and a bibliography on the UDC. Changes to UDC are in produced
annually and the new UDC version is released by UDC Consortium every January. Editions of the
UDC incorporating the author is exchanges are published by the members of the Consortium, each
in its own language, or by any outside publisher licensed by the UDCC.

Criticism

Despite its constant and enduring success, it has been criticised on certain points:
(i) Its DDC base has always been criticized.
(ii) Some notational devices, although apparently logical and satisfactory, cause problems in
searching and browsing. e.g., symbols like - and 0 overlap in function and may lead to
confusion.
(iii) Its auxiliaries are still developing with changes in some notational symbols.
(iv) There are certain citation order problems, as no definite standard has been prescribed.
(v) Main class 4 has still not been filled up.
(vi) Notational changes are worrisome.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 25