Page 31 - DLIS103_LIBRARY_CLASSIFICATION_AND_CATALOGUING_THEORY

Library Classification and Cataloguing Theory

Notes 2.5 Applications

In terms of its applications, now it is a most diversely used tool, ranging from shelf classification,
organising bibliographies, web organisation to classification of conceptual and material objects.
Though the first bibliographic classification, it is equally useful for arranging documents, their
surrogates and other information bearing objects such as electronic files, AVs, maps, CDs, art
collections, photographs, coins, stamps, and entities like persons, places and organisations.
Today, UDC is ranked as one of the big three most widely used classification systems of the world.
Technically, it is considered much superior to the other two, namely the DDC and the Library of
Congress Classification (LCC). It is used in 125 countries of the world, in over 1,00,000 libraries
and information centres, especially in Europe and Latin America. It is used as de facto standard for
indexing of scientific and research literature in central and European countries. It is translated in 39
languages and is also used in over 30 national, subject, and trade bibliographies including wall
ford Guide. The abridged edition is equally useful for teaching. It has been a pioneer in finding its
use in computerized databases, and works extremely well with computers. While its hierarchical
structure and classified order are useful for computer screen browsing, its hierarchical and synthetic
notation is helpful in accurate retrieval. Online UDC allows multiple search facilities, namely,
string search in natural language, Boolean searches, and browsing up and down the hierarchy. Its
pioneer use in OPACs has been successful. Since 1993, it has been tested and applied in organisation
of Internet resources of many subject gateways, nine of which are available in English (e.g. WAIS/
WWW, NISS - National Information Services and Systems; SOSIG - Social Science Information
Gateway; FVL - Finnish Virtual Library; PORT - Maritime Information Gateway; GERHARD -
German Harvest Automated Retrieval and Directory etc.), and since 2000 it has been more frequently
applied in national Web portals and gateways in central and eastern Europe. In subject gateways,
it can be put to the following uses: Manual classification of manual collection; manual classification
of large number of automatically harvested resources by using metadata; and, automat I harvesting
and classification.
It has emerged as an excellent source for building other indexing languages, thesauri, taxonomies
and special classifications with its multilingual database. It has the potential to act as a witching
language between different information systems. The UDC has emerged as knowledge organization
tool of high quality, easy applicability and international validity.

Future

As said earlier, UDC has been criticized for its DDC core and slow development. It has also been
remarked that the UDC had better not been invented, yet it has not only survived but thrived in
the bibliographic world where mortality rate is high. Introduced, it not only works but performs
better than many of its competitors. For a century, despite lack of adequate finance and manpower,
it has kept its head above waters. It has rejuvenated itself with constant reorganization since the
last two decades. It is coping with updating by restructuring the knowledge using the frame work
of the Bibliographic Classification (BC-2) -latter is much more up-to-date and better tutored than
any other general scheme. Classes of religion, languages, literature and history are now completely
restructured following the principles of facet analysis. The project of restructuring of Class 61
(Medicine) on the principle of facet analysis, undertaken by Nancy Williamson, is now approaching
its completion. The UDC Seminar (www.ulcc.org/seminar2007.htm) in June 2007 at the UDCC
Headquarter, a Dutch software company Magnified (www.magnaview.nl) presented an innovative
visual application the UDC, which makes possible to view the UDC MRF in 20 novel ways with
facility to interact it visually.
The software is commercially available from the company for the MRF license holders. With its
well organised promotional network and keenness for innovations the DC seems only to have
assured long future.

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