Page 103 - DLIS002_KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION CLASSIFICATION AND CATALOGUING THEORY

Knowledge Organization: Classification and Cataloguing Theory

Notes database, which could be the source of many kinds of UDC edition. It is called the Master
Reference File (MRF), and is held at the Royal Library in The Hague, and updated once a
year. The UDCC has also appointed an Editor in Chief and an Advisory Board with
international membership, to oversee the content of UDC and contribute to its revision
(http://www.udcc.org/). To remain viable, it is important to get the needed feedback
from the institutions and do the revision. Revising a classification scheme is essential to
accommodate the new subjects, to delete obsolete terms with current one and to rectify
problems. D.J. Foskett (1989) the objective of revising a classification scheme “is to give
library users an opportunity to see a spectrum of the universe of information displayed in
an order that makes sense, which enables them to discover how the experts in each field
think it best or arrange their information”.

5.7.2 Demerits of UDC

Following are the demerits of UDC:
Enumerative Scheme: Enumerative schemes were sufficient in the early days because there
was not a great number of a material to be classified. Knowledge at that time was not
growing as dynamically as it is growing now days. However, one of the major drawbacks
is that there is “a rigidly specified network of pathways leading to rigidly grouped
collections of items” (Vickery, 1966). It is not possible to put the newly developed class
into existing class. Classification schemes like the UDC, DDC and the LCC are limited in
their ways of bringing out the full field of subjects in an information package. Therefore,
the need arises to investigate other ways of organizing knowledge. The Universal decimal
classification is an enumerative scheme as well some elements of the faceted classification
are also involved. “An enumerative scheme with a superficial foundation can be suitable
and even economical for a closed system of knowledge…what distinguishes the universe
of current knowledge is that it is a dynamical continuum. It is ever growing; new branches
may stem from any of its infinity of points at any time; they are unknowable at present.
They cannot therefore be enumerated here and now; nor can they be anticipated, their
filiations can be determined only after they appear” (Ranganathan, 1951). Ranganathan
thus expresses the views:
1. That enumerative system has a superficial foundation.

2. That the discovery of new knowledge cannot be anticipated in an enumerative
system.
3. That the discovery of new knowledge can be anticipated in a faceted system (based
on the view that new knowledge is formed by combination of a priory existing
categories).

Disappearance of Directories: Library professionals were very optimal for the subject
classified websites to browse and search. For search services, the way in which the two
contrasting approaches to finding information are (or are not) addressed can determine
the entire character of the service and reflects one of the major trends in search engine
history. In Yahoo and Google directory function has also been changed but both are still
focused on the main page and three clicks down respectively. At that point, other search
engine leaders including Lycos, Excite, GO Network, and HotBot gave a prominent place
on their home pages to directory categories. Alta Vista provided a lesser placement for its
directory, and Google, Northern Light, and later all the Web featured no directory
categories on their main pages. Directory users are particularly receptive because they
consult them when they have a real need and are therefore ideally open to information.
We could see the disappearance of directories because general directories have become
largely irrelevant. The shift from the use of directories to the use of search engines can be

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