Page 47 - DLIS002_KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION CLASSIFICATION AND CATALOGUING THEORY

Knowledge Organization: Classification and Cataloguing Theory

Notes It focuses on systematic study of subjects through documents and design and development
of a scheme for classification.

A subject is an organized and systematized body of ideas. It may consist of one idea or a
combination of several.
A subject comprises a segment or segments of the universe of knowledge.

A subject can be composed of a single segment like physics or any division or subdivision
of it; double segments like science and technology, multiple segments like physical sciences,
and so on.

The word or words that denote a subject can act as a subject heading.
Numerous types of subject system are possible, binary, ternary, quaternary and so on.
Segment is a part of the universe of knowledge that harbours a subject and sometimes acts
as a component of a subject system.
The matter pertaining to a subject can be presented in various forms such as a dictionary,
a textbook, and a monograph. In recent years, however, interdisciplinary team research
has often, for practical convenience, necessitated bringing together in one and the same
document two or more compound subjects going with different BS.

2.7 Keywords

Agglomeration: It may be made up of consecutive constituents or even non-consecutive
constituents with respect to a classification scheme.

Clustering: It is forming a group of similar entities of relationship with each other or their
simultaneity of occurrence or for convenience in treatment or discussion.
Distillation: It extracts the basic subjects from compound subjects.

Fusion: Fusion is the emergence of new ideas and new subjects of an interdisciplinary character.
Lamination: Lamination is construction of two layers just like a sandwich.
Segment: A part of the universe of knowledge that harbours a subject and sometimes acts as a
component of a subject system.
Subject System: A subject having a component or components like object, action, space and time.
Example: History: India: British period.

Subject: A subject is composed of a segment or segments of the universe of knowledge.
Universe of Knowledge: The totality of knowledge that has survived till date. The knowledge
that is being generated now and will be generated in future will also be a part of the universe of
knowledge.

2.8 Review Questions

1. Define a subject.
2. Explain the various characteristics of a subject?

3. The knowledge of formation of subjects in mandatory if one has to learn about subjects.
Why or why not?
4. What is a segment? Explain various kinds of segments in detail?

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