Page 51 - DLIS002_KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION CLASSIFICATION AND CATALOGUING THEORY

Knowledge Organization: Classification and Cataloguing Theory

Notes the collection would still be required, but since the relativity of the order is based on subject and
the subject nature of the items does not change, revision of the notation is undesirable.

Notes Indeed, by not being anchored to a physical layout in the least degree, relative
location notational systems also avoid the need for different libraries to establish institution-
specific notations for the same bibliographic work; as Dewey (1920, 151) had noted, “Then
[with fixed location systems] there was the extravagant duplication of work in examining
a new book for classification and cataloguing by each of 1000 libraries instead of doing
this once for all at some central point.”
In order for such a system to be useful for subject cataloguing purposes, the subjects recognized
needed to be more specific than the broad subject groups used in fixed location systems. The
initial publication of the DDC, published anonymously under the title, A Classification and
Subject Index for Cataloguing and Arranging the Books and Pamphlets of a Library, presented
ten main classes, each divided into ten divisions, each divided into ten sections. Apparently
many librarians, initially “overwhelmed by its 1,000 class categories, described the scheme as
too minute for libraries”. In order for such a system to be useful for subject cataloguing purposes,
the subjects recognized needed to be more specific than the broad subject groups used in fixed
location systems. The initial publication of the DDC, published anonymously under the title,
A Classification and Subject Index for Cataloguing and Arranging the Books and Pamphlets of
a Library, presented ten main classes, each divided into ten divisions, each divided into ten
sections. Apparently many librarians, initially “overwhelmed by its 1,000 class categories,
described the scheme as too minute for libraries”.

Self Assessment

State whether the following statements are true or false:
1. Entries in the library’s catalogue gave the size of each book.

2. Shelf arrangement is a key element of the library’s physical layer.
3. Many fixed location systems do not achieve a degree of subject collocation.
4. The notation in Dewey’s Decimal Classification, do not reflect the subject matter of the
item.
3.2 Need of Notational System

While the notation system used in a bibliographic classification may appear on the surface to
have only utilitarian value, this analysis of the notational system used in the Dewey Decimal
Classification has provided ample evidence to the contrary. Indeed, the decimal notation of the
DDC is a central feature of the system. Not only did Dewey’s insight into the use of decimal
numbers provide for relative location shelf arrangements, freeing librarians from considerable
duplication of effort, but his insight also provided the basis for a classification scheme with
flexible granularity, that is hospitable to expansion, where the notation is expressive of
relationships, interfaces well with modern retrieval systems, and is international.

Did u know? Some of these qualities are essential to on-going efforts to establish an
ontological representation of the scheme. Not bad for a system of “absolute simplicity,
using the simplest known symbols.”

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