Page 53 - DLIS002_KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION CLASSIFICATION AND CATALOGUING THEORY

Knowledge Organization: Classification and Cataloguing Theory

Notes

Task Critically analyse the DDC notation for jazz songs.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:

5. While the notation system used in a bibliographic classification may appear on the surface
to have only ……………………..value.
6. DDC should respond to the changes are related to the provision of alternative arrangements
based on different …………………………orders.
7. The principle of maintaining the ……………………….of the notation militates against
generating notational variants that adopt alternative citation orders.
8. All the hierarchical relationships referred to thus far are …………………….relationships.

3.3 Qualities of Notational System

From the beginning Dewey recognized the usefulness of form subdivisions (e.g., philosophy,
dictionaries, periodicals, societies, education, history) for organizing the large number of items
in general classes with a division number of 0. He assigned those numbers such as 203 Dictionaries
of Theology and 709 History of Fine Arts rather than leave the numbers 101-109, 201-209, etc.
unused. From this choice sprang the set of standard subdivisions that can now be added, unless
prohibited, to any Dewey number. Another characteristic of the classification introduced at the
start was the borrowing of substructure and attendant notation from general classes to more
specific classes.

Example: Under 410 Comparative philology were found, inter alia, 411 Orthography,
412 Etymology, and 415 Grammar. Fewer than 420 English, 430 German, 440 French, 450 Italian,
460 Spanish, 470 Latin, and 480 Greek, were found essentially the same subdivisions, using the
same notation at the section level (e.g., 425 English grammar). Similarly, at 800 Literature, the
subdivisions under 810 Treatises and collections were repeated under 820 English literature,
830 German literature, 840 French literature, etc.
From such patterns arose the many instructions in the current system to notate the subdivisions
of one subject area by dividing like another subject area. Because appending notation has the
effect of subdividing a subject, the DDC has a reasonably high degree of mnemonics, with a
subdivision found in multiple places often being expressed by the same notation (but the same
notation is likely to have different meanings in different contexts; for example, in some contexts
5 corresponds to Italy/Italian, but in others it corresponds to grammar).
Of course, a simple enumeration of one thousand subjects would be overwhelming. But the
subjects in the DDC, while standing in a linear sequence (as needed for the purposes of shelf
arrangement), are also hierarchically organized; indeed the linear sequence falls naturally out
of the hierarchical organization. This dual (linear, hierarchical) organization derives from the
basic characteristics that decimal numbers have in common with all positional notation systems,
coupled with the meaning that Dewey gave to zero. In particular, it was essential that there be
no limit on the number of positions that could be used. As long as another digit could be added
to the right-hand side of a Dewey number, the number would be capable of subdivision, which
is the process by which new hierarchical relationships are created. The notational system scales
up indefinitely.

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