Page 82 - DLIS002_KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION CLASSIFICATION AND CATALOGUING THEORY

Unit 4: Colon Classification and Dewey Decimal Classification

4.7.4 Broad and Close Classification Notes

Because it offers a wide variety of techniques and nearly limitless expansions in number building,
DDC is hospitable to all the titles that a large library might add in any subject. It also offers
various ways to meet the limited needs of smaller libraries. The classifier must remember that,
in general, when there are relatively few works in a given subject area, DDC encourages broad
classification. Digits in class notations after decimal points may be cut off at any appropriate
place. The present policy of the Library of Congress is to provide bibliographic records with
DDC numbers of from one to three segments. The segments are indicated by slash marks, e.g.,
“940.53/18/092,” which stands for “World War II—Holocaust—Biographies.” A small library
with a limited collection of materials on World War II might prefer to keep them all together
under 940.53. If the library has several dozen items on the war, it might keep the ones on the
Holocaust together by using 940.5318. If it maintains a separate resource collection for use by
researchers, it could add the standard subdivision “–092” to distinguish the biographies. When
a library decides to retain one or more of the DDC segments to achieve close classification at a
particular point in the collection, it omits the slash marks, which were used in the LC record
merely to suggest break-points. At this writing the LC Decimal Classification Division is
considering simplifying its segmentation service to include only a single mark that shows the
end of the abridged number. The reader should watch for this possible change.
In catalogue records created by other members of a network, the DDC classification numbers do
not have slash marks. If a shorter number is desired, one must consult the schedules to find an
appropriate break-point. For example, in the World War II Holocaust number above, breaking
the number at 940.531 places the item with other works on social, political, and economic
history of the war—not a very logical option. Breaking it at 940.5318 places it with items on the
Holocaust, not subdivided by standard subdivision—quite logical. The classifier needs to check
the schedules and not just cut the number at an arbitrary number of digits past the decimal point,
which could result in an illogical placement.

4.7.5 Updating

New editions of DDC have been published every few years. Between editions, updating is
accomplished via publication of new and changed entries on the Dewey Web site at the first of
each month. It contains corrections of errors, clarifications, updating, and expansions. Also
available on the Dewey home page are other kinds of updating tools such as “Tips,” “LCSH/
DDC mappings,” and “WebDewey quarterly enhancements.” A policy for “continuous revision”
has been adopted by OCLC, which means that revisions are released between editions, and new
editions appear as cumulations.

4.7.6 Abridged Editions

The first Abridged Decimal Classification and Relative Index for Libraries, Clippings, Notes,
etc., appeared in 1894, the year in which the fifth edition of the full schedules was published.
Abridged edition 14 is based on DDC22 and was published in 2004. Like its predecessors, it is
designed primarily for general collections of 20,000 titles or fewer, such as are found in small
public and school libraries. It contains many fewer entries than the full edition; and tables,
schedules, index, and manual all appear in one volume. The numbers used are compatible with
DDC22 so that growing libraries can expand from the abridged to the full edition as their
collections increase.

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