Page 23 - DLIS405_INFORMATION_STORAGE_AND_RETRIEVAL

Information Storage and Retrieval

Notes

A designation such as Dewey 16 refers to the 16th edition of the DDC.

2.4.1 Design

The DDC attempts to organize all knowledge into ten main classes. The ten main classes are each
further subdivided into ten divisions, and each division into ten sections, giving ten main classes,
100 divisions and 1000 sections. DDC’s advantage in using decimals for its categories allows it to be
both purely numerical and infinitely hierarchical. It also uses some aspects of a faceted classification
scheme, combining elements from different parts of the structure to construct a number representing
the subject content (often combining two subject elements with linking numbers and geographical
and temporal elements) and form of an item rather than drawing upon a list containing each class
and its meaning.
The DDC has a number for all books, including fiction: American fiction is classified in 813. Most
libraries create a separate fiction section to allow shelving in a more generalized fashion than Dewey
provides for, or to avoid the space that would be taken up in the 800s, or simply to allow readers to
find preferred authors by alphabetical order of surname.
Some parts of the classification offer options to accommodate different kinds of libraries. An
important feature of the scheme is the ability to assign multiple class numbers to a bibliographical
item and only use one of them for shelving. The added numbers appear in the classified subject
catalogue (though this is not the usual practice in North America). For the full benefit of the scheme
the relative index and the tables that form part of every edition must be understood and consulted
when required.

2.4.2 Classes Listed

The system is made up of seven tables and ten main classes, each of which is divided into ten
secondary classes or subcategories, each of which contain ten subdivisions.

The tables are:
• Standard subdivision
• Areas
• Sub-division of individual literatures
• Sub-divisions of individual languages
• Racial, ethnic, national groups
• Languages
• Persons
• The classes are:
000 – Computer science, information and general works
100 – Philosophy and psychology
200 – Religion
300 – Social sciences
400 – Language
500 – Science (including mathematics)

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