Difference between revisions of "Dewey Decimal System"

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'' “The only group that can categorize everything is everyone”  '' - Clay Shirky
 
'' “The only group that can categorize everything is everyone”  '' - Clay Shirky
  
'''Universal Classification System''' is an offshoot of DDC that incorporates  
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'''Universal Classification System''' is an offshoot of DDC that incorporates symbols to indicate subject modifications as either algebraic subgrouping, addition, extension, relation, or language.  This systems emerged in the late 1800's  and was created by Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine.  
 
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developed by the Belgian bibliographers Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine at the end of the 19th century. It is based on the Dewey Decimal Classification, but uses auxiliary signs to indicate various special aspects of a subject and relationships between subjects
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'''Library of Congress Subject Headings'''  
 
'''Library of Congress Subject Headings'''  

Revision as of 19:35, 5 December 2010

The Dewey Decimal Classification System is a hierarchical system of classification that utilizes decimals to codify divisions. Despite its decreasing popularity, Dewey continues to be the most dominant classification system in the world and is used in over 138 countries and 200,000 libraries. The DDC was created in 1876 by Melville Dewey and in 1988 was acquired by the Online Computer Library Center in Dublin, Ohio who continue to own the trademark.
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Utility

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The Dewey Decimal Classification System used numerical hierarchy to order information into categories. Each of the 10 below main categories has 10 secondary categories within which there are another 10 subcategories. The 10 main categories are intended to cover all human knowledge and be completely comprehensive. Call numbers reveal increasingly specified information when read from left to right, making DDC a faceted system where a longer the call number refers to a more specific topic. XYZ could be a a call number where X= the main class, Y= the division, and Z = the section. All call numbers have at least 3 digits. For example call number 87(General collections In Slavic languages) would be represented as 087.

Main Classes

10 Top Level Classes

▪ 000 – Computer science, information & general works

▪ 100 – Philosophy and psychology

▪ 200 – Religion

▪ 300 – Social sciences

▪ 400 – Language

▪ 500 – Science (including mathematics)

▪ 600 – Technology/Applied Science

▪ 700 – Arts and recreation

▪ 800 – Literature

▪ 900 – History, geography, and biography

The 800 Section

The 800 heading houses literature, but fictional prose is divided by language and then form to prevent the section from consuming too great a space. Many libraries choose to classify fictional works separately and classify alphabetically by the author's last name.

Revisions and Proliferation

The DDS has been translated into more than 30 languages, an effort that is continuing today. The system itself has been revised repeatedly over the years  as libraries gained experience with it. Dewey himself presided over 13 revisions until his death in 1931. The most recent revision, the twenty second, was   released in 2004.

Melville Dewey (December 10, 1851 – December 26, 1931)

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Alternatives

“The only group that can categorize everything is everyone” - Clay Shirky

Universal Classification System is an offshoot of DDC that incorporates symbols to indicate subject modifications as either algebraic subgrouping, addition, extension, relation, or language. This systems emerged in the late 1800's and was created by Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

MARC represents MAchine-Readable Cataloging. This system of classification emerged out of the Library of Congress and enables computer interaction.

AACR2 is the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition

Sears Subject Headings served the needs of small and medium-sized libraries, delivering a basic list of essential headings, together with patterns and examples to guide the cataloger in creating further headings as needed. Practical features include a thesaurus-like format, an accompanying list of cancelled and replacement headings, and legends within the list that identify earlier forms of headings.


In a recent talk to The Long Now Foundation, which focuses on clock and library projects, Clay Shirky talked about where Dewey fit in as a classification system and how the world has continued to evolve beyond it despite its continued dominance. Shirky outlined how to make information persistent and how “cheap flexible systems with large numbers of participants bring down risk of loss”. Taking this into consideration we must question if a disjointed move from Dewey would weaken the media it classifies. Is adaptation less risky?

Current Issues

Perry Branch Rebellion

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Seattle Central Library

The spectacle that became the Seattle Central Library was the results of both a Seattle Public vote for "Libraries for All" and a $20 million donation by Bill Gates. Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus of the Dutch firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) were the principal architects on the project. The building has been described as a celebration of books with the form dictated by the medium. The Book Spiral, which houses the nonfiction collection, can be found on floors 6 to 9. The floors aren't separated by stairs, but rather are built on a slight incline, allowing the collection to be enjoyed without interruption. The Spiral is organized by the Dewey Decimal System, starting with 000 and working upwards with each foot. In making the decision to design a building around the Dewey Decimal System, the Seattle Central Library has made the classification more durable, pouring it into cement.

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The Bookstore Model

Browsing versus finding






Metadata

Databases now must catalogue and increasing amount of nontextual information such as images, sounds, videos, and scanned documents. These types of information require multidiscipilary forms of classification and search. These kinds of networks represent the future of broad classification systems.

The Future and the Questions It Presents

What if YouTube used the Dewey Decimal System? What if it made it multi-dimensional?

Should a classification system seek to provide a consistent browsing tool that users encounter in other environments (e.g., for children, is the same system found in the school library)?

Should a system represent an international standard understood worldwide in bibliographic utilities?

Sources

Clyde, Anne "Metadata. " Teacher Librarian 30.2 (2002): 45-47. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.

Drabinski, E.. "Gendered S(h)elves: Body and Identity in the Library. " Women & Environments International Magazine 1 Oct. 2009: Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.

El-Sherbini, Magda "Metadata and the future of cataloging. " Library Computing 1 Jan. 2000: ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.

Fialkoff, Francine "It's Not About Dewey. " Library Journal 1 Nov. 2009: ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.

Fister, Barbara "The Dewey Dilemma. " Library Journal 1 Oct. 2009: ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.

Goldberg, Beverly "Classification clash. " American Libraries 1 May 2001: Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.

Ketcham, Susan. "Learn Library of Congress Classification / Learn Dewey Decimal Classification (Edition 21). Library Journal 1 Feb. 2000: ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.

Kidwell, Claire "Music Classification Systems. Library Review 52.5/6 (2003): 279-280. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.

Prescott, Sarah. "If you knew Dewey... " School Library Journal 1 Aug. 2001: ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.

Stevens, Norman D. "The catalogs of the future: A speculative essay. " Information Technology and Libraries 17.4 (1998): 183-187. ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.

Tapper, Janet "Dewey Does a Number on Wicca. " Library Journal  : Spiritual living 1 May 2006: ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.