1. INLS 150 Session 6 February 14, 2002 Cristina Pattuelli
School of Information & Library Science
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2. Classification Puzzle
Duck-billed platypus?
Water mole?
Egg-laying mammal?
Ornithorhynchus paradoxus?
Platypus anatinus?
Ornithorhynchus anatinus?
Platypus plate. Reproduced from Bilderbuch fur Kinder: enthaltend eine angenehme Sammlung von Thieren, Planzen, Blumen, Fruchten … by J.F. Bertuch (Weimar, Germany: im Verlage des Landes-Industrie-Comptoirs, 1798–1830)

3. Classification Natural human learning activity
Scientific/Bibliographic

4. Classification History
Aristotle - Classical Theory of Categories – ten categories:
things are categorized together based on what they have in common (properties)
Clear boundaries, hierarchy mirroring the actual world
Unchallenged until mid-19th c.

5. Cracks in Classical Theory
Wittgenstein, 1953, family resemblances
Zadeh, 1965, fuzzy set theory
Lonsbury, 1965, family kinship
Rosch, 1973-early 1980’s, prototype theory
Ad hoc categories

6. Classification Multitude of uses: Supermarkets’ shelf arrangement
Knowledge bases for expert systems
For data structure in business (organizational) archives and knowledge repositories
Design of menus for interactive searching
Libraries’ stack arrangement (order)
Etc…

7. Bibliographic Tradition
Two methods for arranging materials:
Alphabetical catalog (Subject Headings)
Classified catalog
Alphabetical - horizontal

8. Classification Schemes Typology 1
Universal schemes
Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
Universal Decimal Classification (UDC)
Library of Congress Classification (LCC)
Began to be developed in North America during the 19th century
Traugott Koch:

9. Classification Schemes Typology 2
National general schemes
e.g., Governments maintain official classifications of occupations and industries
National general schemes
National for the use in a single country
Traugott Koch:

10. Classification Schemes Typology 3
Subject specific schemes
National Library of Medicine (NML)
Engineering Information (Ei)
ACM Computing Classification System (CCS)
Mathematics Subject Classification (MSC)
Traugott Koch:

11. Home-grown Schemes For particular services Yahoo! search service
Traugott Koch:

12. Callimachus’ Classification 10 πινάκης (pinakes)
Epic, and other non dramatic poetry
Drama
Law
Philosophy
History
Oratory
Medicine
Mathematical science
Natural Science
Miscellanea

13. Classified Catalog Related classes and categories
Hierarchical approach
Logical sequence from general to specific
Notations facilitate creation of hierarchical subject trees

14. Bibliographic Classification Scheme
Component parts:
Schedule (e.g., division in classes, facets)
Notation (numbers and/or letters)
Index (list of related terms for accessing the schedule)

15. Bibliographic Classification
Two approaches:
Enumerative (assign a notation to every concept in the system)
Faceted (like faces of a diamond)
Facets = various subparts of the whole classification notation – synthetic approach

16. Classification Concepts
Broad vs. Close
Broad: only main classes and few subdivisions
Close: all the detailed subdivisions available
Factors: collection’s size

17. Major Classification Schemes
1. DDC Dewey Decimal Classification
2. LCC Library of Congress Classification
3. UDC Universal Decimal Classification
4. CC Colon Classification

18. Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
1876 – Melvil Dewey
Knowledge organization tool
Provide access to libraries’ collections
Also browsing mechanism for resources on the web
The most widely used classification system in the world

19. DDC Structure Hierarchical Structure
Enumerative (list of categories one by one)
World of Knowledge divided in 10 main classes (Classes represent disciplines or field of studies) - from 000 to 900 -
Each class further divided into 10 divisions
Each division into 10 sections
999 classes in total
Relative index

20. DDC Concepts Arranged by discipline
Any specific topic can appear in any number of disciplines
e.g., a work on ‘FAMILIES” can be classed in a number of different disciplines. Depending on its emphasis

21. DDC Family 173 Ethics of family relationships
Christian family ethics
Religious family rites, celebrations
Family planning
Marriage and family
Family psychotherapy
796 Sports for family
Family histories
A. Taylor, 2000

22. DDC Notation Decimal notation in Arabic numerals Number Building:
much simpler than previous solutions (roman numerals, etc.)
Number Building:
500 – Natural sciences and mathematics
510 Mathematics, 520 Astronomy, 530 Physics
530 –general works on physics, 531 classical mechanics, 532 fluid mechanics, 533 gas mechanics..
A decimal point after each 3 digits.

23. How DDC Works First, by knowledge area
classes
Then, faceting arrangement – there are characteristics that should be applicable to all topics (belonging to a place, being in the form of a periodical, etc.)
Standard Tables (e.g., for geographical areas, time periods, persons, forms of materials)
E.g., US always 73 – has to be appended by means of 09 (facet indicator)

24. How DDC Works E.g. a dictionary of mathematical terms:
First, the number for mathematics
Then, standard subdivision for ‘dictionary’
Literature is an exception:
Always first by language used by author –list--
Then, by form (e.g., poetry, novel, drama) –tables--
And/or by period when the author wrote –tables--

25. How DDC Works Well-defined categories Well-developed hierarchies
Rich network of relationships among topics
Great detail of specificity
Relative location vs. Fixed location
Open Stacks – Browsing facility

26. How DDC Works When more than a topic/subject, choose the more general
Borderline cases:
Consider the purpose of the creator(s)
Consider use of the item in the collection

27. DDC Integrity of numbers vs. Extensibility Keeping pace with knowledge
Three areas completely remodeled:
Public Administration, 370 Education
Life sciences
Recent revisions:
Knowledge, systems and data processing
005 (computer)

28. DDC 21st edition – Update New classes
Area of computers and computer networking
Client-server computing
Internet
Visual programming
Neural nets
Etc…

29. DDC 21st edition – Revisions Extension of existing classes
Subdivisions:
Operating system
User interface
Mode of processing
Etc…
22nd edition

30. DDC Limitations Western knowledge oriented American and Christian bias
21st ed. Revised and expanded:
296 Judaism
297 Islam
Revision for geographic area numbers:
E.g. Soviet Union

31. Library of Congress Classification (LCC)
1897 – Herbert Putnam
LC’s own classification system
Mixed notation
One or two letters for main classes +
Ordinal (whole) numbers +
One or more cutters +
Date at the end
More economical notation

32. LCC For a library’s huge collection of books
too detailed and complex for small libraries
Adopted by research and university libraries throughout the world

33. Universal Decimal Classification
Paul Otlet and Henri la Fontaine (Belgian lawyers)
Institute Internationale de Bibliographie
The Document Movement (provide access to all information in all formats)

34. Universal Decimal Classification
Expansion of DDC (with Dewey’s permission)
Arabic numbers + symbols for long and expressive notations
Appropriate for specialist libraries and collections
Adopted by International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

35. Colon Classification S.R. Ranganathan – early 1930s
Faceted classification
Classification based on subject’s uses and relations
Notation
numbers divided by : (facet indicator)

36. Colon Classification Analytico-synthetic classification
Facets first, then class numbers constructed by synthesis

37. Dewey Decimal Classification
Main Class 300 – Social Sciences
The 1000 Sections 302 – Social Interaction
Detailed Hierarchy for – Communication

38. Library of Congress Classification
Main Class P – Language and Literature
Subclass P – Philology, Linguistics
P – Semiotics

39. Bibliographic Classification Schemes Online
BULB LINK (DDC)
CyberDewey (DDC)
CyberStacks (LLC)

40. Home-grown Schemes Yahoo! Today Yesterday

41. Online Classification Advantages
Improve retrieval capabilities - ?
Improve navigation - ?
Provide browsing facilities - ?
Is a mechanism to switch b/w languages - ?

42. Pros Browsing a directory-type structure is user friendly
Broadening and narrowing a search (hierarchy subject tree)
Overview of the scope of a service
Look for related items not previously identified as relevant - serendipity
Interoperability on agreed classification schemes
Etc…

43. Pros
On the web you can assign more than one classification number to a resource and keep it virtually in several access locations at once.
Not possible with physical resource

44. Cons
Logical division of materials. Split up collection of related materials
Not always logical subdivision of classes
Delay in updating according with new areas of interest

45. Personal Experience
What is your favorite?
What do you think about…..