principles of classification - american library...
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A L C T S W E B I N A R
L A I M A S C H O O L O F L I B R A R Y A N D I N F O R M A T I O N S C I E N C E
I N D I A N A U N I V E R S I T Y - B L O O M I N G T O N
L A M A @ I N D I A N A . E D U
N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 2
Principles of Classification
TO CLASSIFY IS HUMAN! Group 1 Apple Broccoli Orange Pear Grape Pineapple Mango Kiwi Banana Cantaloupe Watermelon Cherry Group 2 Dublin London Paris Indianapolis Rome Berlin Madrid Venice Copenhagen Hamburg Lyon Group 3 Dog Snake Dolphin Elephant Monkey Cheetah Deer Kangaroo Bear Beaver Tiger Cow Donkey
History of LCC
The Library of Congress was founded by order of Congress in January 1802, “An Act concerning the Library for the Use of both Houses of Congress”
Subject approach was applied in 1812, adaptation of the classification schedule developed by the Library Company of Philadelphia
Library of Congress was burned in 1814. Thomas Jefferson’s collection was purchased. Charles Cutter’s Expansive Classification was chosen and modified for organizing the collection
A new classification system specially for the Library of Congress developed in 1901
Library of Congress Classification
“the scheme adopted has been devised with reference
(1) to the character and probable development of our own collections,
(2) to its operation by our own staff,
(3) to the characters and habits of our own readers, and
(4) to the usages in vogue here…
There was no exception that the scheme would be adopted by other libraries; much less was there any profession that it would be suited to their needs.”
–Herbert Putnam, 1916
General Principles of LCC
Literary warrant
Classes are created to cope with the literature that must be classified by the scheme, rather than on the basis of any theoretical analysis of knowledge
Strong US bias
Very detailed in subjects such as law, politics and administration, military and naval science
Less detailed in science and technology
Literary Warrant as a Principle
Library of Congress Classification
List all possible classes
Compound subjects are pre-coordinated and listed
Classes cannot be constructed by the indexer
Extensive repetition of concepts
Broad and shallow classification
An enumerative classification system
Typically consists of two letters and a number from 1 to 9999
Three letters may be used for a very detailed class
New classes are inserted into gaps between classes in use
LCC notation
http://library.williams.edu/memex/318/
History of DDC
First published anonymously in 1876 under the title A Classification and Subject Index for Cataloging and Arranging the Books and Pamphlets of a Library
An enumerative classification system with analytico-synthetic characteristics
Dewey Decimal Classification
000
021 022 023
020
Organization of DDC
Manual and Tables
Summaries
Schedules Relative
Index
Notation and Number building
Museum in Pennsylvania
708 Galleries, museums, private collections of fine and decorative arts
708.1 North America
708.14 (United States)
708.148 Galleries, museums, private collections of fine and decorative arts in Pennsylvania (Table 2: “748”)
Selected Bibliography
Bowker, G. C., & Star, S. L. (2000). Sorting things out: Classification and its consequences. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Broughton, V. (2004). Essential classification. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.
Chan, L. M. (2007). Cataloging and classification: An introduction (3rd ed.) Lanham, MD: Scarecrow.
Jacob, E. K. (2004). Categorization and classification: A difference that makes a difference. Library Trends, 52(3), 515-540.
Kwasnik, B. H. (1999). The role of classification in knowledge representation and discovery. Library Trends, 48(1), 22-27.
Mai, J.-E. (2010). Classification in a social world: Bias and trust. Journal of Documentation, 66(5), 627-642.
Olson, H. (2001). Sameness and difference: A cultural foundation of classification. LRTS, 45(3), 115-122.