1. Spring 2012
LIB 630 Classification and Cataloging
Classification
The Librarians’ Numbers Game
or
Doing the Dewey Thing

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What is Classification?
Classification
The process of dividing objects or concepts
into logically hierarchical classes,
subclasses, and sub-subclasses based
on the characteristics they have in
common and those that distinguish them.
Also used as a shortened form of the term
classification system or classification scheme.
See also: Cataloging and Classification Section and
cross-classification.
Online Dictionary of Library and Information Science

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Classification system?
classification system
A list of classes arranged according to a set of
pre-established principles for the purpose of
organizing items in a collection, or entries in an
index, bibliography, or catalog, into groups based
on their similarities and differences, to facilitate
access and retrieval. In the United States, most
library collections are classified by subject.
Classification systems can be enumerative or
hierarchical, broad or close. In the United
States, most public libraries use Dewey Decimal
Classification, but academic and research libraries
prefer Library of Congress Classification. See also:
Classification Society of North America, Colon
Classification, and notation.

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The Wikipedia version
Library classification
– A library classification is a system of coding and
organizing library materials (books, serials,
audiovisual materials, computer files, maps,
manuscripts, realia) according to their subject and
allocating a call number to that information
resource. Similar to classification systems used in
biology, bibliographic classification systems group
entities that are similar together typically arranged
in a hierarchical tree structure.

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More of the Wikipedia definition
Library classification (cont.)
– In terms of functionality, classification
systems are often described as
• enumerative: produce an alphabetical list of
subject headings, assign numbers to each heading
in alphabetical order
• hierarchical: divides subjects hierarchically, from
most general to most specific
• faceted or analytico-synthetic: divides subjects into
mutually exclusive orthogonal facets

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Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress
Where do these systems fit?
The most common classification systems, LC
and DDC, are essentially enumerative, though
with some hierarchical and faceted
elements, (more so for DDC), especially at the
broadest and most general level. The first true
faceted system was the Colon classification of
S. R. Ranganathan.

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Library of Congress classification
Library of Congress classification
The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a
system of library classification developed by the
Library of Congress. It is used by most research
and academic libraries in the U.S. and several
other countries; for example, Australia[1][2] and
Taiwan, R.O.C.[3] .

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More about LCC
Library of Congress Classification (LCC)
A system of classifying books and other
library materials developed and maintained
over the last 200 years by the Library of
Congress in Washington, D.C. In LCC, human
knowledge is divided into 20 broad categories
indicated by single letters of the roman
alphabet, with major subdivisions indicated by
a second letter, and narrower subdivisions by
decimal numbers and further alphabetic
notation.
Example:
LC call number: PE 3727.N4 M34 1994

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LCC example explained
LC call number: PE 3727.N4 M34 1994
In the example given above (assigned to the
book Juba to Jive: A Dictionary of
African-American Slang edited by
Clarence Major), P represents the main
class “Language and literature,” PE the
class “English language,” 3727 the subclass
“English slang,” and N4 African
Americans as a special group. M34 is the
Cutter number for the editor’s surname
and 1994 is the year of publication.

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More about LCC
Understanding
Call Numbers
For an overview of the
Library of Congress
classification system, see the
Library of Congress
Classification outline, which
shows the letters and titles of
main classification classes and
is offered online by the
Library of Congress
Cataloging Policy and
Support Office.

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Is LCC just used by LC?
Used by most other academic
and research libraries in
North America
This system is in use at the Library of
Congress and at many academic and
research libraries in Canada
and the United States.
Few, if any, K-12 schools use LCC,
except perhaps college prep
schools, like Riverside Military
Academy (grades 7-12,
with about 100% college
acceptance)

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Any other common systems?
SuDocs
The Superintendent of Documents
Classification System (a system for
government documents)
SuDocs call numbers begin with letters which stand for the
issuing government agency
For a list of classes in the SuDoc department classification
system, click HERE.
After the department, other codes are added which
represent agencies, the specific item, and date.
Adelaide R. E.g. C 3.134/2 : C 83/2/994
Hasse C=Dept. of Commerce, 3=Census Bureau, 134/2 : means
Developer of the Statistical Abstract Supplement, C 83/2/994 shows this is
Superintendent the County and City Data Book, 1994
of Documents
Classification
System in (1895)

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Another commonly used system
Universal Decimal Classification
The Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) is the world's
foremost multilingual classification scheme for all fields of
knowledge, a sophisticated indexing and retrieval tool. It was
adapted by Paul Otlet (Rayward’s Otlet page; Wikipedia
entry ) and Nobel Prizewinner Henri La Fontaine from the
Decimal Classification of Melvil Dewey, and first published
(in French) between 1904 and 1907. Since then, it has been
extensively revised and developed, and has become a highly
flexible and effective system for organizing bibliographic
records for all kinds of information in any medium (it is well
suited to multi-media information collections).
[Used mostly in Europe or Anglophone countries outside
North America]
What is the UDC? See also UDC Flyer 2001(Word document)

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What do we do with Dewey?
Who is Dewey?

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No, the
dead one
– Melville Dewey (1851-1931) invented the Dewey
Decimal Classification (DDC) while he was
working as a student-assistant in the library of
Amherst College in 1873. He published the
Dewey Decimal Classification system in 1876.
– His original name was Melville Louis Kossuth
Dewey. He dropped his middle names and
changed the spelling of his first name, and he
Melville even spelled his last name “Dui”!
Dewey, founder of the
• Biography of Melville Dewey
Lake Placid Club
Dewey Decimal in the UIUC Bookstacks

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Other accomplishments of Dewey
Spelling reformer
In 1876 Dewey was involved in the
foundation of the Spelling Reform
Association of which he was Secretary
for almost all his life.
About the English language Dewey
writes:
“Speling Skolars agree that we hav the most
unsyentifik, unskolarli, illojikal & wasteful speling
ani languaj ever ataind.”
http://www.childrenofthecode.org/code-history/dewey.htm

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Let's Do Dewey
Click on the appropriate Dewey to begin the Library
exercise on the Dewey Decimal Classification System
• From a tutorial by
Middle Tennessee State University
Todd Library 3/97
Murfreesboro, TN 37132

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Dewey Call numbers vs. LCC
What Is a Call Number?
A unique identification number
Each book (or other item) has its own unique call number
which is taped to the lower outside edge of the book's spine.
The call number is also written or taped inside the
book, usually on the reverse side (verso) of the title page.
A miniature subject formula
Books written about the same subject have similar call
numbers, which groups them together on the shelf, making
it easier for you to browse the library's holdings on a
specific topic.
A location code

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There are 2 basic parts to a call number
The SUBJECT part and the AUTHOR part.
In the Library of Congress Classification...
Subject - This part is made up of 2 letters plus 1
to 4 (or more) digits.
Author - This part begins with a letter that
corresponds to the first letter of the author's
last name, followed by a series of numbers.
For example, if you had a book by Jeffrey Pfeffer entitled The Human Equation:
Building Profits by Putting People First,
The Library of Congress call number might be HF 5386 .P5468

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In the Dewey Decimal Classification...
Subject –
This part is made up of all numbers, ranging from 3 to 10 or more
digits (depending on how narrowly focused the topic of the book).
Author –
This part begins with a letter that matches the first letter of the
author's last name, followed by 2 or 3 numbers, and then usually
another letter that matches the first letter of the first word of the
title.
For the book by Jeffrey Pfeffer entitled The Human Equation:
Building Profits by Putting People First:
The Dewey call number might be 658.314 P524h
http://www.emu.edu/library/tutorials/Tutorial_dist/Mod1Bdewey.htm

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How do these numbers work?
Library of Congress:
HF = The section for books about commerce
5386 = Books about success in business
.P5468 = Represents the author’s last name [This is the
Cutter number]
Dewey:
658.314 = The number for books about motivating employees
P524h = P524 stands for the author's last name (Pfeffer);
“h” for the first word of the title (Human) [This is the
Cutter number]
Adapted from Making Call Numbers Work For You

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How DDC works
Organization of knowledge
The DDC attempts to organize all knowledge into
ten main classes that, excluding the first class
(000 Computers, information and general
reference), proceed from the divine (philosophy
& religion) to the mundane (history &
geography). DDC’s cleverness is in choosing
decimals for its categories; this allows it to be
both purely numerical and infinitely hierarchical.
– Older version of Dewey Decimal Classification
article, section 1 Design

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Dewey’s main classes
The system is made of up ten categories:

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Subdividing from the main classes
From the general to the specific:
Each of the above classes each have ten divisions.
These divisions are further divided--and then
further divided. Each division becomes more
specific. The more numbers, the more specific the
subject. In this way, the Dewey classification
system progresses from the general to the specific.
For a detailed summary for each number see the
Dewey Decimal Classification System. The
decimal place is used to make the number even
more specific.
Let’s do Dewey

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Try catching a butterfly with Dewey!
Start with the class for natural sciences, the 500’s
This means that the first number of the call number
will be a 5
The 10 divisions of the 500 class are:
510 Mathematics
520 Astronomy
530 Physics
540 Chemistry
550 Earth Sciences From
560 Paleontology Let's Do Dewey,
570 Life Sciences What is a call number?
580 Botanical Sciences
590 Zoological Sciences

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Butterflies in Dewey
Butterflies will be classified under the
Zoological Sciences 590
Now we know that the second number of
the call number will be a 9
Let's see the divisions of the 590’s to
find the next number.
The Zoological Sciences, the 590’s, are divided into ten
divisions also
Insects, including butterflies would be under 595.
The 595’s are further divided by the use of decimals to specify
what type of insects
From
Let's Do Dewey,
What is a call number?

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Begin to get the picture?
500--Natural Science
590--Zoological Sciences
595--Other invertebrates
595.7--Insects
From
595.78--Lepidoptera Let's Do Dewey,
What is a call number?
595.789--Butterflies

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Ways to remember the main Dewey classes
1.
One day, while Melvil Dewey was walking in
Central Park, he saw a UFO. He became
terrified of it, and ran to take cover.
More . . .
A STORY ABOUT THE DEWEY
2. DECIMAL SYSTEM OF CLASSIFICATION
Who am I?
100's PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY
(Man thinks about himself.)
Who made me?
RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY
200's (Man thinks about God.)
More . . .

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What does the call number mean?

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Cutter numbers
Cutter?
Among his other contributions to the
wonderful world of librarianship,
Charles Ammi Cutter devised a way
to assign an alpha-numeric code for
authors’ last names. Use of this
system allows all books within a
particular Dewey Decimal number to
be arranged alphabetically on the shelf, usually by
title.
The Cutter Number from Dewey Decimal in the UIUC Bookstacks

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Let’s go Cuttering!
Cutter numbers
The cutter number for a book usually consists of the
first letter of the author's last name and a series of
numbers. This series of numbers comes from a table
that is designed to help maintain an alphabetical
arrangement of names.
Conley, Ellen C767
Conley, Robert C768
Cook, Robin C77
Cook, Thomas C773
What if the library has several works by the same
author? How do we keep the call number unique? To
do that a work mark or work letter is used to
distinguish the various works of a single author.
Cook, Robin Acceptable Risk 813.54 C77a
Cook, Robin Fever 813.54 C77f
http://frank.mtsu.edu/~vvesper/dewey2.htm#Cutter

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Several books by the same author
Be aware that cutter numbers can differ from library to library!
Some use 3 numbers as here, others (especially school libraries)
may only use the first letter of the author’s last name

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How do you create a Dewey number?
Classifying a work properly depends first upon determining the
subject of the work in hand. A key element in determining the
subject is the author’s intent.
The title is often a clue to the subject, but should never be the sole
source of analysis. For example, Who Moved My Cheese? is a
work on coping with change, not a work related to the culinary arts.
The table of contents; chapter headings or subheadings
Preface, introduction and/or foreword
Scanning the text
Book jacket blurbs
Bibliographic references, index entries
Outside sources, such as reviews, reference works and subject experts
DDC 22 Introduction, paragraphs 5.1 and 5.1, with
slight modifications

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A PowerPoint about creating DDC numbers

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Example
Saltwater Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico by James Ferguson
This book is about fishing, which is included as a part of
the 700 class. In fact, the class subdivision 799 is
designated as Fishing, Hunting, and Shooting. Within
this class, there are more decimal subclasses that
provide a very detailed Dewey description of this book.
The Dewey number 799.166 describes the subject
matter of the book.
Major Dewey Class 700 The Arts
Dewey SubClass: 790 Recreational & Perf. Arts
Dewey SubClass: 799 Fishing, Hunting, Shooting
Subdivision 799.1 Fishing
Subdivision 799.16 Saltwater Fishing
Subdivision 799.166 Saltwater Fishing in Specific
Bodies of Water
Where does the Dewey Decimal Number come from?
No longer available online

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How do you create the number?
You build it!
1. Determine what the book is about
2. Decide which main class it fits under
• i.e. is it General (000-099), Philosophy (100-199), Religion (200-299), etc.?
3. Does it fit into one of the subdivisions in the main class?
• e.g. if it’s religion (200s), is it related to the Bible (220-229), or is it the Koran (290-299
Other religions and sects)
4. Decide the more specific area it’s related to (i.e. the third
number before the decimal
• e.g. We’ve decided it’s related to the Bible (220s). Is it a general Bible reference or
encyclopedia? Then it’s 220. something. Is it related to the Old Testament? Then it’s
222. something. The New Testament is 225 and up. If it’s from the Gospels, it’s 226.
something. Matthew’s gospel is 226.2 See this list of Bible-related call numbers.
5. If you need additional detail, to indicate more
specific aspects, like geographical, historical, or
other details, use the Subdivision tables
See the following slides!

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Additional additions to Dewey Numbers
Standard subdivisions
A standard subdivision represents a recurring physical
form (such as a dictionary, periodical, or index) or
approach (such as history or research) and thus is
applicable to any subject or discipline that covers or
approximates the whole of the meaning of the
number.
Introduction to Dewey Decimal Classification, para. 8.3
For example, if the item being cataloged is a magazine, the
Standard Subdivision –05 could be used with the notation for
the subject to indicate this.
Or an agricultural dictionary can be indicated by using the
correct notation for the subject from the schedules, and
adding the notation –03 from Table 1 to indicate a dictionary.
Examples from
http://www.lili.org/forlibs/ce/able/course7/34subdivisions.htm

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Other examples of Standard Subdivisions
150.5 Periodical on psychology
230.003 Dictionary of Christianity
340.02573 Directory of lawyers in the U.S.
401 Philosophy of language
507.8 Use of apparatus and equipment in
the study and teaching of science, e.g.,
science fair projects
624.0285 Computer applications in civil
engineering
796.912092 Biography of a figure skater
808.0071 Teaching of rhetoric
Some examples have added a 0 after the
decimal, because of instructions in schedules
Introduction to DDC, para. 8.3

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Where do you find these subdivisions?
In schedules or Table 1 of the Dewey schedules
(book or series of books that are the Dewey reference)
Standard subdivisions may be listed in the
schedules when the subdivisions have
special meanings, when extended notation is
required for the topic in question, or when
notes are required. The rest of standard
subdivisions from Table 1 may be used with
their regular meanings.
DDC Introduction, para. 8.4

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Other subdivisions
Table 2: Geographic Areas, Historical
Periods, Persons
The major use of Table 2 is with notation 09
from Table 1, where it can be added to every
number in the schedule unless there are
specific instructions to the contrary.
For example, reading instruction in the primary schools of
Australia is 372.40994 (372.4 reading instruction in
primary schools + 09 Historical, geographic, persons
treatment from Table 1 + 94 Australia from Table 2).
DDC Intro, para.8.12

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Tables 3-6
Table 3 Subdivisions for the Arts, for Individual
Literatures, for Specific Literary Forms
These subdivisions are used in class 800 as instructed
Table 4 Subdivisions of Individual Languages and
Language Families
These subdivisions are used as instructed in class 400, following numbers
for designated specific languages or language families in 420 – 490
Table 5 Ethnic and National Groups
May only be added when specified in a note
Table 6 Languages
The major uses of Table 6 notation are to provide the
basis for building a specific language number in 490 .
. . and to provide the basis for building a specific
literature number in 890.
DDC Intro, paras 8.14-8.18

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What about letters BEFORE the numbers?
Prefixes
– Libraries sometimes add letters before the numbers
to indicate if the item belongs to specific collection
(like R or REF for reference) or a particular size
(some libraries might use OS for oversized), or the
level ( J or JUV for juvenile, for example, or E for
easy or early reader), or type of material (VIDEO or
DVD, etc.).
A complete call
number could look
like this:
See Anatomy of a
Call Number

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Where should we get the schedules?
Recommendation:
Dewey, Melvil and J. S. Mitchell. Abridged
Dewey Decimal Classification and Relative
Index. 14th ed. Albany, NY: Forest Press, 2004.
For libraries with collections of 20,000
titles or fewer, the abridged edition of
the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
system provides the level of detail
needed to classify the materials in those
collections.
Dewey services : Latest versions : Abridged Edition 14
http://www.oclc.org/dewey/versions/abridgededition14

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DDC Abridged Edition 15 is now available!

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If you’re a bigger library?
Four printed volumes help keep your collections
organized
– DDC 23, the four-volume unabridged edition of the Dewey
Decimal Classification (DDC) system, reflects the many
changes to the body of human knowledge that have
occurred since DDC 22 was published in 2003. Published
in mid-2011, DDC 23 includes helpful tools that make the
classification easier to use.

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Is it available online?
Abridged WebDewey
Even if your collection holds fewer than 20,000 titles, you can
experience the power of the Dewey Decimal Classification
(DDC) system on the Web. Abridged WebDewey gives you
access to an enhanced version of the Abridged 14 database.
Abridged WebDewey is part of the OCLC suite of cataloging
and metadata services that OCLC offers through the OCLC
Connexion service. Logon at http://connexion.oclc.org.
Let our demo show you how WebDewey works!
WebDewey 2.0: an overview
See also Abridged WebDewey User Guide

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Websites to learn Dewey

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