The Development of theDewey Decimal Classification Scheme

• Why was DDC developed? • Dewey at Amherst (Taylor, 2006)

• Educational reform (Taylor, 2006)

• Need for a more logical and better organized classification scheme (Wiegand, 2001)

• Promote universal access, less expensive (Wiegand, 2001)

• Research• Bacon, Battezzati, Jewett’s “A Plan for Stereotyping Titles” (Dewey &

Wiegand, 1876/2001)

• Boston Public Library and Harvard College Library (Wiegand, 2001)

• Nathaniel Shurtleff (Wiegand, 2001)

• Eureka! (Wiegand, 2001)

The Development of theDewey Decimal Classification Scheme • A Classification and Subject … ca. 1873– all knowledge could be divided into nine main

classes (Wiegand, 2001)

– Each of the main classes could be subdivided (Wiegand, 2001)

– Author subdivision (Wiegand, 2001)

– Class number (Wiegand, 2001)

• Polling the Profession (Wiegand, 2001)

The Development of theDewey Decimal Classification Scheme

• What Dewey created…– Hierarchical classification (Scott, 2005)

– Classification based on student needs (Scott, 2005)

• Dewey and LC (Scott, 2005)

– Marc21 (Scott, 2005)

– Dewey’s passion (ALACC, 2000)

• DDC today (OCLC, 2011)

Arrangement of the DDCThe arrangement of the latest DDC 22 is comprised of four volumes.

Description of those volumes is as follows:Volume 1(A) New Features in Edition 22: A brief explanation of the special features and

changes in DDC 22(B) Introduction: A description of the DDC and how to use it(C) Glossary: Short definitions of terms used in the DDC(D) Index to the Introduction and Glossary(E) Manual: A guide to the use of the DDC that is made up primarily of extended

discussions of problem areas in the application of the DDC. Information in the Manual is arranged by the numbers in the tables and schedules

(F) Tables: Six numbered tables of notation that can be added to class numbers to provide greater specificity

(G) Lists that compare Editions 21 and 22: Relocations and Discontinuations. Reused Numbers

Arrangement of the DDCVolume 2(H) DDC Summaries: The top three levels of the DDC( I) Schedules: The organization of knowledge from 000–599

Volume 3(J) Schedules: The organization of knowledge from 600–999

Volume 4(K) Relative Index: An alphabetical list of subjects with the disciplines in which

they are treated sub-arranged alphabetically under each entry

Arrangement of the DDCFirst Summary Contains the Main Classes (DDC Main Class):

000 Computer science, information & general works100 Philosophy & psychology200 Religion300 Social sciences400 Language500 Science600 Technology700 Arts & recreation800 Literature900 History & geography

Second Summary Contains the “Hundred Divisions” (DDC Class): example 610 is for medicine and health

Arrangement of the DDCThird Summary Contains the “Thousand Sections” (DDC Division)

Arrangement of the DDCNumber Building:• Only a fraction of the potential DDC numbers are included in the schedules• Necessary to synthesize numbers not specific to Tables• Numbers are “built” for greater content analysis

Four sources for building numbers:(A) Table 1 Standard Subdivisions; (B) Tables 2–6; (C) other parts of the schedules;

and (D) add tables in the schedules600 Technology610 Medicine and health612 Human physiology612.1 Blood and circulation612.11 BloodFor more information on number building check out:

http://www.oclc.org/dewey/news/conferences/dewey_shelf_numbers.ppt

Summary of the 10 Main DDC Classes

• 000 Generalities• 100 Philosophy and psychology• 200 Religion• 300 Social sciences• 400 Language• 500 Science and Math• 600 Technology & applied science*****• 700 Arts & recreation• 800 Literature• 900 History and geography

Summary of the Divisions of a Typical DDC Class

• 600 Technology• 610 Medicine and health*****• 620 Engineering• 630 Agriculture• 640 Home and family management• 650 Management and public relations• 660 Chemical engineering• 670 Manufacturing• 680 Manufacture for specific uses• 690 Building and construction

Summary of the Sections of a Typical DDC Division

• 610 Medicine & health• 611 Human anatomy, cytology, & histology• 612 Human physiology*****• 613 Personal health & safety• 614 Incidence & prevention of disease• 615 Pharmacology• 616 Diseases• 617 Surgery & related medical specialties• 618 Gynecology, obstetrics, pediatrics, and

geriatrics• 619 [Unassigned]

612 - Human Physiology Summary

• .001-.009 Standard subdivisions• .01-.04 [Biophysics, biochemistry, control

processes, tissue and organ culture, & physiology of special activities]

• .1 Blood and circulation*****• .2 Respiration• .3 Digestion• .4 Hematopoietic, lymphatic, glandular, urinary

systems• .6 Reproduction, development, maturation• .7 Musculoskeletal system, integument• .8 Nervous functions & Sensory functions• .9 Regional physiology

Extended Decimal Subdivisions of a Topic

612.1 Blood and circulation

• 612.11 Blood*****• 612.12 Blood chemistry• 612.13 Blood vessels and vascular

circulation• 612.14 Blood pressure• 612.17 Heart• 612.18 Vasomoters

Typical DDC Hierarchical Sequence

• 600 Technology• 610 Medicine & health• 612 Human physiology• 612.1 Blood & circulation• 612.11 Blood• 612.112 Leukocytes• 612.112 7 Counts and counting ^segmentation in LOC

DDC Number Building for “Shelf Arrangement”

• Too big a topic to get into enough depth here

• "allow[s] for greater depth of content analysis...Number building begins with a base 22 number (always stated in the instruction note) to which another number is added" and helps the DDC classifier fill an obvious gap in the classification scheme

• (this quote was taken directly from the OCLC DDC intro at: http://www.oclc.org/dewey/versions/ddc22print/intro.pdf page 21)

Call Number

A set of letters, numerals or other symbols (in combination or alone) used by a library to identify a specific copy of a work. A call number consists of the class number and book number (or Cutter number).

Class Number

• Notation that designates the class to which a given item belongs.

• Example: 641.5972 Cooking characteristic of Mexico

• 641.59 is the base number for cooking• Note: the 640 class is home and family

management as a reference

Remember 641.59 is the base numberfor cooking

• There are auxiliary tables that give the rules/guidelines for creating numbers

Remember 641.59 is the base number for cooking

• 641.5944 is French cooking,

• but cooking in Normandy is 641.59442,

• “ “...Provence is 641.59449

- As the topic becomes more specific the class number gets bigger.

- Geography is one of the auxiliary tables used to create class numbers.

Remember 641.59 is the base numberfor cooking

• 641.5945 is Italian cooking,

• cooking in Tuscany is 641.59455,

• “ “ ...Sicily is 641.59458.

Recap

• Base number for cooking = 641.59• French cooking = 641.5945• Italian cooking = 641.5944

• One could make the educated guess that the class number for European cooking is???

European Cooking

641.594Good Work !!! : )

The system is intuitive! The better your knowledge of the system the more connections you will be able to see.

Remember 641.59 is the base number• 641.595 is Asian cooking

• Chinese cooking is 641.5951, • one could extrapolate that cooking in a specific

region in China would be 641.5951_.

• Japanese cooking is 641.5952,• so one could extrapolate again that cooking in a

specific region in Japan would be 641.5952_.

• Again the system is intuitive!

Cultural Bias

• Religion

• Language

• Literature

Revisions to DDC

• 025.134 – The Dewey Blog – Everything You Always Wanted To Know But Were Afraid to Ask: www.ddc.typepad.org

• DDC 23 – Coming May of 2011 www.oclc.org/ddc

DDC 23 – Major Changes

• Elimination of Dual Headings

• Religion

• Education

• Food

DDC 23 – New Numbers

• 004.6782 – Cloud computing• 004.695 – Internet Telephony• 302.343 – Bullying• 364.3623 – Phishing• 613.265 – Raw Foods Diet• 613.7192 – Pilates• 962.055 – The Administration of Husni

Mubarak (1981-2011)

BibliographyALA Annual Conference in Chicago (ALACC). (2000). MARC no longer the gospel. Retrieved on March 21, 2011 from

http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/annualconfreports/alaannualconference2000chicago.cfm#acrlBeall, Julianne. (2006). DDC number building for shelf arrangement.

Retrieved on March 14, 2011 from http://www.oclc.org/dewey/news/conferences/dewey_shelf_numbers.ppt

Dewey, M. (1876). A classification and subject index for cataloguing and arranging the books and pamphlets of a library. This Project Gutenberg eBook was downloaded on March 4, 2011 from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12513/12513-h/12513-h.htm

OCLC. (2003). Introduction to Dewey decimal classification. Retrieved on February 21, 2010 from http://www.oclc.org/dewey/versions/ddc22print/intro.pdf

Scott, M. L. (2005). Dewey decimal classification, 22nd edition: A study manual and number building guide. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited

Taylor, A. G. (2006). Introduction to cataloging and classification. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.Wiegand, W. A. (2001). The ‘Amherst method’: The origins of the Dewey decimal classification scheme.

Retrieved on March 4, 2011 from www.gslis.utexas.edu/~landc/fulltext/LandC_33_2_Wiegand.pdf