Paper No.

: 02 KO & Processing: Classification

Module : 12(1) Dewey Decimal Classification

Development Team
Principal Investigator
& Dr. Jagdish Arora, Director
Subject Coordinator INFLIBNET Centre, Gandhinagar

Paper Coordinator Dr. MP Satija

Professor, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar

Content Writer Dr. MP Satija

Professor, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar

Prof. S.Ravi
Content Reviewer Professor and Head, DDE - Library and Information Science Wing,
Annamalai University

Library and KO & Processing : Classification

Information Science Introduction to major classification systems: Structure & features of DDC
 Description of Module

Subject Name Library and Information Science

Paper Name 02 KO & Processing : Classification

Module Name/Title Dewey Decimal Classification

Module Id LIS/KOP-C/12(01)

Pre-requisites Understanding of the basics of library classification

Objectives To have an acquaintance with the history, organization and working of the Dewy Decimal
Classification and Dewey’s contribution to the science of classification

Keywords Classification, Library classification, Dewey Decimal Classification, OCLC

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Information Science Introduction to major classification systems: Structure & features of DDC
 Structure:

1. Introduction
1.1 Significance
2. Origin
2.1 History
3. Basic Plan and Structure
3.1 Classification by Discipline
3.2 Division of Main Classes
3.3 Chain structure
3.4 Auxiliary Tables
4. Notation
4.1 Number building practical
5. Hospitality
5.1 Hospitality in Chain
5.2 Hospitality in Array
5.3 Hospitality Through Revisions
6. Use of the Relative Index
7. Various Versions
7.1 Abridged Dewey
7.2 Electronic versions
8. Revision Machinery and Procedure
9. Use and Popularity
10. Problems
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 10.1 Faulty Structure
11. Future Trends
11.1 Future and Status
12. References
13. Glossary
14. Test Questions
1. Introduction
A system of library classification whose technique flashed across the inquiring mind of
young Melvil Dewey (1851-1931) on a fine May Sunday morning at a church in 1873 is
still the most popular one the world over. Soon after its publication in 1876, its
popularity spread across the globe. At present, it is estimated to be used in 2 lakh
libraries and information centres in about 135 countries in six continents. Sixty two
national or trade bibliographies are arranged by the DDC. The sun never sets on the
DDC empire. Now it is trying to find many uses outside the library, in organizing and
retrieving information on the Internet and in knowledge networks.
1.1 Significance:
Not only this, the invention of the DDC has played a vital role in giving direction and
shape to modern librarianship. It is not for nothing that Melvil Dewey is given the title:
Father of modern librarianship!
Historically speaking, modern library classification begins with the DDC. It provided a
paradigm to all the library classification systems that have come up in its wake.
Classification by discipline, ingenious use of decimal notationdepicting hierarchical
relations, and the relative index are its enduring contributions which have been
borrowed by all the later library classifications as their very basis.
The puck-like girdle that it put round the world is ever fastening always winning new
territories at home and abroadThe sun never sets on its terrains. Though counted
among the big three library classification system (the other two being the UDC and the
LCC, it has surpassed them in its popularity, simplicity and use. Now it is well
entrenched in Europe too where since 2007 “European DDC User Group” (EDUG) has
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 been officially established. Its official translations exist or are under way in more than
thirty major languages of the world. It has found many uses in electronic databases,
organising and retrieving information on the web, as an online management tool,
supporting collection developments, mapping thesauri and subject schemes. The
WorldCat/OCLC, the largest ever bibliographic database, is searchable by the DDC.
2. Origin:
Melvil Dewey, born in1931, was a student of M.A. in Mathematics at the Amherst
College, Massachusetts. Coming from a poor family he undertook part-time work in the
college library to pay for his studies. In those days books were arranged bywhatis now
known as “fixed location method”. In such methods,a book was given a call number
indicating its permanent place on the shelves. Books were divided in to broader subject
classes and within that class the arrangement was by accession number. For example,
call number 2. 4.6.32 meant thirty second book on the sixth shelf of fourth almirah in
the second room of the library.When the space allotted to that subject was filled then
books on the subject had to be placed somewhere else. That broke subject grouping.
To keep the subject together the books on the next place had to be movedto other
place and given new call numbers. So every year the library required reclassification of
book which resulted in lot of waste of time and resources. Dewey was upset by
thiswastage every year, and wanted to find a solution. He thought day and night on the
problem. He found the solution in giving numbers to the subject of the book rather
than to its physical place on the shelves. For numbering he hit upon the decimal
numbers and at the first instance divided knowledge into 10 classes as in the decimal
notation only 10 places are available at every division. That idea changed the future of
libraries for the better.

2.1 History:
The first edition (1876) of the DDC published anonymously from Amherst, Mass. was a
thin pamphlet of 44 pages entitled “A Classification and subject index for cataloguing
and arranging the books and pamphlets of a library.”The second edition (1885) was
seven times as large as that. This obesity went on increasing. The unwieldy size of the
14th edition (1942) became a source of worry for all concerned. The 15th edition
(1951) was an exercise to trim the system to a standard edition, which proved a faux
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 pas by every account. To cope with the alarmingly increasing size and correct its
lopsided growth, the sixteenth edition (1958) was issued in two volumes under a new
and capable Editor Benjamin A Custer(1912-1997).The second volume contained the
form divisions, areas table and the index.The eighteenth edition (1971) was issued, for
the first time, in three volumes.The 20th edition issued for the first volume in 4
volumes was edited by a new scholar editor Dr. John P Comariomi (1937-1991). The
Twenty-third edition infour volumes, forming a total of 4,276 pages,is :
Dewey Decimal Classification and the Relative Index/ devised by Melvil Dewey,23rd
ed./edited by Joan S Mitchell. Dublin,Ohio: The OCLC,2011,4v.
V.1. Introduction &Tables V.2-3.Schedules.V.4.Relative Index
3. Basic Plan and Structure
The DDC is a general classification system which aims to classify documents of all kinds
falling in any area of knowledge. The entire human knowledge has been divided into
three disciplines based on the Francis Bacon’s theory of the three faculties of the
human mind,
1. Memory (History,etc.),
2. Imagination (Art and Literature), and
3. Reasoning (Sciences).
These three great divisions are divided into nine main areas of knowledge that are
themselves divided into disciplines or sub-disciplines. This division into the nine main
classes mirrors the educational consensus of the late nineteenth century Western
academic world, and is influenced by the collection of the Amherst College library.
3.1 Classification by Discipline:
The DDC scatters subjects by discipline, and the subjects are subordinated to discipline
--a subject may occur in almost any discipline. For example, the subject metals may
turn up in metaphysics, religion, the social sciences, the natural or physical sciences,
technology, and the arts, and may appear several times within the same discipline.
Thus there is theoretically no single class number for a concept/ subject.
3.2 Division of Main Classes
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 The nine main classes preceded by the 10thGenerelia class are notationally transcribed
as:
000 Generalia
100 Philosophy and psychology
200 Religion
300 Social sciences
400 Language
500 Pure sciences
600 Technology (Applied sciences)
700 The arts
800 Literature (Belles-lettres)
900 General geography and history,etc.
The order of the main classes represents a mix of Baconian(Francis Bacon(1561-1626))
philosophy actuated by the practical needs of organizing a collection of books.
Practicality enters the structure of the DDC even at this the earliest of levels:
philosophical systems do not require a Generalia class, but library classification
systems do need such a classto account for works and form classes that treat all
subjects or are applicable to all subjects, such as systems, computer science,
bibliography, manuscripts, general organizations. In addition to theGeneralia class
denoted by 001 to 099, the system requires book/author numbers for sub arranging
documents having the same subject. This is how it differs from any pure knowledge
classification system.
Each of the ten main classes isfurther divided decimally into ten Divisions. Thus, there
are 100 Divisions in all. This is called Second Summary of Knowledge in the DDC.
600 Technology (Applied sciences)
610 Medical sciences
620 Engineering and allied operation s
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 630 Agriculture and related technologies
640 Home economics and family living
650 Management and auxiliary services
660 Chemical and related technologies
670 Manufactures
680 Manufacture for specific uses
690 Buildings
Each of the 100 Divisions has been further divided into 10 Sections. Thus there are
1000 sections called Third Summary of knowledge. For example, 610 Medical sciences,
Medicine has been divided as
610 Medical Sciences, Medicine
611 Human anatomy, cytology, tissues
612 Human Physiology
613 General and personal hygiene
614 Public health and related topics
615 Pharmacology and therapeutics
616 Diseases
617 Surgery and related topics
618 Other branches of medicine
619 Experimental medicine
Continuing the decimal pattern, each section can be divided into what we may call
Subsections, all being four-digit numbers.
614.1Forensic medicine (Medical jurisprudence)
.4Incidence, distribution, control of disease

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 .5 Incidence, distribution, control of specific diseases
.6 Disposal of dead
It may be noted that a dot is put after the third digit when a number exceeds beyond
three digits. It may also be noted that it is a dot, not a decimal point. Thus there are
Ten Main classes (First Summary),100 Divisions Second Summary) and 1000 Sections
(Third Summary) in all in which the entire knowledge has been divided hierarchically.
3.3 Chain structure:
As noted above, the scheme is hierarchical in nature. It not only collocates the related
material but also depicts through its notation the whole-part or semantic relations of
subjects. It can be argued that the hierarchical pattern that the DDC so finely and easily
depicts would stem from the notation Dewey chose. Whatever the case, it is an asset
of the DDC which later classificationists have admitted borrowing from the pioneering
system. Progressive specificity is made visible by the lengthening chain of digits. Every
progressive step of the unpeeling of a topic is accompanied by the addition of at least
one digit to the immediately superior number. For example:
300 Social sciences
330 Economics
332 Financial economics
332.1 Banks and banking
332.11 Central banks
332.110954 Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
The subjects denoted from 300 to 332.110954 build a chain of concepts, as they are in
progressive subordination.
3.4 Auxiliary Tables:
There are 6 additionaltables to add aspects to the numbers from the schedules
T1 Standard sub-divisions
T2 Area Table
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 T3 Table for Individual Literatures – further divided into T3A, T3B, T3C.
T4 Subdivisions(Grammatical) for Languages
T5 National and Ethnic groups
T6 List of Languages of the world
In DDC Table 1 is used without instructions whereas T2-6 can be used only according to
instruction.
4. Notation:
Though the DDC uses decimal numbers, but in practice, for ready comprehension and
simplicity of notation the first zero and the decimal point are not given.Theseare
understood to be always there. 0.1 Philosophy is denoted as 100. Instead a point is put
after the first three digits e.g. 332.11 Banks and banking. This is mathematical
nonsense, of course; such a point is never placed between the digits of a decimal
fraction. Further, it is mandated that no class number will be of less that 3 digits.
Therefore, e.g. Natural Sciences instead of 5 or 0.5 is denoted by 500, and
Mathematics as 510, and Algebra 512. Zeroes in 500 and 510 are filler zeroes to make
the digits three. Mathematically, it is non sense.
4.1 Number Building Practical
Though the DDC started purely as an enumerative system but over the years to keep
pace with turbulently growing knowledge and to make uses of the advances in
classification research the DDC has developed many methods for number building
Synthesisthrough “Add to...." instructions from the schedules.
 Add to from 001 to 999
 Add to from a designated base number taken from some other small portion of
the schedules.
 Add to from the same division/section.
 Add to through special provisions (facet indicator) including the 04 General
special
 Add to from any of the Tables 1-6
5. Hospitality

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 Hospitality of a classification is defined as its ability to accommodate the emerging
topics at their proper places without dislocating the already existing ones. The
longevity of a classification system is directly proportional to the efficiency of the
hospitality devices employed.
5.1 Hospitality in Chain
Hierarchical notation provides infinite hospitality upon the given base and deterred
onlyby practical realities: theoretically there is no limit to the further elongation of a
class number to any point demanded by the co-extensiveness of the subject. A newly-
emerged independent topic hitherto forming an indistinguishable part of an already
existing one may be easily accommodated at the end of the chain by adding another
digit to the class number of the parent topic. It is as easy as to stretch an elastic cord.
Hierarchy also makes it possible to adapt the DDC in any library, whether small,
medium, or large. The chain can be truncated at any point from the right end to give
broader numbers to subjects in small libraries. In electronic databases
browsing/navigation can be done by moving up or down the hierarchy.
5.2 Hospitality in Array
One disadvantage of the purity of notation inherent in the DDC's decimal fractions is
that the accommodation of a new subject in an array is not easily done. If a new,
independent subject emerges in-between and coordinate with a class, say 510
Mathematics and 520 Astronomy, it is impossible to allot an appropriate place for such
a subject. To avoid such a situation, one course of action is to leave some gaps in the
notation that describes an array. For example, in the array 511-519 of Mathematics,
517 andinthearray of 541-549 Chemistry sections 544-545have been left unassigned. If
ever a new branch of mathematics or chemistry is developed, space is available (if the
branch falls logically there). In the Third Summary of the DDC23 there remain about 80
unused classes; these are shown in the schedules by having their three-digit figures
enclosed in square brackets.For example [136] [unassigned].Some of these gaps may
be filledin the future. And gaps exist in all the arrays onward at any level --the more
remote the array the greater the possibility of a home for a subject. The leaving of gaps
is not a science; it is an art for its day. And the day may come when all the gaps are
gone, but new subjects will continue to emerge: Gaps are few in main class 600

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 Appliedsciences (Technology), where subjects still emerge dynamically. Moreover, the
chain there has already been elongated to the limit of tolerance.
5.3 Hospitality ThroughRevisions:
Another way to account for emerging fields is to redo several contiguous divisions, as
has been done for 350-354 Public administration, 560-590 Life sciences in DDC-21
(1996).This trend started with the DDC-16(1958). This method ofdrastic revision not
only accommodates new subjects but also relocates the wrongly placed ones to their
proper places.
6. Use of the Relative Index
The Relative Index has always been an integral part of the DDC system. In the DDC-23
it has 965 pages contained in the fourth volume.The Index is called relative as it
reverses the main pattern of collocation of subjects in the schedules. In the schedules
the first division of the knowledge is by broader disciplines; a subject may occur in
different disciplines, e.g. the subject child occurs in psychology, education, sociology,
literature, medicines, and many more.Hence subjects are scattered by discipline. In the
index all aspects of a subject dispersed by discipline in the schedules have been
converged under one entry. Thus one can see at a glance the different aspects and
ramifications of a subject. It is relative as it also depicts the relation of one aspect of a
subject to another and brings together the distributed relatives of the subject.
It is an alphabetical index to every key term occurring in the schedules and all the
tables. In addition to the explicit terms, some terms/concepts implied or obtainable
through number building process, and popular synonymous terms have also been
included. Similarly in the 23rd edition the total number of more than index100,000
entries is far more than the total of 50,000 enumerated entries in the Schedules and
Tables combined. The Index whichalso offers another approach to knowledge
organizations is lauded as another enduring contribution of the DDC to the science of
classification and indexing.
7. Various Versions
7.1 Abridged Dewey

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Information Science Introduction to major classification systems: Structure & features of DDC
 Since 1884, an abridged version is available. It is always in one volume, comprisingof an
Introduction, Schedules, only four tables (namely 1, 2, 3 and 6) and Index. It has
shorter numbers (normally up to two digits beyond the dot) which are easy to
remember and can be easily written on the spine of the document for shelving. Beside
this, it is very useful for teaching the basics and number building in the DDC.Currently it
is in its 15th edition published in 2012.
7.2 Electronic versions
In 1996, the DDC was made available on a CD-ROM called Electronic Dewey. Later it
was named as Dewey for Windows.The annually updated Dewey for Windows on CD
ceased publication in 2001. Since its 22ndedition its electronic versions are WebDewey
(2003) and Abridged WebDewey (2004) now available only on the Internet to the
licensed users and it is known as WebDewey 2.0. Web Dewey versions available both
for full and abridged editions are released simultaneously with the new edition but
Web Dewey is updated constantly and released annually. These versions are much
more enhanced with data and have many features and facilities for keyword or
systematic searching or browsing of the schedules, and number building facilities. The
class numbers are also mapped to Subject Headings.It is an easy-to-navigate, simple
user interface that is suitable for all level of users.
8. Revision Machinery and Procedure
It has permanent machinery and a sound mechanism for its regular revision. Its new
and revised editions are published regularly after somewhat fixed intervals. Latest
edition is 23rd published in 2011.Next edition is expected in 2019. The Dewey Section
is the executive organ which prepares draft proposals for amendments and revisions in
its office at the Library of Congress. The Editorial office is located in the Dewey Section
of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., USA since 1953. Not only does the
Section draft the proposals and amend schedules, it is also its single largest user. Here
the Dewey assistant editor under the supervision of the Section chief classify more
than 1,10,000 titles every year in all subjects and languages for use in MARC records
and CIP data. Time to time userssurvey may be conducted to get feedback,and some
newly designed and amended classes are tested in some special library before their
finalization. Nowadays the editors search the Internet and databases to discover
current trends and literary warrant in areas of revision,Other knowledge organisation
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 tools are consulted in that area.They also get clues from the weekly list of Library of
Congress Subject Headings. Editors offer suggestions on the classifications on the new
books and new topics on the Dewey Blog.To carry out the revision there is a full time
additional team headed by the (chief) editor of the DDC. Some drastic revisions are
outsourced as was donein the caseof 780 Music in 1980. All revisions are ultimately
approved by the DCEPC before implementation. . The present Editor- in- Chief is
Michael Panzer who took over in January 2013.

9. Use and Popularity:

In addition to its use in 2 lacs libraries all over the world, it is the most popular system
in the USA where about 95% of School and Public libraries, 20% of Special libraries,
25% of the academic librariesuse it. It is also the most popular classification system in
India. DDC numbers are available in CIP data and MARC record for copy cataloguing. In
MARC format the DDC call number is always entered in the field with a tag number
082. Hindi edition of the Abridged Dewey was released in 1976.Now it is well
entrenched in Europe too where since 2007 “European DDC User Group” (EDUG) has
been officially Established. EDUG http://www.slainte.org.uk/edug/index.htm.The
WorldCat/OCLC, the largest ever bibliographic Database, is searchable by the DDC.It
has found many uses in electronic databases, organizing and retrieving Information on
the web, as an online management tool, supporting collection developments, mapping
thesauri and subject schemes.The BUBL LINK http://bubl.ac.uk/link/.Catalogue of
selected Internet resources covering all academic subject areas, uses the Dewey
Decimal Classification system as the primary organization structure for its
catalogue.With the increasing use of online catalogues it has been recognized that
searching a DDC classified sequence is an important complement to searching by
keywords or subject headings, especially for generic searches up and down a hierarchy.
For this purpose too long notation far from being a hindrance becomes useful in
pinpointing specified subjects. Dewey Survives supported by widespread use,
familiarity, reasonable revision and basically very clear notation.
10. Problems
Popularity begets criticism. DDC is no exception to it. Though very popular and first
choice of new and general libraries it gets a fair share of criticism.
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  It has its roots in 19th century knowledge. Structurally it does not draw the
modern map of knowledge.Its structure is unsystematic, defective and fractured
one. Structure gets warped with every new edition trying to accommodate new
subjects.
 Its notation is very weak but easy due to simplicity and familiarity of Indo-Arabic
numerals.Puritymakes decimal notation not effective for synthesis and
hospitality. There is no hospitality except in decimal and gap devices. At
times,the scheme becomes warped and cramped. Knowledge is multi-
dimensional but its notation is uni-dimensional.
 The DDC started with a scheme of notation then tailored its principles to fit the
rule of ten.The division by 10 is only artificial and destructive like the
Procrustean bed. Knowledge does not grow at only 10 levels. Natural growth or
division of knowledge is never decimal.
 Allocation of notation to subjects is faulty and is not judicious or differential.
Schedules are deformed. Classes 621-629 Engineering aretotally cramped. Due
to this, class numbers in such classes have become too lengthy.Melvil Dewey
gave equal space to all ten classes irrespective of their requirements.
Ranganathan gave half space to science subjects and half to social sciences and
humanities.Melvil Dewey gave only 2/10 space to science and technology.
 Due to its WASPISH bias, it caters mostly to the needs of White races, Anglo
Saxon, Protestant Christian Subjects. In many libraries outside the US, it is locally
extended and adapted to classify local subjects.However, now it is understood
by the DDC editors that “Sensitivity to cultural and social issues outside the US
increases the international usefulness of the classification.”
10.1 Faulty Structure:
Arrangement of Main Classes is not a very logical one due to its 19th century origin.400
Linguistics and 800 Literature are unnecessarily separated, so are 300 social sciences
and 900 History.Within social sciences 320Political science is separated from 350 Public
administration. 327 International Relations is separated from 341 International Law.
Sciences 500have been separated from their applications and put into a separate main
class 600. Many system alternate theory and practice of the subject and collocate
sciences and their technology together.In 900 Geography, Biography, History are
clubbed together because there was no space left in the original plan of 1876.
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 In brief there are many points which are to be criticized.
11. Future Trends:
The next edition i.e. DDC-24 is likely to be published in 2018 to continue the changes
hinted in DDC-23. As evinced by the two previous editions, the DDC is moving towards
internationalization by gradually removing White, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant (WASP)
bias. Though able to classify in complex situation it is getting simple to operate. Facet
structure is becoming transparent with a capability to hold together many facets in a
single class number.Since the acquisition of the Forest Press by the OCLC Online
Computer Library Center, Dublin, Ohio, in 1988 many innovative efforts have been
made to design and market many Dewey products, such as bookmarks, Dewey rap
music, AV teaching kit, Guides to the full, abridged and electronic versions of the DDC,
and Dewey posters and exclusive publication of three main summaries. OCLC has
sponsored pioneering and successful research to study the use of classification in
online databases. Most important of all, research is going on to find wider applications
of the DDC in all sorts of information management. Three Summaries of the DDC are
already being used to organise information on the Internet. For example, a browser
based on the DDC has been developed for NetFirst, an OCLC database of source
accessible on the Internet.
11.1 Future and Status:
The DDC is not the same as it was when created a century and four decades ago. It has
undergone constant changes; opened itself to latest developments in classification
theory and information science and information technology and initiated research in
theory and use of classification in the digital environment. During its existence it has
shown its mettle in the arena of bibliographic classification theory. What has remained
stable is its basic plan, its notation, and its desire to serve librarianship by developing
and adapting itself to the new demands of knowledge organization.It is geared to
become a powerful and reliable subject access system of the 21st century digital
environment. Its ongoing popularity, its increasing applications in the digital
information environment, and its innovative marketing and smart revision machinery
keep the system at the top.
12. References

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 025.43 The Dewey blog http:// WWW.typepad.com.
This Dewey blog claims to provide “Everything you always wanted to know about the
Dewey Decimal Classification system but were afraid to ask…”.

EDUG http://WWW.slinte.org.uk/edug/index.htm.

http://WWW.oclc.org/dewey/

Chan, L.M. (2007) Cataloguing and classification: An introduction, 3rd ed. Lanham, MD:
Scarecrow Press,pp.320-374.
Maltby, Authur (1975) Sayers’ Manual of Classification, 5th edn.London: André
Deutsch, pp.152-165
Satija, M.P. (2012) ‘The DDC 23rd Edition (2011): An appraisal’, SRELS Journal of
Information Management, 49 (1): 1–4.
Satija, M P (2013).The Theory and Practice of the Dewey Decimal Classification System,
2nd ed. Oxford, UK : Chandos,xxii+302p
13. Glossary:
Abridged Dewey: Published since 1894 it is one volume abridgement of the full
edition meant for small public and school libraries having collection upto 20,000 books.
Published after one year of the full edition, it is fully synced with it for later expansion.
It is also available as abridged Web Dewey. The latest edition is Abridged-15 released in
2012.
DCEPC: Editorial Policy Committee of the DDC has ten members from all over the world
and to represent the US library profession. It oversees and provides direction for
editorial policies. It usually meets twice a year to consider the proposals for revision of
all sorts usually submitted by the Chief Editor’s team.
EDUG: European DDC Users Group established in 2007 works in partnership with the
OCLC in the promotion of the DDC in Europe. It is a forum to exchange experiences
among and with European users <www.slainte.org.uk/edug.index.htm>

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 Fixed location system: Pre-Dewey method of arranging books on the shelves which
assigned a fixed/permanent place to a book in the library. For example, call number
4.3.22 meant that it is the 22nd book on the third shelf of 4thAlmirah in the library.
Though broadly divided by subject it was difficult to maintain subject collocation when
an allotted shelf/almirah was filled. Libraries had to be “reclassified” to maintain
subject grouping that involved lot of wastage of time and labour.Melvil Dewey
invented relative location methods to completely solve these problems.
OCLC: Online Computer Library Centre at Dublin, Ohio (USA) which acquired DDC in
1988 from the original publisher, the Forest Press. In itself it is one largest bibliographic
cooperative in the world which maintains the largest and every moment growing union
catalogue, WorldCat, of the 2,000,000,000 holdings of its 11,000 member libraries all
over the world. <www.oclc.org>
WASPISH bias: White, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant bias in the DDC provision of
subjects to the neglect of subjects from other cultures. Since the last few editions there
have been sincere efforts to reduce this bias to make it fully universal in scope.
Web Dewey: Since 1996, the DDC is valuable in electronic format. The latest version is
called Web Dewey 2.0 accessible on the internet to the licensed users. It is enhanced
database with many additional features as prepared by Editorial Support System (Now
ESS 4.0 version) along with new data format based on MARC classification and
authority format.

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