RECENT TRENDS IN

LIBRARY
CLASSIFICATION
INTRODUCTION
 The history, trends and developments in library
classification can be traced from the period making
year of 1876 when Melvil Dewey published Decimal
Classification.
 During the past twelve decades (1876-1996)
developments have taken place in the field of library
classification.

 During the period many general as well as special

schemes have been published.
 Some of the major general schemes, viz., Dewey
Decimal Classification, Universal Decimal
Classification and Colon Classification have witnessed
major developments.
 Many national and international organisations
and eminent classificationists took the cause of
library classification.
 Several international, regional and national
conferences were held to discuss various
aspects of classification.
 The output of literature covering various
facets of library classification in terms of both
macro and micro-documents is very impressive.
 The following sections briefly deal with trends
and developments especially during the last
five decades.
THREE DISTINCT PERIODS

 While tracing the trends and developments

during the hundred years of classification,
Ranganathan recognised three distinct
periods,
 viz., 1. Pre-facet Period (1876-1896);
 2. change to Facet Period (1897-1932); and
 3. Facet Period (1933-1972).
 In Prefacet Period Melvil, Dewey's Decimal Classification
(1876) and C.A. Cutter's Expansive Classification (1879) were
published.
 In the Transition to Facet Period Universal Decimal
Classification (1897-1905) and Library of Congress
Classification (1902) were published.
 The Facet Period witnessed the publication of Ranganathan's
Colon Classification (1933), ILE. Bliss's Bibliographic
Classification (1935), Library Bibliographic Classification
(1960) and Fernmont Rider's Rider's International
Classification (1961).
 Some of theses classifications have an organisation or an
institution to take up the responsibility for their revision,
development, maintenance and application.
 In the following sections major trends and developments that
have taken place in DDC, UDC and CC are briefly presented.
DEVELOPMENTS IN DDC
 Until the publication of the 16th edition of
Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) in 1958,
different editions were published at
infrequent intervals.
 The 16th edition was edited by Benjamin
Custer who set the pattern of a seven-year
cycle. In this edition, an attempt was made
to reconcile the conflicting aims of integrity
of notation and provision of new topics.
 The 17th edition was published in 1965 in
two volumes, viz., V.1. Tables; V.2. Area
Table and the Relative Index.
 18TH AND 19TH EDITIONS
 The 18th edition published in 1976 was in 3 volumes, viz., V.1.
Tables; V.2. Schedules and V.3. Index.
 For the first time five more auxiliary tables, viz., T3. Subdivisions of
Individual Literatures, T4. Subdivision of Individual Languages, T5.
Racial, Ethnic and National Groups, T6. Languages, and T7. Persons
were added.
 These were in addition to the existing T1. Standard Subdivisions and
T2. Aims.
 The 19th edition was published in 1979 in 3 volumes. The policy that
was initiated in the 17th edition was also carried out in this edition.
 The important features we can notice in this edition are: 1. A
diagram showing how hierarchical classification proceeds from the
general to the specific in DDC;
 2.
 A practical guide to the use of classification; and 3. A very detailed
step-by-step instructions for building numbers in the main class .800
Literature.
 20TH AND 21ST EDITIONS
 The 20th edition was published in 1989 in 4
volumes and edited by John P Comaromi et
al:
 V.1. Introduction and Tables; V.2. Schedules
(000-500), V.3. Schedules (600900) and V.4.
Relative Index and Manual.
 The main objectives of this edition are: user
convenience, clear instructions, more
explanations, greater accessibility through
expanded summaries and elimination of
duplicate provisions for classifying single
subjects.
 The 21st edition was published in 1996 in 4 volumes and
edited by Joan S. Mitchell et al.
 The thrust of this volume is users' convenience, which
includes: 1. More information located strategically to
guide the classifier;
 2. Numerous captions have been rewritten to eliminate
vague headings;
 3. `Example' and Contain notes' were replaced with
'including notes';
 4. The relative index has more entries than the index
to the 20th edition*
 5 Expanded manual; and
 6. Special attention has been given to reduction of U.S.
and Christian bias.
 The following years witnessed the emergence
of a sophisticated computer-based editorial
support, system and database used to produce
DDC 20 and 21 editions.
 DDC 21 appeared in two formats: 1. In print;
and 2. Dewey for Windows, a Microsoft
Windows TM-based version (released in August
1996) (CD version).
 Dewey home page contains current information
on the Dewey Decimal Classification.
 It is available on World Wide Web at URL:
http://wvvvv.oclc.org/ fp/
DEVELOPMENTS IN UDC
 Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) was
developed on the basis of Decimal
Classification and was first published in 1905
entitled Classification Decimale Universalle.
 The scheme is revised and updated from
time to time by the-Intenational Federation
for Information and Documentation (FID).
 The abridged edition.BS1000A was first
published in 1948.
 The second abridged edition with radical
revision was brought out in 1957.
 The third abridged edition was brought out in
1961
COMPUTERISATION OF UDC

 For more than three decades UDC has been

used advantageously in computerised
bibliographical and abstracting services not
only for the production of subject indexes
but also for information retrieval and SDI.
 A more comprehensive survey on the use of
computers with the UDC was compiled by
Rigby with the description of more than sixty
experimental or operational systems in
fifteen countries and four international
projects.
DEVELOPMENTS-IN CC
 The first edition of Colon Classification (CC)
designed by S.R. Ranganathan was published
in 1933.
 It remained a Rigidly Faceted Scheme until
1952. The first attempt at breaking the
rigidity of a pre-determined facet formula was
made in 1950.
 Thereafter, CC appeared as an Almost-Freely
Faceted Scheme for Classification in Edition 4
(1952).
 Developments in CC since 1950s were more
and more towards a scientific method.
PUBLICATION OF 7TH EDITION
 The 7th edition of CC was published in 1987.
 It was proposed to be brought out in 3 volumes, viz., V.1,V.2 Schedules
for Classification; and 3 Index and Worked-out Examples.
 But only MI Schedules for Classification was brought out in 1987. The
other two volumes have not seen the light of day.
 In this edition, in addition to existing indicator digits in the 6th edition
(1960), a few more indicator digits, viz., & (ampersand), + (plus), =
(equals), * (asterisk) and °' (double inverted comma) have been added.
 The fundamental category Matter [M] has been transformed into
Matter Method (MM), Matter Property (MP) and Matter Material (MM).
 This edition also provided for environmental divisions (chapter DD).
The schedules of Basic Subjects have been greatly expanded. It also
provides for Common Matter Property Isolates. The schedules for
Language, Time and Space have been greatly expanded
COMPUTERISATION OF CC
 Developments in Case Western Reserve
University, Ohio, indicate the influence of
facet analysis.
 Dr Fugman (ISKO, Germany) used facet
analysis in his chemical analysis system.
 Facet analysis is also used for shelving
purposes in online information search,
Syracuse University, New York, was using
PMEST in their computer-generated indexes.
 In India, DRTC in 1967 wrote some computer programmes
based on facet analysis and tried to experiment with the
use of CC in computers to construct class numbers.
 CC was also used in computer programming for SDI services
and for chain indexing and cyclic indexing.

 The Western Ontario (Canada) School of Library and

Information Science used CC schedules for developing a
thesaurus.
 In 1968, DRTC initiated experiments to determine the
feasibility of
 Study of Selected Schemes of using general purpose
computers in a document – finding system based on a
classified catalogues system using a freely-faceted version
of CC.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
 Several internati6nal conferences were held to
discuss various facets of classification and knowledge
organisation.
 FID/CR organised until 1997 six international
conferences.
 ISKO organised until 1996 four international
conferences on knowledge organisation.
 During the past five decades, i.e., from the 1950s,
organisations, societies and research groups have
come into being for the cause of library
classification/knowledge organisation.
 The Library Research Circle was established in 1951
followed by CIt8 (1052), FID/CR (1961). DRTC (1962)
and ISKO (1989).
 These organisations are carrying out research
activities and are contributing to the development of
library classification/knowledge organisation.
 A number of studies have been carried out to
determine the best and most effective classifying and
indexing methods.
 UNESCO, after launching the UNISIST programme in
1971 took the initiative to bring out the Broad System
of Ordering with the cooperation of FID, ASLIB and
CRG.
 In addition to developments in the major schemes,
one can notice the emergence and publication of
special classification schemes during the last five
decades.
 The members of CRG and the faculty of DRTC
have brought out a number of special
classification schemes and depth schedules
based on CC for various subject fields.
 Studies were made in the 1970s to use the
computer for classifying documents.
 K.P.S. Jones, R. Freeman and Rigby have made
pioneering efforts in the field of automatic
classification.
 It has been concluded by Jones that the
prospects' of automatic classification for
library purposes are not very bright.
 To sum up, library classification/knowledge
organisation will have greater relevance and
importance and a distinctive role to play in
the 21st century in the context of the
emerging information society.
 These two aspects shall remain the main
focus of foras, thanks to the efforts FID/CR
and ISKO.