Classification are the two most widely used categorization strategies and both are really effectual tools for forming stuffs in public and academic libraries Singh ( 2011 ) states that the Dewey denary categorization strategy is a system of library categorization that classifies all subjects. cognition and information into 10 chief categories numbered from 000 to 900. which together cover the full universe of cognition. These 10 categories are farther divided into 10 divisions which are besides divided into 10 subdivisions.
The system has value because of its chiseled classs. well-developed hierarchies. and rich web of relationships among subjects. worldwide usage. and language-independent representation of constructs The DDC’s coverage is comprehensive. Primary agreement is by subject. and within each chief category a sensible degree of specifity is achieved. Library of Congress Classification System ( LCC ) is a system which groups books harmonizing to topics.
The strategy separates all cognition into categories. Each major category is identified by one missive of the alphabet. Subclasss are identified by combinations of letters. the first missive stand foring the major category and the 2nd the more specific subclass. Subtopics within categories and subclasses are farther broken down into numerical subgroups.
Both the DDC and LC systems facilitate entree to the wealth of books published in the English linguistic communication that are relevant to the multidisciplinary. They both originated from the USA but they are different in nature and construction As it is with the Dewey decimal system. the Library of Congress system uses a cutter figure that normally identifies the author’s name and books rubric.
Both the categorization schemes provide for accommodation to the differences in the physical signifier of books and the intervention of capable affair by holding signifier divisions ( subdivisions ) in the strategies. With respects to the notation. DDC is so popular in that its notation is easy to follow. It is an illustration of a pure notation. utilizing merely Arabic numbers and therefore there is no confusion about which type of symbol to be cited foremost.
LCC uses a assorted notation whereby chief categories and their major subdivisions are represented by letters. with Arabic numbers used to stand for divisions within those categories and subdivisions. Batley ( 2005 ) states that unlike other strategies LCC is non based on theories of categorization or the organisation of cognition.
It was devised as a practical tool to sort the US National Library aggregation and was non originally intended to be adopted by other libraries. As a effect of its purely practical intent. no effort was made to make an elegant or logical construction. LCC is non so much an incarnation of cognition. more a elaborate subject listing. This means that. unlike in the instance of DDC. there is no advantage to be gained from larning the construction of the strategy by utilizing the print version.
Whereas the DDC groups the books into 10 categories. the LC classifies them into subgroups or subdivisions The library of Congress differs from the Dewey decimal system in its usage of letters alternatively of Numberss. DDC category Numberss can be abridged at many degrees to suit different sized aggregations. LCC notation can non easy be abridged ( except to cut back to the initial 1-3 letters ) DDC has 4 volumes in full edition. 1 volume abridged edition.
Full and abridged web versions and is used by a broad scope of sizes and types of libraries in 138 states chiefly school libraries. public libraries. particular libraries. college and university libraries while the LCC has 41 volumes. no abridged edition Full web version and is chiefly used in big and moderate-sized academic and research libraries in English-speaking states and besides some specialised aggregations that are portion of a larger general library. e. g. . a university jurisprudence library. may be classed in LCC when the remainder of the aggregation is non.
LCC is a useful categorization with merely one topic in position. the agreement of its stock. The order and the extent of the subdivisions are conditioned by the character of book and. as a consequence. the notation is distributed over topics as written in books instead than subject in the abstract. Differing from LCC. DDC is a hierarchal categorization. using the rule of development from the general to the particular in disciplinary and capable relationships. Notations display the hierarchal characteristics in the prolongation of the basic figure by one figure for consecutive divisions. Both strategies have much difference in content.
LCC embraces all human cognition into 20 chief categories. Each missive stands for one chief category while each chief category can farther be divided by agencies of a 2nd missive e. g. chief category A ( General works ) may hold subclasses AA through AZ. A good categorization strategy can non make without an index which is an alphabetical listing of the footings used in the agenda. with the corresponding notations attached. Unfortunately LCC has no general index to the whole strategy.
Alternatively most categories have their ain alphabetical indexes. the comprehensiveness of each changing from category to category. Each index is meant for each category to which it is appended. The list of capable headers used by the Library of Congress can besides be used to supplement the indexes as category Numberss are given with many of the headers. DDC. nevertheless has a comparative index which provides mentions in alphabetical order to all topics and footings looking in the agenda.
DecisionWhile some bibliothecs and other booklovers have a strong penchant for either Dewey or the LOC system. many others concede that both systems have defects and that libraries should follow patterns that are best for their several aggregations. Many public libraries. for illustration. go on to utilize Dewey while some academic libraries have made the switch to LOC to let for greater specialisation in identifying resources. Neither strategy is perfect. but advantages outweigh disadvantages. Both strategies have been used successfully for many old ages and benefit from good degrees of support and regular alterations.
Mentions
- Batley. S. ( 2005 ) . Categorization in Theory and Practice. England: Chandos Publishing.
- Singh. S. ( 2011 ) . The Theory and Practice of the Dewey Decimal Classification System. Delhi: Isha Books. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. loc. gov/rr/business/beonline/toolkit
