Offers illustrations of anomalies and prejudices found in common information retrieval tools: "LC Subject Headings" (9th edition), "Dewey Decimal Classification" (19th edition), "Universal Decimal Classification" (3rd abridged edition). Index terms in areas of sexual bias, social strata, politics, knowledge, customs,…

Library of Congress call numbers which contain mixed alphameric notations are not readily adaptable for computer sorting. Some editing is required if the sorted call numbers are to correspond to the library shelf arrangement. A PL/1 subroutine that performs such editing is in use at Eastern Illinois University. The computer programs are appended.…

Describes the substantial changes in existing catalog formats, products, and the National Bibliography entailed in the British Library's commitment to AACR2 and Dewey 19. The conversion involved not only headings but an algorithmic conversion of the descriptive cataloging. Included are the impact on services, retrospective conversion, and common…

Despite some inroads by the Library of Congress Classification and short-lived experimentation with Universal Decimal Classification and Bliss Classification, Dewey Decimal Classification, with its ability in recent editions to be hospitable to local needs, remains the most widely used classification system in Australia. Although supplemented at…

Recommends an expansion of MARC codes for decimal class numbers to enhance automated subject retrieval. Five values for a second indicator and two new subfields are suggested for encoding hierarchical relationships among decimal class numbers. Additional subfields are suggested to enhance retrieval through analysis of synthesized numbers in…

Presents a brief history of the Library of Congress (LC) Z schedule and recent LC modifications in the treatment of subject bibliography. Description of a university library system includes a schedule for political and social sciences subject bibliography (Z7161-7166) giving alternate class numbers for systematic placement of bibliographies. (17…

Presents overview of library classification and automation (1940-84), including use of Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress classification in online cataloging systems. Highlights include classification number access in existing online catalogs, functions of classification records, specifications for authority file records, and the nature of…

Discusses categorization of MARC records, noting problems which arise because formats have not been defined as distinct sets of content designators. Bibliographic and authority record formats, merging of formats into single format, removal of inconsistencies, and criteria for identifying categories of records are considered. Thirty-one references…

Describes a system of subject indexing developed by Julius Kaiser (1868-1927) which is based on "concretes" and "processes" to govern the form of subject headings and subdivisions. Elements of amplification, guides for the subject index, and criticism of Kaiser's systematic indexing are noted. Five sources are given. (EJS)

An automated project for converting a library collection from Dewey Decimal to Library of Congress classification was compared with a manual reclassification project. The Joint University Libraries (JUL) of Vanderbilt University, George Peabody College for Teachers, and Scarrit College served as an example of manual reclassification. The JUL…

This paper discusses the career of Henry Evelyn Bliss, founder of the Bibliographic Classification, which is currently being revised. Dissatisfied with the current classification systems, Bliss devised his own, which was based on a main class order that provided for collocation of related classes. Although not currently used in the United States,…

As most librarians have probably realized by the paucity of articles in the library literature concerning the "Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, Second Edition, 1988 Revision" (Chicago: American Library Association, 1988), no revolutionary changes have been introduced in the 1988 revision in direct contrast to the situation with the…

This paper presents ways in which libraries with a special emphasis on area studies handle the classification of their materials in order to provide a geographical approach to their collections. The systems described are those developed and used in six libraries in Great Britain and South Africa. (17 references) (Author/EJS)

This paper describes the development of an automated authority control system for the Genealogical Society of Utah, which has large holdings of microfilmed records from many nations, including civil registration, parish registers, local records, and census records. The key function of the library is the identification of people. From the…

Compares and contrasts museum registration and library cataloging processes, suggesting that differences in records management result from philosophical and historical differences. The feasibility and possible benefits of applying the competencies of library and information science to museum registration are discussed. (23 notes/references)…