200 Religion Class, the last publication in the Dewey print-edition trilogy that began in 2011 (the other two are DDC 23 and Abridged Edition 15), is now available. 200 Religion Class includes an updated version of the 200 Religion schedule and the Manual notes for 200 Religion, an updated and extended index to 200 Religion, and the 170 Ethics schedule. The updates are also available in WebDewey. Ordering information for the three print editions plus WebDewey is available here.
In DDC 23, we updated the provisions for the Orthodox Church, initiated updates for Islam, and introduced several changes elsewhere in 200 Religion. 200 Religion Class contains those changes, plus additional updates for Islam and a number of minor updates elsewhere in 200 that were not ready for publication in the print DDC 23. (My colleague Juli Beall will describe the changes to Islam in detail in an upcoming blog entry.)
Another exciting feature of 200 Religion Class is an optional arrangement for the Bible and specific religions based on a chronological/regional view. For some time now, we have been exploring the development of an alternative view of 200 Religion to reduce Christian bias in the standard notational sequence for the Bible and specific religions. In cooperation with Ia C. McIlwaine (University College London, and the former editor in chief of the Universal Decimal Classification [UDC]) we have prepared a chronological/regional view of the Bible and specific religions based on a similar development introduced in the UDC in 2000. The new optional arrangement appears in appendix A of the print version of 200 Religion Class, and in a new Manual note at 220-290 Optional arrangement for the Bible and specific religions in WebDewey. A virtual browser based on the new optional arrangement and linked to Dewey-classified resources in WorldCat.org will be available on the Dewey web site in mid-2012.
These days when we speak of being mesmerized by something, we may not realize we are referencing the theories and practices of Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), a German physician. (While being mesmerized is eponymous, most of its synonyms are metaphorical: if we are captivated or enthralled by something, we are a slave to it; if we are spellbound by it, it has cast a spell over us.) Believing that illness was the result of a misalignment of magnetic forces in the human body, Mesmer initially engaged in curing his patients by giving them high doses of iron and then passing magnets over their bodies. When Mesmer came to realize that the success of his treatments arose from his own magnetic force, the magnets were discarded, with treatment involving Mesmer’s passing his empty hands above a patient’s body. Mesmer must have been a very convincing physician with malleable patients; apparently he managed to put his patients into a trance-like state, from which they emerged improved—at least often enough. Although Mesmer was discredited by the medical communities of Vienna and Paris, mesmerism and/or “animal magnetism” (the term used by Mesmer) gained in popularity in Germany, Russia, England, America, and elsewhere. (For greater detail / some of “the rest of the story,” see these accounts: [1][2][3].)
Over time, mesmerism has lost some of the strength of its connection with Mesmer and animal magnetism. The word is now roughly synonymous with hypnosis, as reflected in Mesmerism being given as a Relative Index term at 154.7 Hypnotism. (DDC 20 included a discontinuation of works on mesmerism from 154.72 Animal magnetism to 154.7 Hypnotism.) When classifying works that use the term mesmerism, one should be careful to discern whether it is meant in its historical sense, specific to Franz Anton Mesmer and animal magnetism, or in its more contemporaneous and general sense.
Two see references at 154.7 are also relevant to us: one tells us that psychic aspects of hypnotism are classed in 133.89 [Psychic phenomena] Animal magnetism, hypnosis, extrasensory perception of animals, aura; the other tells us that medical applications of hypnotism are classed in 615.8512 [Psychological and activity therapies] Hypnotherapy. Consequently, Manuel de magnétisme: petit manuel de magnétisme et médecine homéopathique[Handbook of magnetism: small handbook of magnetism and homeopathic medicine] is classed in 615.8512.
And what about the comprehensive biography number for Mesmer? It is easy to read about Mesmer’s theories and consider him a bit of a charlatan, but this is unfair. Even if his explanations now strike us as misguided, his curative successes were apparently real. That is, as a theorist, we might consider his most noted contributions to be a better fit in 133.89 than in 615.8512, but as a practitioner, he’s a good fit in 615.8512. The Manual at T1—092 Biography instructs us: “If the person made approximately equal contributions to a number of fields, use the number for the subject that provides the best common denominator, giving some extra consideration to the person’s occupation.” Giving extra consideration to Mesmer’s occupation as a physician, the comprehensive biography for him is 615.8512092Hypnotherapy—Biography, where a work like Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815): kwakzalver of ontdekker van 'het onbewuste'? [quack or discoverer of the unconscious] should be classed.
In DDC 23 there is a new add table at 155 Differential and developmental psychology; it is applied to numbers for groups of people (e.g., people of specific ages) and allows expression of topics of psychology in connection with those groups. In some cases the resulting built numbers were available previously by means of different add instructions (e.g., emotions in children), but in many cases the add table provisions are expansions (e.g., applied psychology and teenagers).
The table of preference at 150 Psychology limits what topics can be provided in the add table at 155 Differential and developmental psychology; for topics outside of 155, only topics from the numbers below 155 in the table of preference are provided in the add table. Here is part of the table of preference at 150 Psychology:
Conscious mental processes and intelligence 153 (except 153.94)
Applied psychology 158
The table of preference at 155 (which appears immediately after the add table) limits application of add table notation for topics in 155 with respect to groups low in the table of preference. Here is the table of preference at 155 Differential and developmental psychology:
Influence of specific situations 155.93
Psychology of specific ages 155.4–155.6
Ethnopsychology and national psychology 155.8
Evolutionary psychology 155.7
Environmental psychology 155.9 (except 155.93)
Sex psychology; psychology of people by gender or sex, by sexual orientation 155.3
Individual psychology 155.2
Because 155.4–155.6 Psychology of specific ages is very high in the table of preference, all the provisions in the add table at 155 can be used where appropriate for works about people of specific ages. Because 155.3 Sex psychology; psychology of people by gender or sex, by sexual orientation is low in the table of preference at 155, the add notes for numbers beginning with 155.3 come with limitations: “Add as instructed under 155, except class evolutionary psychology in 155.7, ethnopsychology and national psychology in 155.8, environmental psychology in 155.9.”
Top 20 Teens treats success in the context of applied psychology, not business. In DDC 23 the work is classed in 155.519 Applied psychology for young people twelve to twenty, built with 155.51 General topics of psychology of young people twelve to twenty plus 9 Applied psychology from the add table at 155, following add instructions at 155.512–155.519 Sensory perception, movement, emotions, physiological drives; conscious mental processes and intelligence; individual, evolutionary, environmental, applied psychology.
The entry 155.2 Individual psychology has the class-elsewhere note "Class application of individual psychology in general and application of broad, vaguely defined topics of individual psychology with the application in 158, e.g., personal improvement through self-actualization 158.1, improved interpersonal relations through self-esteem 158.2. " A similar note is found in the add table at 155 under 82 Individual psychology: "Class application of individual psychology in general and application of broad, vaguely defined topics of individual psychology with the application in 9, e.g., personal improvement through self-actualization 91, improved interpersonal relations through self-esteem 92. " In DDC 23 Living Your Unlived Life is classed in 155.6691 Personal improvement and analysis for people in middle adulthood, built with 155.66 People in middle adulthood plus 9 Applied psychology from the add table at 155 plus 1 from 158.1 Personal improvement and analysis, following the footnote add instruction at 155.66 and the instructions in the add table at 155.
Recently National Public Radio (NPR) ran a story entitled “Siblings Share Genes, But Rarely Personalities.” The story begins with an example of brothers who are very different, then goes on to consider research about siblings. “. . . in terms of personality, we are similar to our siblings only about 20 percent of the time. Given the fact that we share genes, homes, routines and parents, this makes no sense. What makes children in the same family so different?” The tentative answers involve several kinds of influence of family environment. For example, in the case of the two brothers with which the story begins, “When their father died, Tom was 17 and heading off to college — but Eric was only 12. So, in a sense, they grew up in different homes. Tom, the radical, grew up in a secure, two-parent home. But Eric the financial planner, as Tom points out, spent many years as the only man in a house destabilized both emotionally and financially by death.”
The interdisciplinary number for siblings is 306.875 Sibling relationships (there is even a subdivision 306.8752 Brother-brother relationship), and the interdisciplinary number for families is 306.85 Family, while the interdisciplinary number for personality is 155.2 Individual psychology. The following is relevant (from the Manual):
302–307 vs. 150 . . . Social psychology vs. Psychology
Use 302–307 for works that focus on group behavior, including those that discuss the role of the individual in group behavior. Use 150 for works that focus on the individual, including those that discuss the influence of group behavior on the individual. If in doubt, prefer 302–307.
If we have a work that focuses on the personality of the individual, as the NPR story does, then we are looking for a subdivision of 150 Psychology. The entry 155.2 Individual psychology has the class-here note “Class here . . . character, identity, individuality, personality.” Among the subdivisions is 155.23 Traits and determinants of character and personality. A subdivision of that, 155.234 Determinants, has the class-here note “Class here environment versus heredity as determinants” and the see reference “For environmental determinants, see 155.9.” An example of a work classed in 155.234 is The Temperamental Thread: How Genes, Culture, Time and Luck Make Us Who We Are. Its LCSH include “Temperament,” “Personality—Genetic aspects,” “Personality and culture,” “Individual differences,” “Nature and nurture,” “Personality—Social aspects,” and “Personality development.”
Works that focus on environmental determinants, as the see-reference at 155.234 indicates, are classed in 155.9 Environmental psychology. Also, in the table of preference under 155 Differential and developmental psychology, 155.9 Environmental psychology is higher than 155.2 Individual psychology. Works on psychological influence of families, of siblings, are classed in 155.924 Influence of family members (built with 155.92 Influence of social environment plus 4 from 158.24 Interpersonal relations with family members). An example of a work classed in 155.924 is Born to Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics, and Creative Lives. Its LCSH include “Birth order,” “Brothers and sisters,” “Individual differences,” “Personality development—Social aspects.” Another example is The Birth Order Book: Why You Are the Way You Are.
What about the Relative Index entries pointing to subdivisions of 155.4 Child psychology? They are used for works that focus on children. In the table of preference under 155 Differential and developmental psychology, 155.4–155.6 Psychology of specific ages is higher than either 155.9 Environmental psychology or 155.2 Individual psychology. Subdivisions of 155.4, however, are not used for works that cover a whole life.
The FIFA World Cup came to an end on Sunday with Spain’s victory over the Netherlands in a very physical and hard-fought final game. After four weeks of constant football excitement – as much as three matches a day in the first round! – suddenly, millions of football (or soccer, fútbol, Fußball, calcio, ...) fans are finding themselves with a lot of free time on their hands. So what could be better than to use this time to look back at some of the more colorful “side events” that seem to accompany every World Cup and make it unique?
The biggest star that has emerged over the duration of the tournament (judging by the way it has captured media attention and the world’s imagination) is Paul, the clairvoyant octopus, who seemingly had several of his eight arms in everything. German TV stations interrupted their regular programming to broadcast live from Oberhausen’s Sealife aquarium, where Paul correctly predicted the outcome of every game Germany played in the tournament plus Spain as the winner in the final. After being presented by two clear containers, each adorned with national flags, he “made” his prediction by grabbing a mussel from one of the containers.
It’s not always nice to have such a good track record, however. After predicting Argentina’s defeat in the quarter final, “the oracle of Oberhausen” reportedly received death threats (in the form of octopus recipes). German fans were very upset when he predicted Spain’s win over Germany in the semi-final and even accused him of jinxing the “Mannschaft.” This went as far as Spain offering him asylum “so the Germans don’t eat him.” The Dutch were not amused, either. So it is probably a good thing that it has been announced that Paul is going to retire; at the ripe age of 2 1/2 years, he really is a pensioner in octopus years.
Paul was not the only animal around the world that was used as an oracle for World Cup games (another one was Mani, the Singaporean parakeet); after all, if you only “ask” enough of them, one is statistically bound to get it right. Even more about them can be found in 133.89 Animal magnetism, hypnosis, extrasensory perception of animals, aura, where animals with “psychic powers” are classed.
Another topic that was on everyone’s mind (and in everyone’s ears) was the vuvuzela, a plastic blowing horn that was a ubiquitous accessory at this years’ World Cup. Some found it an insufferable noise-maker (with a sound pressure of around 120 dB at close range) that drowned out the stadium atmosphere even on TV; others said it is an integral part of a South African football experience. Because vuvuzelas technically only produce one note, a B-flat at a frequency of about 230 Hz, the sound can be (and was) filtered out to some degree by broadcasters. But for those who couldn’t get enough, Youtube added a “vuvuzela button” to its video player! Some, like these musicians at the Konzerthaus Berlin, took it even more seriously than others, and were able to unearth and perform the little-known vuvuzela solo that Maurice Ravel wrote for his “Boléro.”
Works about vuvuzelas are classed at 788.99 Other brass instruments, where vuvuzelas as instruments are implicitly in standing room. (Even though they are not made of metal, they qualify for inclusion under 788.9 because they are lip-reed instruments.)
Finally, an old classic came up as topic for controversy once again: the ball itself. As the official match balls for the 1970 World Cup, Adidas created what would become the perhaps most iconic ball of all: the Telstar with its familiar 12 black pentagons and 20 white hexagons. Geometrically, such a ball represents a truncated icosahedron, and, as such, is not perfectly round. Recently, manufacturers have embarked on a quest to construct a “rounder” ball with fewer seams, which should perform more consistently regardless where it is hit. While the 2006 World Cup saw the Adidas Teamgeist made out of 14 curved panels, the construction of this year’s Jabulani has been further reduced to eight spherically-molded panels.
While many players seem to like it, it has gotten a lot of criticism. Some players have called it a “supermarket ball” or a “beach ball.” Even NASA has weighed in with an opinion on the aerodynamics of the Jabulani!
Works about the construction and performance of soccer balls are classed at 688.76334, built with 688.76 Equipment for outdoor sports and games plus 334 [from 796.334 Soccer (Association football)]. Since balls do not approximate the whole of equipment for association football, standard subdivisions may not be added; thus another hotly debated topic like the integration of computer chips into the ball to determine automatically when it has passed the goal line is also classed in 688.76334, not in 688.763340285.
Neighbors and neighborhoods are found in many places in the DDC.The interdisciplinary number for neighborhoods as a social community is 307.3362, where provision is made for
adding from 307.72–307.77 to
represent specific kinds of communities—rural
communities, suburban communities, urban communities, and self-contained communities.Interpersonal
relations with neighbors are classed in 158.25, while the psychological
influence of neighbors is classed in 155.925
(built with 155.92 Influence of social
environment plus 5 from the
numbers following 158.2 in 158.25Interpersonal relations with neighbors,
following the instructions at 155.92).But
humans apparently are not the only kinds of things who can be neighbors:over forty Table 2 captions refer either to
“neighboring islands” (as part of Indonesia) or to “neighboring counties” (in
such states as Texas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Montana).
In addition to social and geographic neighborhoods, metaphorical senses
of neighborhood are also found in mathematics.In topology, the neighborhood
of a point in a topological space is defined as an open set containing the
point; a topological neighborhood is classed in 514.322 Point set topology (General topology). In graph theory, the neighborhood of a vertex
in a graph is the set of all vertices adjacent to it and all edges between the
adjacent vertices; a graph theoretical neighborhood is classed in 511.5 Graph theory.
There is also a sense of topic neighborhood relevant to classification
schemes, based on the graph theoretical concept of neighborhood.This concept was the subject of a
presentation on the ontological character of classes in the Dewey Decimal
Classification given by DDC editors Rebecca Green and Michael Panzer at
the Eleventh International ISKO Conference, held 23-26 February 2010 in Rome,
Italy; the theme of the conference was paradigms and conceptual systems in
knowledge organization.(Michael also
cooperated with Marcia Lei Zeng and Athena Salaba, both of Kent State
University, in a presentation on expressing classification schemes with OWL
2.)Topic neighborhoods in the DDC are
classed in a number that this blog has memorialized, 025.431 Dewey Decimal Classification itself.
The gist of the concept of topic neighborhoods recognizes that the
category description associated with a class in a classification scheme is
seldom limited to a single topic.Instead, the typical class is a gathering
place for a set of related topics.But
that doesn’t mean that all the topics classed in the same number are part of a
single undifferentiated neighborhood.Rather the class is composed of a set of focal topics (topics in
class-here and including notes; captions are often sources of focal topics as
well) and their individual neighborhoods (the union of which can be referred to
as the neighborhood of a set of points).
Using 782.292 Chant as our
major exemplar, our presentation explored the many features of the DDC that
define the membership of a class neighborhood.Some of these features, like class-here and including notes, are
additive in nature, while other features, like class-elsewhere and
see-reference notes, are subtractive.Additional features involved in the development of neighborhoods include
subsumption (specialization, instantiation), the non-addition of standard
subdivision notation for topics in standing room, index terms, hierarchical
force, principles of assigning Dewey numbers, diachronic development of the
DDC, the existence of the DDC in both full and abridged versions, the
classification of bibliographic resources, and—a suggestion from our colleague
Hope Olsen—the coordinate numbers of the class.The presentation also addressed issues concerning the representation of
topic neighborhoods in knowledge representation systems (a concern that also
spilled over into the Zeng/Panzer/Salaba presentation).
In the study, a group of 39 healthy young adults were divided into a nap and no-nap group. Each were given a difficult to-learn task at noon, designed to push hard on the hippocampus, the region of the brain that helps store fact-based memories. Research has shown that fact-based memories are first stored in the hippocampus, then moved to the prefrontal cortex for long-term storage.
Both groups did about the same.
At 2:00 PM in the afternoon the nap group got a 90-minute siesta. Then at 6:00 PM both groups got a new set of learning tasks. The ones who hadn't gotten any shut-eye did markedly worse. Those who had caught 40 winks did much better and improved their capacity to learn.
Walker says this helps confirm his group's hypothesis, that sleep clears the brain's short-term memory storage to make room for new learning.
The Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee (EPC)* held Meeting 130 at the Library of Congress November 18-19. The meeting was chaired by Caroline Kent (British Library); Anne Robertson (Australian Committee on Cataloguing) was re-elected vice-chair for another two-year term.
Prior to Meeting 130, EPC held an electronic pre-meeting, and approved updates to historical periods; modernization of the treatment of radio programs, motion pictures, and television programs regardless of method of distribution; and updates to 510 Mathematics. All but the last will be distributed to users in early 2009. EPC also approved, with minor modification, the long-planned updates to groups of people in Table 1 and 305-306—we plan to release the updates in mid-2009.
EPC discussed two sets of updates to Table 2 (Geographic Areas, Historical Periods, Persons)—the conversion of the relocation information and corresponding changes in the reorganization of Scotland, England, and Wales presented in DDC 22; and further updates to the area table for Indonesia. Both sets of changes require additional consultation with in-country groups. EPC approved a final round of updates to Table 4 (Subdivisions of Individual Languages and Language Families, for Individual Literatures, for Specific Literary Forms), Table 5 (Ethnic and National Groups), and Table 6 (Languages)—most of the updates will be distributed to users in mid-2009.
In the schedules, EPC approved updates in the following areas: 001 Knowledge; 002 The book; 150 Psychology; 330 Economics; 390 Customs, etiquette, folklore; 400 Language (including the relocation of computational linguistics);610 Medicine and health; 640 Home and family management; 650 Management and auxiliary services; 660 Chemical engineering & related technologies; 730 Sculpture and related arts; 740 Graphic arts and decorative arts; 750 Painting and paintings; 760 Printmaking and prints; 770.23 Photography as a profession, occupation, hobby; and 790 Recreational and performing arts. EPC also approved updates to the current historical periods in 947 Russia and 968 South Africa. Updates in many of these areas will be released during 2009. EPC reviewed reports on work under way in 340 Law, and discussion papers on 370 Education and 780 Music. We will be seeking advice from users on a number of topics discussed at Meeting 130, including subjects in primary school curricula, language variations, meals, clothing, musical styles, and literary periods for Galician.
EPC reviewed several research initiatives from the OCLC Office of Research and the Dewey editorial team, plus draft guidelines for classifying photographs for the World Digital Library project—we’ll blog about these activities separately in the coming weeks.
On November 18, EPC held a special dinner in honor of assistant editor Winton Matthews and outgoing member Arlene Taylor. Winton has indicated that he plans to retire in early 2009—we’ll share the resolution passed by EPC in his honor later on the occasion of his retirement. Arlene Taylor served on EPC 2000–2008. The committee's resolution honoring Arlene reads in part:
Whereas Arlene Taylor . . . participated in the development and review of Edition 22 (2003) and Abridged Edition 14 (2004) of the Dewey Decimal Classification, and in the publication of ongoing updates in WebDewey and Abridged WebDewey; . . . focused in particular on the needs of students and teachers of the DDC in her comments; . . . contributed “Teaching the Dewey Decimal Classification System” to a special issue of Cataloging & Classification Quarterly devoted to the DDC; . . . presented “Research in Knowledge Organization” at Meeting 116; . . . participated in the EPC planning retreat, “The Future of the Dewey Decimal Classification,” March 15-18, 2004, at OCLC; . . . paid special attention to the treatment of groups of people, and in particular prompted improvements to the caption for people in early adulthood and the terminology for children of unmarried parents (the latter formerly “children born out of wedlock”); . . . Be it resolved that the members of the Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee here assembled at the One Hundred Thirtieth Meeting of said committee, the DDC editors, and staff at the Library of Congress Dewey Section and OCLC express to Arlene Taylor their deep gratitude and appreciation for her service and commitment to the Committee and the Classification, their regret that she will no longer be one of their number, and their wishes for her continued success and happiness now that she has retired from the Committee.
*Photo at top of EPC at LC on November 18, 2008—from left to right: Beacher Wiggins (Library of Congress), Vice Chair Anne Robertson (Australian Committee on Cataloguing), Welna van Eeden (University of South Africa), Sandra Singh (University of British Columbia), Lyn McKinney (Billings [MT] Senior High School), EPC Chair Caroline Kent (British Library), Andrea Kappler (Evansville Vanderburgh [IN] Public Library), Arlene Taylor (University of Pittsburgh SIS, retired), David Farris (Library and Archives Canada), and Deborah Rose-Lefmann (Northwestern University).
While job stress isn't new, there is no doubt it's on the rise. This workplace coach sees an alarming trend in frazzled, burned out and exhausted workers. The constant theme I hear: Everyone is increasingly challenged to do more with less. . . .
Burnout has been long associated with being overworked and underpaid, but psychologists Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter found that these were not the crucial factors. The single biggest difference between employees who suffered burnout and those who did not was the whether they thought that they were being treated unfairly or fairly. . . . [see also abstract of original article]
This year's graduating seniors may face higher risk for job burnout than their parents’ generation, say business and career experts. . . .
More comprehensive information about job stress is available on the Internet, e.g., the “Job Stress” section of the American Institute of Stress site and U. S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Publication no. 99-101 Stress...At Work.
Interdisciplinary works on job stress are classed in 158.72 Job stress. The Relative Index signals that 158.72 is the interdisciplinary number, because it is “the first class number displayed in the index entry (the unindented term)” (section 11.8 in Introduction to DDC):
Works focusing on the psychology of the individual employee in relation to work or taking a broad view that encompasses the concerns of individual employees, union leaders, management
Class here psychology of work
Class industrial psychology applied to a specific subject outside psychology with the subject, plus notation T1—019 from Table 1, e.g., psychological principles of personnel management 658.30019
Works on job stress in a specific occupation are classed with the occupation plus standard subdivisionT1—019 Psychological principles, e.g., I Love a Cop: What Police Families Need to Know363.2019 Psychological aspects of police services (built with 363.2 Police services plus T1—019 Psychological principles).
The Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee (EPC)* met at OCLC May 7-9, 2008. EPC approved several adjustments to the proposed overhaul of the treatment of groups of people (including a separate number for intersex people based on feedback from users) plus the implementation plan for the changes. The current plan is to post draft versions of Table 1 and 305-306 on the Dewey web site in August 2008 (with links from the Dewey blog). We will request comments on the content and implementation plan by October 30, 2008—this will permit discussion of user comments at EPC Meeting 130 in November 2008. It is our intention to introduce the changes to the treatment of groups of people throughout the DDC by second quarter calendar year 2009 in WebDewey and Abridged WebDewey. We plan to make final PDFs of Table 1 and 305-306 available on the Dewey web site at the same time the changes are implemented in the web versions of the DDC. The changes introduced in the web versions of the DDC will also appear in the print version of DDC 23 (scheduled to be published in late calendar year 2010).
In addition to the changes to groups of people in Table 1, EPC approved two changes to T1—079 Competition, awards, financial support: clarification of the add instruction from Table 2, and the relocation of festivals from T1—079 to T1—074 Museums, collections, exhibits. Watch this space for more information on these changes. EPC also approved several changes in Table 2 (Geographic Areas, Historical Periods, Persons) for Belgium, South Africa, Sweden, and Clifton Forge, Va. (the last reflects a rare change within administrative units in the U.S.). In Table 3 (Subdivisions for the Arts, for Individual Literatures, for Specific Literary Forms), EPC approved new provisions for autobiographical fiction, biographical fiction, and alternative histories. In Table 6 (Languages),EPC approved updates to Indonesian languages and Galician, plus several miscellaneous updates. Similar changes were made to parallel notation in Table 5 (Ethnic and National Groups).
In the schedules, EPC approved updates in the following areas: 004-006 Computer science, 025.4 Subject analysis and control, 160 Logic, 320 Political science, 364.16 Offenses against property, 398.2 Folk literature, 400 Language, 510 Mathematics, 560-590 Life sciences, 610 Medicine and health, 700 The arts, 800 Literature, and 900 History, geography, and auxiliary disciplines. EPC also reviewed reports on work under way in 200 Religion, 340 Law, and 370 Education. The changes in 364.16, along with other updates to the treatment of criminal offenses, will be the focus of the June New and Changed Entries. We will discuss the proposed updates and open issues in several of the aforementioned schedules in the coming weeks in the Dewey blog—stay tuned.
EPC reviewed several research initiatives from the OCLC Office of Research and the Dewey editorial team. Diane Vizine-Goetz presented current work on a prototype classification web service and pilot terminology services. Dewey editorial team members presented progress reports on several current research projects: machine-assisted derivation of the abridged edition, mixed translation models, identification of the relationship of Relative Index terms to Dewey classes, and improvements to Dewey captions. The team also briefed EPC on our new editorial support system, recent changes to the representation of the DDC in MARC21 formats, and a proposed new approach to the display of relocations and discontinuations in DDC class records. Further, the team gave EPC a progress report on the development of DDC training materials being posted online. There was also a lively discussion on how we might facilitate development and sharing of “Dewey neighborhoods” by Dewey users (see the innovative presentation by the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library at the March 2008 Public Library Association (PLA) Conference).
EPC will hold a follow-up electronic meeting (Meeting 129A) during June 2008 to resolve some minor open issues from Meeting 129. The group will meet next in person at the Library of Congress in November 2008.
*Photo at top of EPC at OCLC on May 8, 2008—standing from left to right: Lyn McKinney (Billings [MT] Senior High School), Sandra Singh (Vancouver [BC] Public Library), David Farris (Library and Archives Canada), Welna van Eeden (University of South Africa), Andrea Kappler (Evansville Vanderburgh [IN] Public Library) and EPC Chair Caroline Kent (British Library). Seated from left to right: Arlene Taylor (University of Pittsburgh SIS, retired), Vice Chair Anne Robertson (Australian Committee on Cataloguing), and Deborah Rose-Lefmann (Northwestern University).
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