EPC Meeting 131
Giles Martin took the photo of EPC at OCLC on June 12, 2009. Standing, from left to right: Andrea Kappler (Evansville Vanderburgh [IN] Public Library), Sandra Singh (University of British Columbia), Lyn McKinney (Billings [MT] Senior High School), and Welna van Eeden (University of South Africa); seated, from left to right: Karl Debus-López (Library of Congress, standing in for Beacher Wiggins), David Farris (Library and Archives Canada), EPC Vice-Chair Anne Robertson (Australian Committee on Cataloguing), and Deborah Rose-Lefmann (Northwestern University).
It seems like forever since I’ve written something here, and I’m suppressing the urge to report chronologically on my activities since the last time you heard from me (so stay tuned for reports on three very interesting meetings [one in Houston and two in Vienna] in which I participated back in April). Today, I’m jumping forward to last week with a quick summary of Meeting 131 of the Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee (EPC), which was held June 10-12 at OCLC. The meeting was chaired by EPC Vice-Chair Anne Robertson (Australian Committee on Cataloguing). EPC Chair Caroline Kent (British Library) and new EPC member Jonathan Furner (UCLA [and yes, former DDC assistant editor and creator of 025.431: The Dewey blog]) were unable to attend in person, but e-mailed voluminous comments that were considered by the committee during the meeting.
EPC reviewed the full version of Table 1 (Standard Subdivisions). One provision was postponed for discussion at Meeting 132 in November 2009: the use of T1—0286 Waste technology to represent green technology. We'll have more to say about that issue once we sort out the ripple effects throughout the schedules. In Table 2 (Geographic Areas, Historical Periods, Persons), EPC looked mostly to the past in reviewing provisions for the ancient world in T2—3. Some of the ancient world proposals have implications for the modern world versions of the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, Asia Minor, and Turkey. EPC also approved some adjustments to German administrative units proposed by colleagues at Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, plus the placement of the Barents Sea region, North Calotte, and Sápmi (Lapland). EPC approved the full version of Table 3 (Subdivisions for the Arts, for Individual Literatures, for Specific Literary Forms), and an expansion for Hakka (Han Chinese who speak Hakka dialect) in Table 5 (Ethnic and National Groups).
EPC approved updates in the following schedules: 004-006 Computer science, 200 Religion, 300 Social sciences, 301-307 Sociology and anthropology, 320 Political science, 330 Economics, 340 Law, 400 Language, 610 Medicine and health, 780 Music, 800 Literature, and 960 History of Africa. EPC reviewed preliminary versions of 640 Home and family management, 690 Buildings, 710 Civic and landscape art, and 720 Architecture. On the recommendation of EPC, we plan to post the sewing and clothing sections of 646 shortly for outside comment. EPC also reviewed a preliminary proposal for updates to sections of 372.3-372.8 Elementary education in specific subjects. In addition to comments from members and observers on the private EPC mailing list, EPC’s deliberations were informed by reports from the working groups associated with the European DDC Users’ Group (EDUG) in the areas of law, education, archaeology, and technical issues.
EPC reviewed several research initiatives from the OCLC Office of Research and the Dewey editorial team, plus the latest draft specification for Dewey Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs). We’ll be back with more information on these initiatives later.
EPC scheduled a follow-up electronic Meeting 131A (to be held August 3-28, 2009), during which the committee will address use of the term “encompassing” in the DDC, plus minor issues in 400, 710, and 780. Meeting 132 will be held November 16-17, 2009, at the Library of Congress.
One other major Dewey event took place last week—June 12 was the last day for updating Dewey data in the current Editorial Support System (ESS). The new ESS, along with new data formats based on the MARC classification and authority formats, is scheduled to be launched on July 5 (another reason for our recent periods of silence on this blog). Rebecca wrote a bit about the new ESS last month—watch for more reports shortly.


(Racine Public Library), whose committee service will end in December 2006. Jessica (pictured left) joined the committee in January 2001, and will be succeeded as ALA representative by Migell Acosta (County of Los Angeles Public Library), who attended Meeting 126 as a guest. Jessica’s citation from the committee reads in part: Whereas Jessica MacPhail ably served as the official ALA representative to EPC 2001-2006 and reported regularly to the Subject Analysis Committee of the Cataloging and Classification Section of ALCTS; . . . represented the needs of ALA members in the development 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; . . . participated in the EPC planning retreat, “The Future of the Dewey Decimal Classification,” March 15-18, 2004, at OCLC; . . . moved for acceptance the exhibit on 150 Psychology (EPC 116-11) at her very first meeting and also moved for acceptance portions of the exhibit on 150 Psychology (EPC 126-15) at her last face-to-face meeting; . . . enlivened many earnest exhibit discussions with her gentle humor (“just raising the question” for consideration by the committee prior to a vote); . . . brought commitment to committee membership to a new level by participating in a committee teleconference by cell phone from a campground; . . . shared openly her deep affection for notation 782.421660922 when applied to the Rolling Stones, and even skipped a concert in T2—77311 to attend an EPC meeting; . . . contributed the wonderful phrase “Dewey on Dewey” to the training discussion at Meeting 126 as a popular title for training modules, thereby leaving the committee with a flourish, just as she had joined it; Be it resolved that the members of the Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee, the DDC editors, and staff at the Library of Congress Decimal Classification Division and OCLC express to Jessica MacPhail 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.
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