025.431: The Dewey blog

Graham flour, graham bread, graham crackers

(This is the fourth in a series of posts on eponyms.)

Sylvester Graham (1794-1851) is best known today for his eponymous bread and crackers, although he would not recognize (or approve of) some of the products now known by his name.  For example, chocolate graham crackers or graham crackers with a cinnamon-and-sugar topping are substantially different from the graham crackers originally created by Graham.  Indeed, we should probably use the terms “graham bread” and “graham crackers” only in conjunction with the use of graham flour, also created by and named after Sylvester Graham, and in which the components of the wheat kernel are ground separately (the endosperm finely; the bran and germ coarsely) and then combined.  (See the description of graham flour given on the Home Cooking channel on About.com.) 

Graham flour is classed in 641.3311 Food from wheat (built with 641.3 Food plus 311 from 633.11 Wheat, following the add instructions at 641.33–.35 Specific food from plant crops.  Graham bread is classed in 641.815 Bread and bread-like foods (a see reference at 641.3 Food indicates that interdisciplinary works on specific dishes are classed in 641.8 Cooking specific kinds of dishes and preparing beverages). 

And then we come to graham crackers.   Are they really crackers?  (Sylvester Graham must have thought so.)  If so, they should be classed in the same number as graham bread (crackers are mentioned in the including note at 641.815 Bread and bread-like foods).  Or, given that modern graham crackers are often located alongside cookies on grocery store shelves, should they be classed in 641.8654 Cookies?  (A see reference at 641.815 draws off pastries to 641.865, of which 641.8654 is a subdivision.)  We could pursue these questions by exploring the relationship between graham crackers and digestive biscuits, as well as the relationship between English biscuits and American cookies.  We could look at definitions of crackers, biscuits, and cookies.  In the end, perhaps the clearest thing we could say is that graham crackers are neither the prototypical cracker nor the prototypical cookie, but the original graham cracker was more cracker-like and modern graham crackers tend to be more cookie-like.  In reality, the question is somewhat moot, because the literature on graham crackers is almost always on some aspect of graham crackers (e.g., nutrition education; the graham cracker market) that takes it outside of 641 altogether.

Sylvester Graham’s creation of graham flour, graham bread, and graham crackers was a part of the Graham Diet, which eschewed white bread, meat, and spices (as well as alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea), espousing instead a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  A leading advocate of the healthy food movement in the 19^th century, Graham helped to establish the American Vegetarian Society.  To round out the story, early in his adult life, Sylvester Graham was ordained as a Presbyterian minister and was also associated with the Pennsylvania Temperance Society, serving as a traveling speaker.   In sum, Graham was a social reformer.

“Social reform movements” appear in the class-here note at 303.484 Purposefully induced change, where the scatter class-elsewhere note, “Class innovation and reform directed to a specific end with the end, e.g., reform of banking 332.1” also appears.   Consequently, health reform should be classed in 613 Personal health and safety, while diet reform should be classed in 613.2 Dietetics; health reformers and diet reformers would be classed in 613.092 and 613.2092, respectively.  A biography emphasizing his contributions to vegetarianism would be classed more specifically in 613.262092 Vegetarianism—biography.   A biography on Graham emphasizing that his dietary reforms were aimed at curbing alcoholism or curbing sexual urges might be classed in 613.81092 Alcohol abuse—biography or 613.95092 Sex hygiene--biography, respectively.  (Although Sylvester Graham was not formally educated in medicine, the title of Martha H. Verbrugge’s “Healthy Animals and Civic Life: Sylvester Graham's Physiology of Subsistence” [Reviews in American History 9:3 (September 1981), 359-364] is not meant ironically.  Numbers in 610 Medicine and health therefore are not inappropriate.)   

But what would the comprehensive biography number for Sylvester Graham be?  The Manual note at T1—092 Biography instructs us, “If the person made approximately equal contributions to a number of fields”—which seems to be the case here—“use the number for the subject that provides the best common denominator.”   For this reason, we should choose a general number.  A comprehensive biography for Sylvester Graham should therefore be classed in 613.092 Personal health—biography.

Nicotine

(This is the third in a series of posts on eponyms.)

Within the nightshade family of plants is the genus Nicotiana, including more than 70 species of tobacco.  Both the genus name Nicotiana and nicotine, the alkaloid that is the principal constituent of the tobacco leaf, are derived from the name of Jean Nicot de Villemain (1530–1600), a French diplomat and scholar.   As France’s ambassador to Portugal, Nicot sent tobacco seeds that had originated in the New World to Paris in 1560; he also recommended tobacco to the queen, Catherine de Medici, for migraine headches, thus introducing medicinal use of tobacco to the French court. 

The literature on nicotine is inseparable from the literature on tobacco and has many aspects.   For example, from a social welfare perspective, tobacco abuse is classed in 362.296 Tobacco as a subdivision of 362.29 Substance abuse  (for example, Smoking.drugabuse.gov:  Nicotine addiction ... and other dangers of tobacco use); from a human toxicology persective, tobacco is classed in 615.9523952 (built with 615.952 Plant poisons, plus 3952 from 583.952 Solanaceae [the scientific name for the nightshade family], following the add instruction at 615.9523–615.9528 Specific plant poisons; for example, Toxicology:  Tobacco-specific n-nitrosamines:  Recent advances); from an agricultural perspective, tobacco is classed in 633.71 Tobacco as an alkaloidal field crop (for example, The culture of tobacco).  Other appropriate numbers can be seen by browsing the Relative Index under Tobacco, Tobacco abuse, Tobacco industry, etc.  No interdisciplinary number for nicotine or tobacco is given.

Works on Jean Nicot de Villemain as a French diplomat should be classed in 327.440092 Foreign relations of France—biography (built with 327 International relations, plus T2—44 France, plus T1—0092 Biography [the use of 00 for standard subdivisions is given in a footnote], following the add instructions at 327.3–327.9 Foreign relations of specific continents, countries, localities).  (The Manual note at T1—092 Biography indicates that for public figures, greatest weight should be given to the highest office reached, after which it specifies that 327.3–.9 should be used for ambassadors.)  While Nicot may be best known for introducing the use of tobacco to France, his most significant work was the compilation of Thresor de la langue françoyse, tant ancienne que moderne, perhaps the first modern dictionary of the French language.   Works on Jean Nicot as a French lexicographer should be classed in 443.092 French lexicographers (built with 44(0) French, plus T4—3 Dictionaries, plus T1—092 Biography).   Although lexicography is in the class-here note at T4—3028 Auxiliary techniques and procedures; apparatus, equipment, materials, in the preference table for Table 1, T1—092 Biography is higher than T1—028 Auxiliary techniques and procedures; apparatus, equipment, materials.

But what about a comprehensive biography of Jean Nicot?  The Manual note at T1—092 Biography gives the following instructions:   “Use the number for the subject of the person’s most noted contribution for the comprehensive biography of the person.   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.”   The introduction of tobacco to the French court, from which the use of tobacco was further disseminated throughout Europe, was a “contribution” of significant effect, marked by the eponymous use of his surname for tobacco’s scientific name and for its chief chemical compound.  But however significant the effects of his actions with respect to tobacco, his ambassadorship was of only 2-3 years’ duration.  The remaining 40 years of his life were spent as a man of learning.  No number would seem to provide a best common denominator across the range of his contributions.  The Manual note subsequently instructs:  “Class an individual biography in the number most nearly covering the history and civilization of the place and time of the activity emphasized when a work is not clearly associated with any subject but is clearly associated with a place, even in cases when a person’s activity may not approximate the whole of the most specific period.”  Consequently, a comprehensive work on Jean Nicot is best classed in 944.029092 (built with 944.029 Historical periods of France—reigns of Francis II, Charles IX, Henry III, 1559–1589, plus T1—092 Biography).

Dewey at PLA

Libbie Crawford and I enjoyed sharing some of our ongoing developments—progress never stands still at Dewey!—at the Dewey Breakfast/Update at PLA 2012 in Philadelphia earlier this month.  Libbie gave a presentation on Dewey Products and Services in which she addressed the availability status of the latest set of print products (DDC 23—available, Abridged Edition 15 [A15]—available, 200 Religion Class—coming soon); in addition she summarized the set of enhancements that have recently been incorporated into WebDewey (e.g., icons for Manual notes and built numbers; history of numbers) or that will appear in WebDewey in the foreseeable future (e.g., user contribution / number building assistant).  Her presentation was sandwiched between presentations on A15 (Abridged Edition 15:  It’s Here!) and DDC 23 (DDC 23:  What’s New + Helpful Hints [not from Heloise]).  The former touched on some of the changes incorporated into A15, both those ranging across the system and those limited to specific subject areas; the presentation also explained the development process for generating A15.  The latter presentation addressed classifying works on evolving technologies, giving specific examples in the areas of digital photography and multifunctional digital devices; it also addressed how to classify works involving groups of people that are defined by more than a single attribute, with particular emphasis on the preference tables at 302-307, 362, and 362.74-.78. 

We invite everyone to take advantage of the availability of the presentations by using them for both review and learning.

Boycotts

(This is the second in a series of posts on eponyms.)

(Warning:  There’s rather more to this story than I’m going to try to relate.)  In the fall of 1880 in County Mayo, Ireland, Lord Erne granted his tenant farmers a ten percent reduction in their rents because of the poor harvest that had occurred that year.  Many of the farmers demanded a higher reduction—25 percent—in their rents, which Lord Erne refused to grant.  It was then left to his land agent, Captain Charles Boycott, to evict the farmers who refused (or were unable) to pay the higher amount.   In addressing the issue of someone’s coming in to work the land after the former farmer had been evicted, Charles Stewart Panell, an influential member of the Irish Land League, urged the use of “social ostracism,” by shunning the person under all circumstances.  This counsel was first applied to the land agent Charles Boycott:  none of the local farmers would harvest the crops on Lord Erne’s lands, while local merchants refused to render services to Boycott.  Within only days, the verb to boycott was being used locally in relation to ostracizing landlords or land agents.  By the end of the decade, it had entered A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (later known as the Oxford English Dictionary).  According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word today has gained the following broader meaning:   “To abstain from or act together in abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with as an expression of protest or disfavor or as a means of coercion.”  The word has been adopted (and adapted) by many other languages, such as Finnish, French, Dutch, German, Greek, Indonesian, Korean, Polish, Swedish, Tagalog, Turkish, Russian, and related languages.  (Check it out.)

The Relative Index does not designate an interdisciplinary number for boycotts, but gives instead the following entries (it should be noted that boycotts do not approximate the whole of any of these classes; if mentioned at all, they are in the including note):

Relative Index heading	DDC number	Captions
Boycott—Holocaust, 1933–1945	940.5318132	Holocaust  /  Economic actions against business and property
Boycott—international politics	327.117	Foreign policy and specific topics in international relations / Use of force and threats of force
Boycott—international politics—law of nations	341.582	Law of nations / Disputes and conflicts between states / Coercive methods of settlement short of war / Sanctions
Boycott—labor economics	331.893	Labor-management bargaining and disputes / Other labor measures (i.e., other than contracts, strikes)
Boycott—labor economics—law	344.01893	Labor law / Labor-management bargaining and disputes / Other labor measures (i.e., other than contracts, strikes)
Boycott—restraint of trade	338.6048	Organization of production / Competition and restraint
Boycott—restraint of trade—law	343.0723	[Economic law] / Regulation of economic activity / Unfair practices / Restraint of trade

Examples of works on boycotts include: 

• International boycotts: Canadian responses, classed in 327.117 Foreign policy and specific topics in international relations / Use of force and threats of force;
• The boycott in American trade unions, classed in 331.893 Labor-management bargaining and disputes / Other labor measures (i.e., other than contracts, strikes);
• The NLRB [National Labor Relations Board] and secondary boycotts,  classed in 344.7301893 (built with 344 Labor law, etc., plus T2—73 United States, plus 01 from 344.011–.018 Specific aspects of labor, following instructions at 01–09 Topics of labor law, etc., in the add table under 344.3–.9 Specific jurisdictions and areas, plus 893 from 331.893 Labor-management bargaining and disputes / Other labor measures (i.e., other than contracts, strikes, following instructions at 344.011–.018 Specific aspects of labor); and
• Refusing to cooperate with competitors:  A theory of horizontal boycotts, classed in 343.730723 (built with 343 Industry, trade law, etc., plus T2—73 United States, plus 0723 from 343.0723 Restraint of trade, following instructions at 01–09 Topics of industry, trade law, etc., in the add table under 343.3–.9 Specific jurisdictions and areas). 

And where should a comprehensive biography on Captain Charles Boycott be classed?  The Manual note at T1—092 Biography instructs us to “use the number for the subject of the person’s most noted contribution for the comprehensive biography of the person.”  However, it goes on to say, “Class an individual biography in the number most nearly covering the history and civilization of the place and time of the activity emphasized when a work is not clearly associated with any subject but is clearly associated with a place, even in cases when a person’s activity may not approximate the whole of the most specific period.”   Captain Boycott is not known for a contribution within a subject area, but is known as a part of the history of Ireland in the late 19^th century.  The best number for his comprehensive biography therefore is 941.5081092 (built with 941.5081 Ireland, 1800–1899, plus T1–092 Biography).  An example of such a biography is Boycott:  The life behind the word; the life and times in England and in Ireland and the unusual family background of Charles Cunningham Boycott.

 

Population: Forecasting and Forecasts

Recently Science had a special issue examining many aspects of population: "the opportunities and challenges created by demographic changes around the world." One of the Science articles, "The Outlook for Population Growth" by Ronald Lee, has the abstract:

Projections of population size, growth rates, and age distribution, although extending to distant horizons, shape policies today for the economy, environment, and government programs such as public pensions and health care. The projections can lead to costly policy adjustments, which in turn can cause political and economic turmoil. The United Nations projects global population to grow from about 7 billion today to 9.3 billion in 2050 and 10.1 billion in 2100, while the Old Age Dependency Ratio doubles by 2050 and triples by 2100. How are such population projections made, and how certain can we be about the trends they foresee?

In the article Lee notes that he uses the terms population "projections" or "forecasts" interchangeably.

One of the works Lee cites is Demographic Forecasting. The work emphasizes statistical methods for forecasting population death rates. It has the LCSH Mortality—Forecasting—Methodology, Mortality—Statistical methods, and Demography.  Browsing the Relative Index for "mortality" yields:

Mortality—demography 304.64

Browsing the Relative Index for "forecasting" yields:

Forecasting     003.2
Forecasting     T1—0112

Browsing the Relative Index for "statistical methods" yields:

Statistical methods                             001.422
Statistical methods                             T1—0727
. . . . .
Statistical methods—systems analysis    T1—011

In the table of preference at the beginning of Table 1, T1—07 appears above T1—01.  However, at T1—0727 Statistical methods is the class-elsewhere note "Class statistical methods used in systems analysis in T1—011."  That note is relevant because the interdisciplinary number for forecasting (003.2 Forecasting and forecasts) is a subdivision of 003 Systems, where systems analysis appears in a class-here note.  Since class-here notes have hierarchical force, the note applies as well at 003.2. The work Demographic Forecasting is classed in 304.640112 Forecasting and forecasts of deaths (Forecasting and forecasts of mortality), built with 304.64 Deaths (Mortality) plus T1—011 Systems plus 2 from 003.2 Forecasting and forecasts, following the add instruction at T1—011 Systems. 

Another work cited by Lee is The End of World Population Growth in the 21st Century: New Challenges for Human Capital Formation and Sustainable Development. It has the LCSH Population forecasting, Twenty-first century—Forecasts, and Demographic transition. The work treats forecasts and forecasting of population growth and shrinkage.  Browsing the Relative Index for "population" yields:

Population    304.6

One of the subdivisions of 304.6 Population is 304.62 Growth and decline. Browsing the Relative Index for "twenty-first century" yields:

Twenty-first century     909.83
Twenty-first century     T1—0905

In the table of preference at the beginning of Table 1, T1—01 comes before T1—0901–T1—0905; hence T1—0112 Forecasting and forecasts is generally to be preferred over T1—0905 21st century, 2000-2099. The add instruction at T1—011 Systems describes exceptions to that general preference, but the exceptions are all limited to "short-term forecasts (ten years or less)."  The exceptions do not apply to The End of World Population Growth in the 21st Century, which treats the full century.  Hence that work is classed in 304.620112 Forecasting and forecasts of population growth and decline, built with 304.62 Population growth and decline plus T1—011 Systems plus 2 from 003.2 Forecasting and forecasts, following the add instruction at T1—011 Systems.

One of the starting points for forecasting population is the demographic data from a census (a periodic survey of a population of a specific area). In a previous blog, "United States Census," we described the DDC numbers used for a census.

DDC 23: Preview of 340 Law

In the morning 10 March webinar "DDC 23: A Sneak Preview," there was a question: "Will the revisions of 340 have any impact on Option B for Law?" The answer is not to the option itself; however, some topics covered by the option may be affected. The same is true of other options in 340 Law.  Options A and B in the 340 Law schedule in DDC 22 were updated with the "New and Changed Entries" of November 2004; those updated instructions are in DDC 22 in WebDewey; they remain unchanged in DDC 23. The options in 340 Law are not affected by the changes in DDC 23 because the basic structure of 340 Law remains unchanged.  Most of the changes are expansions of existing provisions.

Here are two examples from the expansion of 345.01 Criminal courts.  The DDC 22 version of 345.01 Criminal courts has the including note: "Including . . . public prosecutors, public defenders . . . . ."  With the standard DDC 22 approach, works on public prosecutors or public defenders in a specific jurisdiction or area are classed in 345 Criminal law plus Table 2 notation for jurisdiction or area plus 01 from 345.01 Criminal courts, following instructions at 345.3–.9 Specific jurisdictions and areas.  If the Table 2 notation is T2—73 United States, the standard built number is 345.7301 Criminal courts in United States.  With Option B, works on public prosecutors or public defenders in a specific jurisdiction or area are classed in 34 plus Table 2 notation for jurisdiction or area plus 501 from 345.01 Criminal courts, following instructions at 342–349 Branches of law; laws, regulations, cases; law of specific jurisdictions, areas, socioeconomic regions.  If the Table 2 notation is T2—73 United States, the Option B built number is 347.3501 Criminal courts in United States. 

DDC 23 has specific numbers for public prosecutors and for public defenders:

345.012 General considerations, administration and personnel, legal aid

. . . .

345.012 62     Public prosecutors

                        Class here district attorneys

345.012 63     Public defenders

Consequently, both the standard and the Option B numbers for works on public prosecutors or public defenders will have extra digits at the end in DDC 23—but they will start out the same as in DDC 22. In DDC 22 The Changing Role of the American Prosecutor is classed in 345.7301 Criminal courts in United States; in DDC 23 it would be classed in 345.7301262 Public prosecutors in United States.  In DDC 22 Public Defenders:  Pragmatic and Political Motivations to Represent the Indigent, about United States public defenders, is classed in 345.7301 Criminal courts in United States; in DDC 23 it would be classed in 345.7301263 Public defenders in United States.

Another part of the law schedule with expansion in DDC 23—expansion that does not affect use of Option B—is 341.2422 European Union.  There are new numbers for bodies of the European Union, e.g., 341.242226 European Commission.  An example of a work now classed in 341.2422 that would be classed in the new number is The European Commission: An Essential Guide to the Institution, the Procedures and the Policies.  There are specific provisions for courts of the European Union, e.g., 341.2422284 Court of Justice of the European Communities. An example of a work now classed in 341.2422 that would be classed in the new number is The European Union and its Court of Justice.  The European Dewey Users Group (EDUG) 340 Law Working Group gave advice and assistance throughout 340 Law, including 345 Criminal law, but their advice was especially important with respect to the European Union. 

There is one important relocation in this part of the law schedule, a relocation strongly recommended by EDUG.  In DDC 23 the European Parliament is relocated to a notational subdivision of the number for the European Union: 341.242224 European Parliament [formerly 341.2424]. An example of a work now classed in 341.2424 that would be classed in the new number is Building Europe's Parliament: Democratic Representation beyond the Nation State.

Personal Finance: Debt Management

Debt management is a recurring theme in the news, especially during a recession and recovery period when governments, business enterprises, and individuals are all struggling. We mentioned management of public debt in an earlier blog: “Public Debt.”  Here are some news articles or advice columns about managing personal debt: “How to Cope with Financial Difficulties” (BBC), “CCCS Advice on Dealing with Debt” (Telegraph), and “If You Get Some Spare Cash, Time to Save and Pay Down Debt” (Washington Post).

Browsing the Relative Index for “debt management” yields:

Debt management (Business)    658.1526
Debt management (Personal)    332.02402
Debt management (Public)       336.36
. . . . .

The schedule entry 332.02402 Personal debt management has 332.024 Personal finance in its upward hierarchy.  Examples of works classed in 332.02402 Personal debt management are Master Your Debt: Slash Your Monthly Payments and Become Debt Free, Deal with Your Debt: The Right Way to Manage Your Bills and Pay Off What You Owe, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Out of Debt.

Elections: Political Parties

An earlier posting on the activities of the (political) election process promised a follow-up post on participants in the election process.  Here we examine the DDC’s treatment of political parties.

Participants in elections, like election process activities, are found in subdivisions of 324 Political process, primarily in 324.2 Political parties.  In general, numbers for political parties are built with:

• 324.2 Political parties, plus
• notation at the country level from Table 2, plus
• notation for the kind of party, as set forth in notation 02–08 in the add table under 324.24–324.29 Parties in specific countries and localities in modern world. 

For example, The Chilean Communist Party and the road to socialism is classed in 324.283075 Communist parties in Chile (built with 324.2 Political parties plus notation T2—83 Chile plus notation 075 Communist parties from the add table at 324.24–324.29, following the instructions given there).

Two criteria govern the organization of political parties in the add table under 324.24–324.29.  The first is temporal, with historical parties (parties existing only prior to 1945) in notation 02 and parties founded or in existence after 1945 in 03–08.  The second is a right-to-left ideological spectrum, applied only to parties founded or existing after 1945; parties founded or in existence after 1945 and identified primarily by a position on that spectrum (e.g., rightist parties, conservative parties, centrist parties, liberal parties, leftist parties) are found in 03–07, while parties founded or in existence after 1945 but not identified primarily by a position on that spectrum (e.g., religious parties, regionalist parties, green parties) are found in 08.

Several exceptions to the general pattern for building numbers for political parties exist:

• International party organizations are classed in 324.1 International party organizations, auxiliaries, activities; the organization of subdivisions of 324.1 is similar to that of notation 03–08 of the 324.24–324.29 add table; for example, International communism and the Communist International, 1919-43 is classed in 324.175 International organizations of communist parties.

• Special developments for political parties in specific countries and localities (United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, United States, Australia) are given separately; these developments tend to follow the general pattern, but are not guaranteed to do so. 

For example, special developments often have classes for specific political parties (e.g., Social Credit Party of Canada, Whig Party) rather than for kinds of political parties.  Typically, they give specific numbers for multiple historical parties, while the add table under 324.24–324.29 gives only a single number (02) for historical parties.   Some of the special developments use notation 09 for Other parties (that is, parties other than those expressly named).  For example, The Communist Party of Great Britain since 1920 is classed in 324.241097509 (built with 324.24109 Other parties of United Kingdom [other than the Conservative, Liberal, and Labor parties] plus notation 75 from 075 Communist parties in the add table under 324.24–324.29, following the instruction at 324.24109, plus standard subdivision notation T1—09 History ).  As a result of these differences, the notation used in special developments does not always align exactly with the meaning the notation has in the add table under 324.24–324.29. 

Some of the special developments also provide for political parties at the state/territory/province level within the country.   (Remember that the general pattern includes use of Table 2 notation at the level of the country.)  Let us consider, for example, The Young Liberal Movement in Victoria: policies, history, structure, constitution and by-laws.  The Young Liberals is the youth division of the Liberal Party in Australia, that is, an auxiliary party organization.  An instruction at 324.3094–324.3099 Auxiliary party organizations in modern world indicates that auxiliary party organizations in a specific country or state should be classed in 324.24–324.29, plus notation 014 (Auxiliary party organizations) from the add table there.   However, a class-elsewhere note at 01 General topics in the add table under 324.24–324.29 tells us that general topics of specific parties should be classed in 02–08; that is, specific kinds of parties are preferred over general topics.  Of course, since it has its own special development, Australia is not governed by the add table at 324.24–324.29.  But a parallel class-elsewhere note occurs at 324.29401 General topics of parties of Australia:  Class general topics of specific parties of Australia in 324.29402–324.29409.  Therefore, The Young Liberal Movement in Victoria: policies, history, structure, constitution and by-laws is classed in 324.294505 (built with 324.294 Political parties of Australia, plus notation 5 from T2—945 Victoria, plus facet indicator 0, plus 5 from 324.29405 Liberal Party of Australia, following the instructions at 324.2941—324.2948 Parties in states and territories of Australia).

Floods in Australia

Last September, Juli blogged here about floods in Pakistan.

Currently, it’s Australia’s turn.  About a month ago there were floods in the central west of New South Wales: I have a personal connection with them, because my youngest son started at a new job in Dubbo when those floods were at their peak in that town.  Now there are floods in Queensland over a much larger area, caused by Tropical Cyclone Tasha.

One important effect of the Queensland floods has been its disruption of coal exports from Queensland to East Asia (Japan, South Korea and China).  Coal is one the major exports from Australia, with more than half of the coal coming from the parts of Queensland disrupted by floods.  Most of the rest goes through Newcastle, NSW – my home town in Australia, and the largest coal port in the world, with more than 90 million tons of coal going through the port each year.

Of course, coal mining is becoming controversial, because greenhouses gases from the burning of fossil fuels (including coal) are a major factor in anthropogenic climate change, i.e., global warming, and global warming is causing increased severity and frequency of tropical cyclones such as Tasha, which is disrupting the coal supply chain in Queensland at present.

Works on the current floods in Queensland would be classed in 994.3072, following the instructions at the Manual note at 900, “Use 930-990 for events that are important enough to affect the general social life and history of the place, regardless of any discipline involved.”  The number 994.3072 is built by adding to the base number 9 the notation 943 Queensland from Table 2, following the instructions at 930-990, and then adding notation 072 from 994.072 [Australian history] 2007-, again following the instructions at 01-09 in the add table at 930-990.

Works on the coal industry in Australia would be classed in 338.27240994.  This number is built by adding to 338.27 Products [of extraction of minerals] the notation 24 from 553.24 Bituminous and semibituminous coal (which has a note, “Class here comprehensive works on coal”), then adding notation 09 Historical, geographic, persons treatment from Table 1 and notation 94 Australia from Table 2.

Interdisciplinary works on global warming are classed in 363.73874 Greenhouse gases, where there is a note, “Class here interdisciplinary works on greenhouse effect (global warming).”

Siblings, Family, and Personality

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.”

Browsing the Relative Index for “siblings” yields:

Siblings                                     306.875
. . .
Siblings—family relationships         306.875
. . .
Siblings—psychological influence    155.924
Siblings—psychology                    155.443

Browsing the Relative Index for “families” yields:

Families                                     306.85
Families—applied psychology         158.24
. . .
Families—psychological influence    155.924

Browsing the Relative Index for “personality” yields:

Personality                                 155.2
. . .
Personality—children                    155.4182

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.