025.431: The Dewey blog

EPC Meeting 132

Giles Martin took the photo of EPC at LC on November 17, 2009. From left to right: Karl Debus-López (Library of Congress, standing in for Beacher Wiggins), Jonathan Furner (UCLA), Welna van Eeden (University of South Africa), Lyn McKinney (Billings [MT] Senior High School), Deborah Rose-Lefmann (Northwestern University), Sandra Singh (University of British Columbia), EPC Vice-Chair Anne Robertson (Australian Committee on Cataloguing), EPC Chair Caroline Kent (British Library), Andrea Kappler (Evansville Vanderburgh [IN] Public Library), and David Farris (Library and Archives Canada).

Meeting 132 of the Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee (EPC) was held November 16-17 at the Library of Congress. EPC Chair Caroline Kent (British Library) was re-elected for a second two-year term as chair.

In Table 1 (Standard Subdivisions), EPC approved a proposal to recast T1—0286 Waste technology as T1—0286 Green technology (Environmental technology). In Table 2 (Geographic Areas, Historical Periods, Persons), EPC gave provisional approval to the revision of Asia Minor and Turkey, and requested additional literary warrant information before approving the expansion for Switzerland.

EPC approved selected updates in the following schedules: 004-006 Computer science; 320 Political science; 361-365 Social problems and services; 390 Customs, etiquette, folklore; 400 Language; 569 Fossil mammals and 599 Mammals; 636 Animal husbandry; 646 Sewing, clothing; 690 Buildings; 720 Architecture; 800 Literature and rhetoric; and various historical periods in 900. EPC also reviewed and approved the full schedules for 670 Manufacturing and 680 Manufacture of products for special uses.

Several discussion papers were considered by the committee. One discussion paper addressed current and proposed practices related to representation and use of standard subdivisions with extended or narrowed meanings, and displaced standard subdivisions. Our investigation of such subdivisions was prompted by two streams of inquiry—a set of questions posed by a group of Dewey Section classifiers preparing training materials (Michael Cantlon, Carolyn Turner, and Ruby Woodard), and our ongoing review of practices related to the representation of standard subdivisions in add tables. EPC approved the discussion paper on 281 Eastern churches for external review. We are seeking advice immediately from the Arabic, Greek, and Russian translation teams; we will also be seeking advice from other experts in Orthodox Christianity. Yvonne Jahns (Deutsche Nationalbibliothek), chair of the European DDC Users’ Group (EDUG) 340 Law Working Group, was a guest attendee at the meeting. She participated in the extensive discussion of various 340 Law discussion papers; the full 340 Law schedule will be considered at Meeting 133. Yvonne also presented “20 years SWD: German subject authority data prepared for the future.” EPC considered another set of discussion papers, including one from the EDUG 370 Education Working Group, focused on the 370 Education schedule. EPC reviewed revised proposals for updates to 372.3-372.8 Elementary education in specific subjects, and updates to levels of education in 372, 373, and 378. The full 370 Education schedule will also be considered at Meeting 133.

EPC also heard progress reports on Dewey linked data, mixed translation models, and ongoing efforts to use machine assistance in the development of the abridged edition. Thanks to the efforts of EPC member Welna van Eeden, a representation of the DDC Summaries in Afrikaans was added last week to dewey.info (Afrikaans is the tenth language represented in the service).

EPC scheduled a follow-up electronic Meeting 132A (to be held February 1-26, 2010), during which the committee will review the Editorial Rules for standard subdivisions; further work on the machine-assisted abridged model; updates to T1—0288 Maintenance and repair to address issues raised at Meeting 131; updates to the Table 2 provisions for Asia Minor, Turkey, and Switzerland; a possible expansion at 746.92 Costume to match similar provisions for clothing and accessories elsewhere; the updated history periods for Africa based on comments from outside reviewers; and minor updates proposed by the Swedish translation team. If necessary, we will split the meeting into two parts and schedule Electronic Meeting 132B (possibly as a webinar) at a later date. Meeting 133 will be held June 16-18, 2010, at OCLC headquarters in Dublin, Ohio.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

The twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on the night of November 9–10, 1989, has brought many news stories and reminiscences about the original event. The following sites all have multiple stories, though only one is cited here.  Deutsche Welle has “November 9, 1989 - The Day That Changed European History.”  SPIEGEL ONLINE International has “How Poland and Hungary Led the Way in 1989.” The BBC has “The Night the Berlin Wall Fell.” The Guardian has “Berlin's Moment of Freedom That Turned World History.” National Public Radio has “The Night the Wall Fell: Freedom, Fatherhood Collide.”

Historical works about the Berlin Wall can be narrow or broad with respect to both space and time.  The Berlin Wall was not limited to Berlin; it continued in East Germany in former Potsdam district (T2—43154).  The November 9 breach of the Wall, however, occurred in Berlin.  Within Berlin (T2—43155 Berlin), the wall itself was physically located in East Berlin (T2—431552 Eastern Berlin), but a full account of the fall of the wall on the night of November 9–10, 1989, involves at minimum both eastern and western Berlin.  Historical works that emphasize Berlin at the time of the fall of the wall are classed in 943.1550878 History of Berlin, 1982–1990 (built with 9 plus T2—43155, following instructions at 930–990 History of ancient world; of specific continents, countries, localities; of extraterrestrial worlds, plus 0878 from 943.0878 Germany, 1982–1990, following instructions at 01–09 Historical periods in the add table under 930–990).  An example of a work classed in 943.1550878 is When the Wall Came Tumbling Down: 50 Hours That Changed the World; here is a description of the work: “Using never-before-seen footage, this compelling film shows what really happened November 9th–11th, 1989 during the fall of the Berlin Wall.” 

Historical works that treat both parts of Berlin but cover the full period of the Berlin Wall are classed in 943.155087 History of Berlin, 1945–1990 (built with 9 plus T2—43155, following instructions at 930–990, plus 087 from 943.087 Germany, 1945–1990, following instructions at 01–09 in the add table under 930–990).  An example of a work classed in 943.155087 is The Berlin Wall: 13 August 1961–9 November 1989. 

Historical works that emphasize East Germany at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall are classed in 943.10879 Period of East Germany, 1989–1990.  The number is one of the special period numbers for the former East Germany, a subdivision of 943.1087 Period of East Germany, 1945–1990.   An example of a work classed in 943.10879 is The Fall of the Berlin Wall.

The built number 943.1552087 History of East Berlin, 1945–1990 (built with 9 plus T2—431552 Eastern Berlin, following instructions at 930–990, plus 087 from 943.1087 Period of East Germany, 1945-1990, following instructions at 01–09 in the add table under 930–990) has limited use because of its narrow focus on East Berlin.

Historical works that treat broadly the roles of multiple central European countries, including Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia as well as Germany, are classed in 943.0009048 History of central Europe, 1980–1989 (built with 943.00090 plus 48 from T1—09048 1980–1989, following instructions at 943.000901–943.000905 Historical periods of central Europe). An example of a work classed in 943.0009048 is The Year That Changed the World: The Untold Story behind the Fall of the Berlin Wall. 

Works that emphasize the immediate effect of the fall of the Berlin Wall on world history are classed in 909.828 World history, 1980–1989.  An example of a work classed in 909.828 is The Fall of the Berlin Wall: The Revolutionary Legacy of 1989.  The work treats the United States, the Soviet Union, Europe, and China.

Staffordshire Hoard

In September the news broke, “Huge Anglo-Saxon Gold Hoard Found”:

The UK’s largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure has been discovered buried in a field in Staffordshire. . . . . The Staffordshire hoard contains about 5kg of gold and 2.5kg of silver, making it far bigger than the Sutton Hoo discovery in 1939 when 1.5kg of Anglo-Saxon gold was found near Woodbridge in Suffolk.

Summary of the Hoard and Interpretation, a report by Kevin Leahy, National Finds Adviser from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, who cataloged the items, includes the following (pp. 5–6):

While much of the decorative detail on these objects remains obscured by earth it seems on present evidence that the contents of the hoard range from the later sixth to the early eighth centuries AD. . . . .

The discovery of this hoard in Staffordshire should cause no surprise; it is the heartland of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia which was militarily aggressive and expansionist during the seventh and eighth centuries under kings Penda (633–655), Wulfhere (658–675), Aethelred (675–704), Coenred (704–19 [–709]), Ceolred (709–716) or Aethelbald (716–757). This material could have been collected by any of these men during their wars with Northumbria and East Anglia or indeed, by someone whose name is lost to history.

The deposit is “unbalanced”, consisting, in the main, of fittings from swords. Other, related objects, such as baldric fittings and large triangular buckles are absent, as are feminine dress fittings. Some fragments may represent helmet fragments but more work needs to be done on them. . . . .

The Staffordshire find might be interpreted as a ‘trophy hoard’ in the original sense of the word: material collected from vanquished enemies, the sword blades perhaps re-used but stripped of their valuable fittings.

Many kinds of works could be written about the Staffordshire hoard.  One kind could study what the hoard plus other sources reveal about the general history of Staffordshire in the seventh or eighth centuries.  Where should such a work be classed?  If one browses in the Relative Index for “Archaeology,” one finds (among other entries):
Archaeology                          930.1
Archaeology—ancient places    931–939
Archaeology—modern places    940–990

If one browses the Relative Index for “England,” one finds:
England                                942
England                                T2—42

If one browses the Relative Index for “England—ancient,” one finds:
England—ancient                    936.2
England—ancient                    T2—362

What is the dividing line in DDC between ancient and modern England?  The caption for 936.2 has the answer: 936.2     Southern Britain to 410    England.  Clearly the seventh and eighth centuries are too late for ancient England.  The comprehensive history number for England in the seventh and eighth centuries is 942.015—a number with two subdivisions that reflect the struggles of Northumbria and Mercia:
942.015      Period of Heptarchy, ca. 600–829
942.0153         Supremacy of Northumbria, 603–685
942.0157         Supremacy of Mercia, 757–796
The Table 2 number for Staffordshire (England) after 410 is T2—4246. The history number for Staffordshire in the seventh and eighth centuries is 942.46015 Staffordshire, ca. 600–829 (built with 9 plus T2—4246, following instructions at 930–990 History of ancient world; of specific continents, countries, localities; of extraterrestrial worlds, plus 0 plus 15 from 942.015, following instructions at 01–09 Historical periods in the add table under 930–990).

The work Sutton Hoo and Its Landscape: The Context of Monuments, which treats the historical context of the Sutton Hoo archaeological site in Suffolk Coastal District, is classed in 942.646015 Suffolk Coastal District, ca. 600–829 (built with 9 plus T2—42646 Suffolk Coastal District, following instructions at 930–990, plus 0 plus 15 from 942.015, following instructions at 01–09 in the add table under 930–990).

Dewey Translators Meeting at IFLA 2009

Forty-five librarians from seventeen countries attended the Dewey Translators Meeting at the World Library and Information Congress (75^th IFLA General Conference and Council) in Milan on August 25. We started the Dewey Translators Meeting in 2003 at IFLA in Berlin as a forum to discuss issues of interest to DDC translation teams (hence the name), but the focus of the meeting has broadened over the years to embrace topics of interest to a wide range of attendees beyond the core group of translation partners.

The first speaker at this year’s meeting, Marie Baliková (Czech National Library), discussed a UDC/DDC crosswalk developed by the Czech National Library for the purpose of collection assessment. The Czech National Library uses the UDC as its primary knowledge organization tool, but makes use of a UDC/DDC crosswalk to enable use of a DDC-based tool for collection assessment. Marie also touched more general issues in knowledge organization—challenges in the creation of crosswalks, identification of weaknesses in classification systems, and problems in the presentation of captions to end users.

Julianne Beall discussed the use of Dewey in the World Digital Library (WDL) project with a focus on the draft guidelines for classifying photographs for the project. We developed the guidelines in consultation with Dewey Section classifiers involved in classifying photographs for WDL. Diane Vizine-Goetz presented an update on two OCLC Office of Research initiatives, Classify, a prototype web service designed to support the assignment of classification numbers, and WorldCat work pages, a project to create rich descriptions from catalog data resulting in a page for every work. Sample WorldCat work pages are available at http://frbr.oclc.org/research/pages/000021759.html. Finally, I presented a brief update on the some changes in the representation of the DDC in MARC 21 formats, design plans for WebDewey 2.0, and the launch of DDC linked data.

We were fortunate to have the heads of all four European DDC Users’ Group (EDUG) working groups in attendance at the Dewey Translators Meeting. Yvonne Jahns (DNB) discussed the work of the EDUG 340 Law Working Group, which has been considering European Union law, theory of sources of law, juristic acts, criminal courts, criminal procedure, and legal professionals. A preliminary report is expected before the end of September, and Yvonne will attend EPC Meeting 132 in November 2009 to discuss the report. Anne-Céline Lambotte (Université de la Méditerranée) reported on the work the EDUG 370 Education Working Group has done on levels of education and subjects in primary education. The 340 and 370 working groups had enough members present in Florence the week before at “Looking at the Past and Preparing for the Future,” an IFLA satellite meeting held August 20-21, to hold a meeting on August 20. Magdalena Svanberg (National Library of Sweden) discussed the EDUG 930 Archaeology Working Group’s concerns about the interdisciplinary provisions for archaeology at 930.1, within 930 History of ancient world to ca. 499. Archaeology of a place after 499 or a place not provided for in T2—3 The ancient world is classed with the history of the place in 940-990 General history of modern world. Gordon Dunsire (University of Strathclyde) reported on the recommendation of the EDUG Technical Issues Working Group that the Dewey editorial team publish the Dewey URI specification. The Dewey URI specification is one of the underpinnings of the recently launched dewey.info service—we plan to issue a discussion paper shortly based on the version of the specification presented at EPC Meeting 131. In the open reporting session, Sohair Wastawy (Bibliotecha Alexandrina) updated the group on the progress of the Arabic translation. We are working together toward the goal of publishing the Arabic translation of DDC 23 near simultaneously with the publication of the English-language edition. By the way, the 2010 EDUG meeting will be held at Bibliotecha Alexandrina in April 2010.

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.

Presidential Pets

Many U.S. presidents and their families have had well-known pets, as can be seen in the photo essay “Presidential Pets.”  Works about presidential pets are often historical and biographical, e.g., The Presidents and Their Pets, which is classed in 973.099 United States presidents—collected biography (built with 9 plus T2—73 United States plus 099 Collected persons treatment, as instructed under 930–990 History of ancient world; of specific continents, countries, localities; of extraterrestrial worlds and under 973.01–973.09 Standard subdivisions, which shows that only one zero instead of two should be used and which has the note, “As modified under 930–990”).  

There are also historical and biographical works about individual pets, e.g., First Dog, Fala, which is classed in 973.917092 Administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933–1945—biography (built with 973.917 Administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933–1945 plus T1—092 Persons). Even Millie’s Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush sticks close to history and biography; the book is classed in 973.928092 Administration of George Bush, 1989–1993—biography (built with 973.928 Administration of George Bush, 1989–1993 plus T1—092 Persons).       

Biographical works about presidential pets are usually classed according to the advice in the “Families and close associates of the famous” part of the Manual note at T1—092 Persons: “Class a history of the immediate or extended family of a famous person with the biography of that person if the work strongly emphasizes the famous person. The same rule applies to the biography of a single relative or close associate of a famous person. However, if the relative or associate is important in his or her own right, or if the famous person is not strongly featured, class the life of the relative in the subject warranted by his or her own work, e.g., use 269.2092 for a biography of evangelist Ruth Carter Stapleton, sister of President Jimmy Carter, that treats the president only incidentally.”  Most presidential pets are not famous or important in their own right—that is, they are best known as pets of famous people, not best known as prize-winning show dogs or racehorses, not famous for having rescued humans, etc.—and usually the famous person is strongly featured.  Consequently, biographical works about presidential pets are usually classed in presidential biography numbers instead of in the pets’ own biography numbers, and T1—0929 Persons treatment of nonhumans is not used.

The newest presidential pet, Bo, is a Portuguese water dog.  The interdisciplinary number for the Portuguese water dog is 636.73 Working and herding dogs, where the breed is named in the including note and where there is an unsubdivided Relative Index entry for the breed.  The American Kennel Club puts the Portuguese water dog in the “working group.”  The Manual entry 636.72–636.75 Specific breeds and groups of dogs explains, “The main groupings used are those recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in The Complete Dog Book, 1997. The roughly corresponding groupings of the Kennel Club of United Kingdom (KC) are given in class-here notes when the names differ materially.”  An example of a work classed in 636.73 Working and herding dogs is Portuguese Water Dog.  

President Abraham Lincoln and His Wife, Mary Todd Lincoln

The United States is celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln (he was born February 12, 1809, the same day as Charles Darwin).  The Lincoln Bicentennial Commission web site has events listed for all 2009, plus much information about Lincoln and his family.  The Library of Congress, Smithsonian, and C-Span web sites—among many—also have information about Lincoln bicentennial exhibits and programs.

Comprehensive biographies of Lincoln are classed in 973.7092 Administration of Abraham Lincoln, 1861–1865—Persons (built with 973.7 Administration of Abraham Lincoln, 1861–1865    Civil War plus T1—092 Persons).  Examples are Lincoln and Lincoln: A Photobiography. 

Most biographies of President Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, are classed in the same number as President Lincoln’s biography, 973.7092.  Examples are Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography and Mrs. Lincoln: A Life.  The Manual entry for T1—092 Persons has a section entitled “Families and close associates of the famous”:

Class a history of the immediate or extended family of a famous person with the biography of that person if the work strongly emphasizes the famous person. The same rule applies to the biography of a single relative or close associate of a famous person.

The First Hundred Days

Many news stories recently have looked forward to Barack Obama’s first hundred days as U.S. President, while looking back to the first hundred days of the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), e.g., “Shades of FDR in Obama’s First 100 Days”:

As Barack Obama plans his first 100 days as president, he has looked for inspiration to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who raced through his early days in office, spurring Congress to act.

“I hope my team can emulate (FDR)...not always getting it right, but projecting a sense of confidence and a willingness to try things, and experiment in order to get people working again,” the president-elect told “60 Minutes” in November. He said he was reading a book about the New Deal president's first 100 days in office in 1933.

At the height of the Depression, Roosevelt used his first three-plus months in office to quickly push through Congress a series of reforms aimed at righting the economy.

Since then, the first 100 days of each administration have become a benchmark to track the progress of the new president.
.....

Like many previous presidents, Obama has attempted to tamper expectations for his first 100 days in office.

“The first hundred days is going to be important, but it's probably going to be more like the first thousand days that makes a difference,” he told a Colorado radio station in an interview shortly before Election Day. “Most of the big challenges that we face, whether it's making college more affordable, or fixing our health care system so it works for everybody, or making sure that we've got a serious energy strategy, or winding down the war in Iraq, all those things are probably going to take longer than three months to complete.”

Works about the first hundred days of FDR’s presidency are classed in 973.917 Administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933–1945, if the focus is broadly on conditions, policies, programs, and events of that time, e.g., FDR: The First Hundred Days. If the work is biographical or focuses on FDR as a person (or on FDR and his close associates), it is classed in 973.917092 United States—1933–1945—biography (built with 973.917 plus T1—092 Persons), e.g., The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope and Nothing to Fear: FDR's Inner Circle and the Hundred Days that Created Modern America.

Works about the first hundred days of Barack Obama’s presidency—or first thousand days, or his full administration—will be classed as appropriate in 973.932 Administration of Barack Obama, 2009– or 973.932092 United States—2009– —biography.

Are Nanodiamonds Evidence That a Comet Caused Catastrophe 12,900 Years Ago?

The Washington Post article “Gems Point to Comet as Answer to Ancient Riddle” begins:

Something dramatic happened about 12,900 years ago, and the continent of North America was never the same. A thriving culture of Paleo-Americans, known as the Clovis people, vanished seemingly overnight. Gone, too, were most of the largest animals: horses, camels, lions, mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed cats, ground sloths and giant armadillos.

Scientists have long blamed climate change for the extinctions, for it was 12,900 years ago that the planet’s emergence from the Ice Age came to a halt, reverting to glacial conditions for 1,500 years, an epoch known as the Younger Dryas.

In just the last few years, there has arisen a controversial scientific hypothesis to explain this chain of events, and it involves an extraterrestrial calamity: a comet, broken into fragments, turning the sky ablaze, sending a shock wave across the landscape and scorching forests, creatures, people and anything exposed to the heavenly fire.

Now the proponents of this apocalyptic scenario say they have found a new line of evidence: nanodiamonds. They say they have found these tiny structures across North America in sediments from 12,900 years ago, and they argue that the diamonds had to have been formed by a high-temperature, high-pressure event, such as a cometary impact.

The BBC ran a similar article, “Diamond Clues to Beasts’ Demise.”  The Post and BBC were responding to an article in Science, “Nanodiamonds in the Younger Dryas Boundary Sediment Layer.”  In addition to describing the controversial hypothesis, the Post and BBC cite critics unconvinced by the proposal, including an expert on impacts who does not believe that a comet could have broken up in the manner proposed (both the Post and BBC) and a geologist who says that nanodiamonds are being identified at other places and times without credible evidence of impact (BBC). 

A work emphasizing the Science article’s argument—that the nanodiamonds in the Younger Dryas Boundary sedimentary layer were formed under “extraordinary conditions, well outside the range of Earth's typical surficial processes but common to cosmic impacts” and that the “diamonds provide strong evidence for Earth's collision with a rare swarm of carbonaceous chondrites or comets at the onset of the Younger Dryas cool interval, producing multiple airbursts and possible surface impacts”—would be classed in standing room at 551.39 Geologic work of other agents, where the LCSH “Comets—Collisions with Earth” has been mapped.  (Most works about the impact of extraterrestrial objects on the earth’s geology are limited to meteorites; they are classed in 551.397 Meteorites, e.g., The Sedimentary Record of Meteorite Impacts.)

According to the rule of application, a work emphasizing the effect of an extraterrestrial calamity—or the effect of climate change or of whatever happened about 12,900 years ago—on the Clovis people would be classed with the history and archaeology of the Clovis people in North America in 970.011 Early history to 1492.  An example of a work about the Clovis people is The Clovis Era in a Mammoth-Haunted Continent. 

A work emphasizing the effect on large mammals of whatever happened about 12,900 years ago would be classed with paleozoology of mammals in 569 Fossil Mammalia, or in a subdivision if the emphasis is on a particular kind of mammal.  Works about mammoths are classed in 569.67 Proboscidea (built with 569.6 Ungulates plus 7 from 599.67 Proboscidea, following instructions at 569.63-569.68  Surviving orders of ungulates), e.g., Mammoths: Giants of the Ice Age and The Fate of the Mammoth: Fossils, Myths, and History.

Piracy

Piracy has been in the news recently, e.g., “Greek Ship Released by Pirates,” “Somalia Pirates May Reduce Ransom Demand for [Saudi] Tanker (Update2),” “Pirates Who’s Who,” and “A Somali Pirate with Historical Leanings Might Scoff at the Outrage: The Lovable Rogue Beloved of Literature and Hollywood Was More Often a Thieving Thug.”

Works on piracy as a crime and pirates as criminals are classed in 364.164 Violent offenses against property, which has the note “Including piracy. . . .”  Examples are Pirates Aboard!: Forty Cases of Piracy Today and What Bluewater Cruisers Can Do about It and Pirates in Paradise: A Modern History of Southeast Asia’s Maritime Marauders.  Because piracy is in an including note and thus in standing room, no further addition is possible. 

Works that treat pirates’ expeditions as seafaring adventure are classed in 910.45 Ocean travel and seafaring adventures, which has the note “Including pirates' expeditions.” An example is Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life among the Pirates.