025.431: The Dewey blog

Recession in 2008?

Talk of a possible recession has been in the news recently, e.g., “R-Word Index: Warning Lights: Recession Talk Is Rising,” “UK Economy ‘at Risk of Recession,’” and  “Former Fed Chairman Greenspan Sees Odds for US Recession at ‘50 Pct or Better.’”

Works on recession (e.g., Financial Crises and Recession in the Global Economy) are classed in 338.542 Business cycles, which has the note: “Including prosperity, recession, depression, recovery; panics.”

Literary Authors: AutoDewey and LC Name Authority File

At the recent Dewey Breakfast/Update at ALA Midwinter, we described the Library of Congress AutoDewey software for literature, which takes advantage of those places where Library of Congress Classification (LCC) and DDC are similar enough to facilitate mapping from LCC to DDC.  Before AutoDewey can assign a DDC number, the cataloger must often choose form (poetry, drama, fiction); when the literary periods of LCC and DDC do not match, the cataloger must also choose a literary period.

We spoke of the possibility of adding information about authors’ literary periods to Library of Congress name authority records and asked for advice about how best to do that.  At the breakfast there was general agreement that the more information given, the better.  Specific suggestions were that there should be links between the authority records and the relevant WebDewey records; that in addition to the DDC numbers we should give captions indicating what the numbers mean; that we should indicate which numbers are comprehensive or interdisciplinary numbers; and that we should begin with the latest authors. 

One librarian said she needed to think more about whether it would be best to give information about an author’s literary period without specifying form, or just to give a full built number showing form as well as literary period.  This is an issue especially for new authors, where we know in what form a particular work has been written, but we do not know whether that will be the only form in which the author will write.  If we give a poetry number for an author, we don’t want that number used for the author’s later drama or fiction!

The presentation from the Dewey Breakfast/Update has been posted on the OCLC Dewey Services discussion page.  We welcome additional advice.  Please reply directly to this blog entry.  If you prefer, you may also send comments and suggestions directly to dewey@loc.gov.

MARBI Proposals

Last month we told you about a series of nine proposals for changes in how the MARC Format represents Dewey.

Last weekend MARBI dealt with these proposals at the ALA Midwinter meeting in Philadelphia.  They were all accepted by MARBI without change, except for the last proposal on Classification Number Hierarchy.  With that proposal the major change was to add a new $f subfield as well as the proposed $e subfield in the 153 field in the MARC Classification Format.  The $e subfield will be for "Classification number hierarchy--single number or beginning number of span," and the $f field will be for "Classification number hierarchy--ending number of span."  We had originally envisioned the $c subfield being used for the end of a span when the beginning number of a span was in the $e subfield.  In addition, the $e subfield will be repeatable, instead of non-repeatable as originally proposed.

This decision by MARBI clears the way for us to use these changes in the MARC Format in our redevelopment of the DDC Editorial Support System (ESS).

DDC Online Training: Choice of Number Review

A new module being posted to the Dewey online training web site is a PowerPoint presentation entitled “Choice of Number Review.”  The presentation is accompanied by a set of exercises.  For further information about our overall online training effort, see our previous blog entry.

As a result of successfully completing this module, learners will be able to apply basic rules to choose correctly among multiple potential base numbers.  This is also one of the objectives of the Technical Introduction to the DDC.  This review module is intended to reinforce the learner's grasp of these key rules before the learner embarks on a more difficult module, such as Number Building: Add Tables.  While the principles being taught in the review module are the same as in the relevant portion of the Technical Introduction to the DDC, the examples and exercise items are different.

This module presupposes some level of mastery of the principles taught in the Technical Introduction and Introduction to Table 1 modules.

Transgendered and Intersex People

Last June, we posted a discussion paper on the Dewey web site, along with some questions in a related piece on the Dewey blog, about our proposed updates to people by gender or sex. In particular, we sought advice on the provisions for transgendered and intersex people. We’ve made some adjustments to the June 2007 proposal based on suggestions received from Dewey users. Listed below are the revised developments. The entry in Table 1 —0867 is entirely new; the entry at 306.768 replaces the former entry for 306.768 Transsexuality. Changes to 306.768 are indicated by strikethroughs and underlining.

Table 1

—086 7   *Transgendered and intersex people
                   Including female-to-male transgendered people,
                   male-to-female transgendered people
                   Class here transsexuals [formerly —0866],
                   cross-dressers, transgenderists
                   Subdivisions are added for transgendered and
                   intersex people together, for transgendered people alone
*Add as instructed under —08

. . .

306.768   Transsexuality Transgenderism and intersexuality
                  Standard subdivisions are added for transgenderism
                  and intersexuality together, for transgenderism alone
                  Including female-to-male transgendered people,
                  male-to-female transgendered people, intersex people
                  Class here transsexuality; transgendered people
                  (cross-dressers, transgenderists, transsexuals)
                  Class practices associated with transgenderism
                  and intersexuality in 306.77

The Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee (EPC) has approved the new developments in principle, but has also requested that we seek user feedback before implementing the changes. Please either post your comments to this blog entry or direct your comments to dewey@loc.gov by February 15, 2008.

Trans-Neptunian Objects

We are planning an update to 523.4 Planets of the solar system and would like feedback on the proposed new development. Because of the recent reclassification of Pluto as a dwarf planet by astronomers and the discovery of other Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), the following development in Edition 22 is out of date:
        523.48    Trans-Uranian planets
        523.481        *Neptune
        523.482        *Pluto
*Add as instructed under 523.4

We propose to modify the schedule as follows:
        523.48  *Neptune
        523.49    Trans-Neptunian objects
        523.492        Kuiper belt objects
        523.4922            *Pluto
        523.494        Scattered disk objects
        523.497        Oort cloud objects
*Add as instructed under 523.4

The Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee (EPC) has approved the new development in principle, but requested that we seek user feedback before implementing the change.  Please either post your comments directly to this blog entry or direct your comments to dewey@loc.gov by February 15, 2008.

Dewey Breakfast/Update at ALA Midwinter

Please join us for the Dewey Breakfast/Update at the ALA Midwinter Meeting on Saturday, January 12, 7:00–8:30 a.m., Room 103B, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St., Philadelphia.  Scheduled presentations include current DDC research initiatives (Diane Vizine-Goetz), web-based DDC training materials (Rebecca Green), and LC’s AutoDewey program in literature (Julianne Beall).  The third presentation will be followed by a discussion of issues related to adding Dewey numbers to records for literary authors in the LC Name Authority File.  There will also be an open question/answer period with the Dewey editorial team.  If you haven’t already done so, please register for the Dewey Breakfast/Update here.  See you next week in Philadelphia!