025.431: The Dewey blog

Making the switch to Intellectual disabilities

Most revisions that we talk about on the blog are large changes. The editors draft up formal proposals to revise Dewey; since February 2019, we've made those formal proposals public. (We make announcements about those periodically, but you can always see what we've got in the works at oc.lc/deweyexhibits). But we also make smaller changes nearly every day, which include things like fixing typos or adding new subdivisions for administrative divisions for countries around the world. (For example, last week we published revised class numbers for Norway, which recently went from having 19 counties to 10 counties.) We don't always talk about those changes, but they're important to keeping the DDC current; I wanted to share one of the small but impactful changes we've made recently. 

Last week I asked the Editorial Policy Committee to review my proposal to replace the term Mental retardation with Intellectual disabilities where it appears in captions, notes, and/or Relative Index terms. However, to ensure classifiers can find the correct terminology, I suggested leaving the Relative Index entries Mental retardation at 362.3 and People with mental retardation at T1--0874 and 305.9084. These will direct classifiers to the preferred terms Intellectual disabilities and People with intellectual disabilities. EPC approved those changes this week and they're now in WebDewey.

Why did this change take so long? One reason is that we have an international scope for Dewey. ICD-10 (the tenth revision of the World Health Organization's International Statistical Classification of Diseases) still uses Mental retardation, although the terminology will change with ICD-11, which will be in effect worldwide January 2022.

Why not just get rid of the term Mental retardation entirely? Well, because of the international usage in ICD-10, I worry that people won't find the correct place to classify works about intellectual disabilities if I don't provide cross references using the older terminology. In addition, I'm concerned that the Relative Index term People with mental disabilities could be confused for People with mental retardation, so I think it's important to keep both terms to give classifiers a heads up that these are not the same concept. In a few years, we should be able to revisit the decision and determine whether to remove references to Mental retardation entirely.

There is more work to be done in this area! I would welcome assistance from Dewey users to clarify terminology and ensure classifiers have appropriate guidance for the literature that is being published. For more information on contributing to shaping the DDC, please visit oc.lc/deweycontributors and get in touch via email at dewey@oclc.org.

We want you to be our 2020 Dewey Intern!

Are you a current student or recent graduate who is interested in library classification? Here's your chance to take a crash course in being a Dewey editor and make a real difference in libraries around the world. We're looking for a Dewey Decimal Classification Intern for summer 2020 who will help us research and propose revisions to the DDC.

Although the position description says "work from home," the intern will need to be present at the editorial office at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Applicants must be current students or recent graduates (LIS graduate students preferred). The position is paid and consists of twelve weeks of full-time work during the summer; the dates are flexible depending on the intern's schedule. When submitting your application, please highlight any work experience or coursework where you have used Dewey or learned about classification principles.

Last year's intern, Emily Zinger, co-authored a proposal for new Dewey numbers for podcasting, and they're real live Dewey numbers now—you, too, could make a significant change in the DDC! Please submit your application soon; we plan to get in touch with candidates in early-to-mid February and hope to notify applicants of our decision by the end of February. Find the position description and application form on the OCLC website.

Webinar on contributing to Dewey February 11th

Want to help shape library classification? The Dewey editors are hosting a webinar February 11th and we invite you to join us!

We're working to make the Dewey Decimal Classification more transparent and more responsive to your needs. We rely on suggestions for improvements from the community, which can include expanding subject areas, clarifying instructions, relocating topics, and more. In this session, we'll talk about why your expertise in libraries is incredibly valuable and how you can make Dewey better for library users around the world!

We'll tell you about the various ways you can be a part of revising Dewey:

• review proposals to change the DDC and share your thoughts
• receive draft proposals via email and help shape their development
• develop your own suggestions for changing Dewey into formal proposals

Details:

Tuesday 11 February 2020

3:00 - 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (North America) [UTC -5]

Free and open to all; register at https://oclcwebinar.webex.com/oclcwebinar/onstage/g.php?MTID=ec9c65c9b32a680610f50d98966660346.

Can't make it? This webinar will be recorded, and we'll also be hosting another webinar in March that will go into more depth about how you can propose your own changes to the DDC.