025.431: The Dewey blog

Tomes & Talismans: teaching Dewey with a post-apocalyptic sci-fi twist

In 1986, Mississippi Public Broadcasting created a show so wild that many of us who watched it as kids thought we had imagined it in a fever dream. Tomes & Talismans was a 13-part television series that was designed to educate schoolchildren about how to find library resources, but with a dark, complex plotline: at the end of the 21^st century, an alien race called "the Wipers" colonizes a polluted and overcrowded Earth, destroying data technology. But that's just the prelude! One hundred years after that, a librarian named Ms. Bookhart is the only human left on the planet, and must teach another alien race called "the Users" to use the resources of the last library on Earth to find a way to defeat the Wipers.

I was never one of those kids who always knew they wanted to be a librarian, but this series really made an impact on me after watching it in my elementary school's library in the fifth grade. I'm sure it helped guide me to a love of science fiction (I only wish I had had access to Doctor Who back then!). Library workers and Dewey fans will find a lot to love in Tomes & Talismans, especially in episode five, which is all about the DDC.

Mississippi Public Broadcasting is hosting an event on Thursday October 17^th to celebrate the series and they'll be making episodes available for streaming. Episodes will be available online for free until November 17^th. The show is worth a watch, if only for the incredible synth music of the intro and the truly fantastic 1980s hairstyles.

Announcing the Truman Decimal Classification (TDC)

Newly-found photographic evidence confirms what was long held to be an urban legend: the creator of our beloved decimal classification system was, in fact, US President Harry S Truman!

Credit: W. Eugene Smith

This discovery is particularly ironic because Truman's middle name was simply the initial "S," many copy editors (and amateur grammarians) have questioned whether the period belongs in his name. While the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum assures us that the dot after the "S" is justified, we beg to differ—the dot, in fact, belongs squarely after the initial three digits of any TDC number.

When, among his many other achievements, Truman made time to design the system, and how it came to be attributed to an obscure, late 19^th-century librarian, remain unclear at this time.

To illustrate this clear break from the past, we recommend that going forward, works about the Truman Decimal Classification be classed not in 025.431, but 394.262.

 

OCLC WebDewey Study

OCLC is committed to continually improving products and services for our users. To help us plan for the future, we are conducting a survey to better understand your needs for classification and how you currently use classification scheme(s) to manage your collections.

Please take a few minutes to complete this survey.  Submissions for the survey are appreciated before it closes on 10 April 2016.

If you have any questions please contact Diane Cellentani at our independent research firm via e-mail marketingbackup1@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Libbie Crawford, MLIS
OCLC · Dewey Product Manager

 

WebDewey Number Building and Two Add Tables in History

If you go to the span record 930-990 History of specific continents, countries, localities; extraterrestrial worlds and click Start, you can begin to build a number (as described in blog post "WebDewey Number Building Tool: History Numbers Built with Table 2 plus Notation for Historical Period").

However, if you go to the span record 940-990 History of specific continents, countries, localities in modern world; extraterrestrial worlds and click Start, you will get an error message: "This span can’t be used in number building."

Why the difference?  At 930-990 the add note specifies a base number:

"Add to base number 9 notation T2--3-T2--9 from Table 2, e.g., general history of Europe 940, of England 942, of Norfolk, England 942.61; then add further as follows:"

At 940-990 the add note does not specify a base number:

"Except for modifications shown under specific entries, add to each subdivision identified by ‡ as follows:"

Does that mean you really cannot use the add table under 940-990 to build numbers with the number building tool, as the error message might seem to say?  No, not at all.  But first you must find the base number that you need—a subdivision  identified by ‡ with the footnote add instruction: "‡Add as instructed under 940-990."

For example, let’s say you want to build a number for War and Nationalism: The Balkan Wars, 1912-1913, and Their Sociopolitical Implications. The first LCSH is Balkan Peninsula – History – War of 1912-1913.

Step 1. Browse the Relative Index (or search) for "Balkan Wars" or "Balkan Peninsula" to find the base number that you need, with the footnote add instruction:

949.6039 ‡Balkan Wars, 1912-1913

‡Add as instructed under 940-990

Step 2. Click Start in the record for 949.6039. The base number 949.6039 appears in the title bar of the Create built number box. The base number, its caption, and the footnote add instruction appear inside the Create built number box:

Step 3. The number building tool takes us to the full record for 940-990 History of specific continents, countries, localities in modern world; extraterrestrial worlds.  The add table is displayed in the Notes box.  In the Notes box click on add table notation 1. The Hierarchy box shows that you have selected 940-990:1 Social, political, economic history:

The notes for that entry are displayed in the Notes box:

Step 4. In the Create built number box, click Add. In the title bar of the Create built number box, the number has changed to: 949.60391. The add table notation and its caption appear inside the Create built number box:

The number building tool gives the option to add notation from Table 1, but that is not needed for this example.  The built number is complete. 

Step 5. In the Create built number box, click Save.  The newly built number appears in the Hierarchy box:

We have an opportunity to change the user term and add other user terms to the built number.  A summary of the pieces used to build the number remains with the record:

Key to success: at the beginning, get both the base number and the add note inside the Create built number box.

Additional resources

• Posts on using the number building tool with standard subdivisions (post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4)
• Posts on using the number building tool in music (part 1, part 2)
• Post on using the number building tool in literature
• Post on using the number building tool for works on natural resources
• WebDewey training modules for the WebDewey number building tool

WebDewey Number Building Tool: History Numbers Built with Table 2 plus Notation for Historical Period

Are you having problems using the WebDewey number building tool for history numbers built with Table 2 Geographic Areas notation plus notation for historical period? If yes, let’s try building numbers for two similar works.

First example. Let’s start by building a number for London in the Victorian period: Victorian London: The Life of a City, 1840-1870. The first LCSH is "London (England)—History—19th century."

Step 1. Go to 930-990 History of specific continents, countries, localities; extraterrestrial world to find the add notes that you need. Click Start to get the initial add note displayed in the Create built number box:

As the add note indicates, the base number for the history number is 9, and 9 appears in the title bar of the Create built number box.

Step 2. Find the Table 2 notation for London (England): T2—421 Greater London. With that full record displayed, click Add in the Create built number box. The Table 2 notation appears in the Create built number box, and the title bar shows that the number built so far is 942.1:

The number building tool takes us back to 930-990.

Step 3. In the add table at 930-990 History of specific continents, countries, localities; extraterrestrial worlds, click 01-09 Historical periods. That displays the full record for 930-990:01-09 Historical periods, with its Notes box:

Click Add to get the add note displayed in the Create built number box:

 

As the title bar shows, the number built thus far is 942.10.

Step 4. Find the record that has these Relative Index entries:

England—19th century
England—1837-1901
Victoria, Queen of Great Britain—English history

One easy approach is to browse for "England" in the Relative Index. What we find is a number marked with an orange puzzle piece to signal that it is a built number (942.081):

For best results, we should not use that built number to build our new number. Records for built numbers do not have add notes. Records for spans that are not centered entries commonly do have add notes.  We look up in the hierarchy to find the record with the add note used to build 942.081: 942.06-942.08 House of Stuart and Commonwealth periods to present, 1603- .  Click to display that record. Then click Add to get the add note displayed in the Create built number box:

Step 5. Find the record that has these Relative Index entries:

Great Britain—19th century
Great Britain—1837-1901
Victoria, Queen of Great Britain—British history

The number for Queen Victoria in British history (941.081 Reign of Victoria, 1837-1901) is not marked as a built number. Click Add to get that number displayed in the Create built number box:

Step 6. Click Save. The newly built number will be displayed in the Hierarchy box:

We have an opportunity to change the user term and add other user terms to the built number.  A summary of the pieces used to build the number remains with the record:

Second example. Now let’s try a book that is similar: Elizabeth's London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London. For this work, the subject headings are as follows:

Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533-1603—Homes and haunts—England—London
London (England)—Social life and customs—16th century
London (England)—History—16th century

Even though the first heading gives emphasis to Queen Elizabeth, this work is similar to the other work in giving broad historical treatment to life in London during a specific historical period. The DDC number will be the same except for the different time period.

Steps 1-3 are the same as for the first example. Before we start on step 4, the Create built number box looks like this:

Step 4. Find the record that has these Relative Index entries:

Armada, 1588
Elizabeth I, Queen of England—English history
England—1558-1603
Spanish Armada, 1588

What we find is a number not marked with an orange puzzle piece (942.055 Reign of Elizabeth I, 1558-1603):

Click Add to get 942.055 displayed in the Create built number box:

Step 6. Click Save. The newly built number, 942.1055, will be displayed in the Hierarchy box:

We have an opportunity to change the user term and add other user terms to the built number.

Unfortunately, although the number 942.1055 was correctly built, the summary that remains with the record is incorrect. Somehow, between creating the user term that serves as a caption and creating the summary, the number building tool forgets where the "055" came from:

The MARC 765 fields associated with that summary are correspondingly incorrect. This problem occurs whenever there are no local add instructions involved in building a number; that is, the key difference between the results of the first example and the second example is the add note at 942.06-942.08—the add note that we made sure was displayed in the Create built number box.

The good news is that until we are able to fix this problem, you can still use the number building tool to create correct history numbers and give them good user terms.

Additional resources
• Posts on using the number building tool with standard subdivisions (post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4)
• Posts on using the number building tool in music (part 1, part 2)
• Post on using the number building tool in literature
• Post on using the number building tool for works on natural resources
• WebDewey training modules for the WebDewey number building tool
Note: The general approach to building numbers described in posts about a specific discipline can be applied in other disciplines.

WebDewey Number Building Tool: Standard Subdivisions and Three-Digit Numbers Ending with Zero: Part 2

Note: See also the post on using the number building tool with three-digit numbers ending with zero, part 1, and additional resources listed at the end of this post.

Are you having problems using the WebDewey number building tool to add standard subdivisions to three-digit numbers ending in zero when extra zeros are required for standard subdivisions?  If yes, let’s build a number for a work on preparing for an examination in building construction, e.g., Building Contractor's Exam Preparation Guide: Based on the Latest Building Codes. Its first LCSH is "Building—Examinations, questions, etc."  Browsing the Relative Index for "Building" yields:

Building—technology 690

If we click to see the full record, we get this Hierarchy box:

We can see from these entries in the downward hierarchy that an extra zero is required for standard subdivisions:

690.01 Philosophy and theory
 
690.02 Miscellany
 
690.03-690.09 Standard subdivisions

However, we need to start building the number just as if no extra zero were required, because the number building tool has learned to supply the extra zero when the need for an extra zero is shown as above in the number column.  What the number building tool has not learned is to drop the placeholder zero when adding a standard subdivision to a division number. A division number has two significant digits plus one placeholder zero, e.g., 690. One step up in the Hierarchy box is an entry with the placeholder zero greyed out:

690 Construction of buildings

If we click to see the full record, we get this Hierarchy box:

In addition to the Hierarchy box, the full record has a Create built number box with the base number that we want: 69 without the placeholder zero:

If we click Start in that box, we get:

Now the Hierarchy box shows standard subdivisions:

We expect to use a subdivision of T1—07 Education, research, related topics; thus we click on that entry in the Hierarchy box and get this new Hierarchy box with the focus on T1—07 Education, research, related topics:

In the Hierarchy box we click on T1—076 Review and exercise to see the full record and get this new Hierarchy box with the focus on T1—076 Review and exercise:

In the Notes box for T1—076 Review and exercise is an including note that begins: "Including workbooks with problems, questions, answers. . . ." Alternatively, we could have found this same number by browsing the Relative Index, e.g., for "Examinations" or "Questions":

Examinations (Educational tests) T1—076
. . . .
Questions and answers—study and teaching T1—076

T1—076 looks like the right standard subdivision for our work. In the Create built number box, we click Add and get this result:

The number has been built correctly with the one extra zero that is needed. If we click Save, the newly built number appears in the Hierarchy box:

We now have an opportunity to change the user term and add other user terms—but enough for now!  We have successfully built the number.

The key to success is to find the record with the placeholder zero greyed out, and click Start in that record.

Note: This approach does not work for 940-990, where the instructions in the 930-990 add table must be followed; we'll look at that more complicated situation in a later blog post.

Additional resources  
•    Posts on using the number building tool with standard subdivisions (post 1, post 2)
•    Posts on using the number building tool in music (part 1, part 2)
•    Post on using the number building tool in literature
•    Post on using the number building tool for works on natural resources
•    WebDewey training modules for the WebDewey number building tool
Note: The general approach to building numbers described in posts about a specific discipline can be applied in other disciplines.

 

WebDewey Number Building Tool: Standard Subdivisions and Three-Digit Numbers Ending with Zero: Part 1

Note: See also previous posts (1 and 2) on using the number building tool with standard subdivisions. See also posts 1 and 2 on using the number building tool in music, and posts on using the number building tool in literature and in natural resources. The general approach to building numbers described in those posts can be applied in any discipline. See also the WebDewey training modules for the WebDewey number building tool.

Are you having problems using the WebDewey number building tool to add standard subdivisions to three-digit numbers ending in zero?  If so, let’s start with the simplest case: a division number where no extra zeros are needed with standard subdivisions. (We’ll look at more complicated situations in subsequent blog posts.) Division numbers have two significant digits plus one placeholder zero, e.g., 550 Earth sciences.  Classifiers are taught to drop the placeholder zero when adding a standard subdivision to a division number.  We plan to teach the number building tool to drop that placeholder zero, but that has not happened yet. In the meanwhile, here are instructions on how to overcome the problem.

Let’s consider an encyclopedia of earth sciences, e.g.: Macmillan Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences.  Its first LCSH is "Earth sciences – Encyclopedias."

Browsing the Relative Index for "earth sciences" yields:

Earth sciences    550   

If we click to see the full record, we get this Hierarchy box:

The focus is 550 Earth sciences, with downward hierarchy showing some numbers built with standard subdivisions, all with one zero.  There is no indication that extra zeros are needed.  One step up in the hierarchy is an entry with the placeholder zero greyed out (550) and the heading edited for browsing purposes as found in the DDC Summaries:

550 Earth sciences & geology  

If we click to see the full record, we get this Hierarchy box:

In addition to the Hierarchy box, the full record has a Create Built Number box with the base number that we want: 55 without the placeholder zero:


 

If we click Start in that box, we get:



          

Now the Hierarchy box shows standard subdivisions:

 


In the Hierarchy box we click T1—03 Dictionaries, encyclopedias, concordances and get this Hierarchy box:


 

If we now click Add in the Create Built Number box, we get:


 

We have now built the number with the correct number of zeros.  If we click Save, the newly built number appears in the Hierarchy box:


 

We now have an opportunity to change the user term and add other user terms—but enough for now!  We have successfully built the number.

The key to success is to find the record with the placeholder zero greyed out, and click Start in that record.

Note: The WebDewey number building tool may be confused by bracketed standard subdivisions. For example, if there are bracketed entries indicating that standard subdivisions have been relocated from a double zero to a single zero (e.g., at 380 or 730), you will need to use Edit local to get the single zero.

WebDewey Number Building Tool: Natural Resources

Note: The general approach to building numbers described here can be applied in any discipline. See also posts 1 and 2 on using number building tool in music, and post on number building in literature.

Are you having problems using the WebDewey number building tool with the add table at 333.7-333.9 Natural resources and energy?

If so, let’s try an example:  Endangered Whales: Information for Teachers. Its first LCSH is "Whales—Conservation."

Here is a summary of the instructions for using the WebDewey number building tool to build the DDC number 333.959516 Cetacea—resource economics—conservation.  (The format of the summary is modeled on the tables used in the WebDewey training modules for the WebDewey number building tool.)

 

Navigate to this number / span	Click	Number built so far	Caption of last number / notation added
333.9592-333.9598	Start	333.959	Subdivisions for specific kinds of mammals
599.5	Add	333.9595	*Cetacea and Sirenia
333.7-333.9:16	Add	333.959516	Conservation and protection

Does that answer all your questions about how to build the number?  If not, keep reading for details.

Browsing the Relative Index for "whales" yields seven entries, among them:

Whales 599.5
 …
Whales--resource economics 333.9595
Whales--zoology 599.5
 
Clicking 333.9595 leads to the full record display for the built number 333.9595 Cetacea--resource economics.  The full-record display for a built number has minimal content.  Here is the Relative Index Terms box for 333.9595; it includes the "Whales—resource economics" entry:

(Background information: The caption for a built number in WebDewey is either the Relative Index entry that most correctly represents the scope of the number, or the first entry in alphabetic order—the latter a default when the most representative entry has not been designated.  In this case, "Cetacea--resource economics" is both the most representative entry and the first in alphabetic order.)   

Here is the Hierarchy box for 333.9595 (note: built numbers are marked with orange puzzle pieces):

Should you click Start in the Create built number box in the record for 333.9595 to build 333.959516 Cetacea—resource economics—conservation? No!  To build that number, you need an add note, and there is no add note in the record for a built number.  To get the add note, you can look up in the Hierarchy box and click the number span immediately above the entries with orange puzzle pieces: 333.9592-333.9598 Subdivisions for specific kinds of mammals.  In the full record display for the span, here is the Hierarchy box:

In the full record display for the span, here is the Notes box with the add note that you need:

Here is the Create built number box in the full record display for the span:

If you click Start here, the add note will appear inside the Create built number box:

Since the add note says to add "the numbers following 599 in 599.2-599.8," the number building tool has displayed the full record for 599 *Mammalia (Mammals).  Here is the Hierarchy box:

Maybe you can remember the 599 number for whales that you found earlier in the Relative Index and quickly drill down to it in the Hierarchy box, or maybe you need to browse the Relative Index again—but one way or another, you need to find the full record for 599.5 *Cetacea and Sirenia.  Here is the Hierarchy box for 599.5:

Here is the Notes box for 599.5 *Cetacea and Sirenia:

The class-here note ("Class here … whales …") signals that whales approximate the whole of 599.5 and that therefore you can add further for a work about whales. There is a footnote (marked by an asterisk) with an add note: "*Add as instructed under 592-599." You are forbidden to use that add note according to the add note at 333.9592-333.9598 Subdivisions for specific kinds of mammals: "…. then add further as instructed under 333.7-333.9 (not as instructed under 592-599)…." When you click Add in the Create built number box, you get:

The number in the title bar of the Create built number box has changed to 333.9595, and 599.5 *Cetacea and Sirenia now appears inside that box—along with the add note that you are forbidden to use! Luckily, the number building tool has displayed the full record for 333.7-333.9 Natural resources and energy, which has the add table that you are allowed to use. Unluckily, if you insist on adding from 592-599 Specific taxonomic groups of animals, the number-building tool will not stop you: you need to read and think about the add notes in order to follow them correctly!

The add table under 333.7-333.9 Natural resources and energy has many different entries with notation to be added; you need to specify which you want to add.  You click to select 16 Conservation and protection:

That leads to the full record display for the add table entry 333.7-333.9:16 Conservation and protection.   Here is the Hierarchy box:

If you click Add in the Create built number box, the fully built number 333.959516 will appear in the title bar, and the add table notation will appear inside the box:

If you click Save in the Create built number box, the newly built number will appear in the Hierarchy box:

You now have an opportunity to modify or add to the user terms associated with the new number, as explained in the "User Terms with Number Building" part of the WebDewey training modules.  Enough for now! You have successfully built the number.   

Keys to success:

• Find the record with the add note that you will use. That may be a record for a number span, where the base number that you will use is specified only in the add note.
• Do not try to start with a built number and add further, because you will not be able to get the necessary add note to appear inside the Create built number box.
• At each step, find the record with the relevant add note, display the full record so that the add note appears in the Notes box, and click Start or Add to get that add note to appear inside the Create built number box.
• If more than one add note appears in the Notes box, as when a complete add table is displayed, click to select the entry with the add note that you need. When only the one relevant add note is displayed in the Notes box, then click Start to get that add note to appear inside the Create built number box.
• Be sure to read and think about the add notes that you are using; while the number building tool will stop you from making some mistakes, it will not stop you from making all mistakes, especially not with complex add instructions.

WebDewey Number Building Tool: Music, Part 2

Note: The general approach to building numbers described here can be applied in any discipline, not just music. See also Part 1.

Are you having problems using the WebDewey number building tool with the standard subdivisions portion of the add tables in the 780 Music schedule?  

If so, let’s try an example: Blues in Black & White: The Landmark Ann Arbor Blues Festivals, to which the LCSH "Blues festivals--Michigan--Ann Arbor--Pictorial works" has been assigned.

Here is a summary of the instructions for using the WebDewey number building tool to build the DDC number 781.64307877435, the number for Blues—festivals--Washtenaw County (Mich.).  (The format of the summary is modeled on the tables used in the WebDewey training modules for the WebDewey number building tool.)

Navigate to this number / span	Click	Number built so far	Caption of last number / notation added
781.643	Start	781.643	Blues
781.63-781.69:01-08	Add	781.643	Standard subdivisions
780.78	Add	781.643078	Performances (Concerts and recitals)
T2—77435	Add	781.64307877435	Washtenaw County

Does that answer all your questions about how to build the number?  If not, keep reading for details.

First you need to find the record with the base number that you will use and the record with the add note that you will use.  Often—as in this case—the base number and the add note are in the same record.

A quick way to find the number for blues is to browse the Relative Index for "blues" and select this entry:

Blues    781.643

(Note: this Relative Index entry is useful as a clue:
Blues--festivals    781.643078
However, 781.643078 is a built number, and you cannot use that number as a base for adding further if you want to use the number building tool.)

Click the number 781.643 to see the full record.  In the title bar of the Hierarchy window and in the middle of the hierarchy display, you will see 781.643 †Blues:

The base number that you will use is 781.643. In the Notes box, you will see the add note (in the form of a footnote marked with a dagger): †Add as instructed under 781.63-781.69

 

At this point, the Create built number box has no number in the title bar.  Inside the box appear only the number and caption 781.643 †Blues plus a Start button:


 
Click Start in the Create built number box.  The Create built number box changes to show in the title bar that the number built so far is 781.643.  And—important!—the add note appears inside the Create built number box (†Add as instructed under 781.63-781.69). (This is a key to success: clicking Start gets the add note copied from the Notes box into the Create built number box.)  Now there are three buttons: Add, Edit Local, and Cancel. (For the purpose of this exercise, you will use only the Add button.)



If you look in the Hierarchy box, you will see that the number building tool has also taken you to the record for 781.63-781.69 Other traditions of music:

 

In the Notes box, you see the add table under 781.63-781.69:


How to express festivals, using that add table? Because the complete add table is displayed in the Notes box, there are now multiple add notes visible in the Notes box. Of those add notes, which is relevant?

If you browse the Relative Index for "festivals," you will find the entry:

Festivals T1--074

You may also remember seeing the Relative Index entry:

Blues--festivals    781.643078
 
You decide to pursue the possibility of adding notation T1—074 Museums, collections, exhibits—or maybe notation 078. In order to do that, you need to look again at the add table under 781.63-781.69. The Create built number box is the same as you left it after you clicked Start:



To return to the add table under 781.63-781.69—to find again the information in the Notes box and Hierarchy box that disappeared while you were looking for "festivals"—click 781.63-781.69 in the add note inside the Create number box.  Looking again at the add table in the Notes box, you see the following entry:

01-08 Standard subdivisions

          Notation from Table 1 as modified under 780.1-780.8, e.g., performances 078

You believe that you need to add "Notation from Table 1 as modified under 780.1-780.8." Click the span 01-08 in the Notes box.  Then the Hierarchy box changes to focus on that span: 781.63-781.69:01-08 Standard subdivisions:
 


Now instead of the multiple add notes in the complete add table, the Notes box displays only one note, "Notation from Table 1 as modified under 780.1-780.9, e.g., performances 078":
 

The "Notation from Table 1 as modified" note serves as a kind of add note—a de-facto add note that is needed for the number-building tool to work.

Click Add in the Create built number box.  Inside the Create built number box appears the number span 781.63-781.69:01-08.  And—important!—the "Notation from Table 1 as modified" note that serves as a de-facto add note appears inside the Create built number box:
 

Now the Hierarchy box focuses on 780 Music, with an outline of its subdivisions that includes 780.1-780.8, since it is the "Notation from Table 1 as modified under 780.1-780.8" that can be used to extend the base number 781.643:

 

You click down in the Hierarchy box to 780.74 Museums, collections, exhibits, and click to display the full record.  In the Notes box you see the do-not-use note, "Do not use for festivals; class in 780.78":

 

You click to go to 780.78.  Here is the Hierarchy box with 780.78 Performances (Concerts and recitals) as the focus:



In the Notes box for 780.78, you see these notes:
 

Click Add in the Create built number box.  The updated Create built number box shows that you have built the number 781.643078. The number and caption 780.78 Performances (Concerts and recitals) appear inside the Create built number box. And—important!—the add note appears inside the Create built number box: "Add to base number 780.78 notation T2--3-T2--9 from Table 2, e.g., concerts in London 780.78421. " This is a key to success in using the number-building tool to add further, beyond 781.643078.
 

Now the Hierarchy box has changed to focus on T2—3-T2—9 Specific continents, countries, localities; extraterrestrial worlds, because the add note says to add notation from T2—3-T2—9:

 

The easiest way to find the Table 2 notation for Ann Arbor is to search for Ann Arbor (using the Search box instead of Browse). Since this search retrieves only one record, the full record is displayed immediately; you need not select from a list (as you would need to do if you browsed the Relative Index).  The Hierarchy box focuses on T2--77435 Washtenaw County:

 

The Notes box has the including note: "Including Ann Arbor":


 
Click Add in the Create built number box.  The updated Create built number box shows that you have built the number: 781.64307877435. The Table 2 number and caption T2--77435 Washtenaw County appear in the Create built number box.


 
Click Save in the Create built number box.  Your newly built number will appear in the Hierarchy box:



You now have an opportunity to modify or add to the user terms associated with that new number, as explained in the "User Terms with Number Building" part of the WebDewey training modules.  Enough for now!  You have successfully built the number.

Keys to success:
•    Start at the beginning; do not try to start with a built number and add further, because you will not be able to get the necessary add notes to appear inside the Create built number box.
•    At each step, find the record with the relevant add note, display the full record so that the add note appears in the Notes box, and click Start or Add to get that add note to appear inside the Create built number box.
•    When you have an "add as instructed under [number or number span]" note inside the Create built number box, and you go away to do other searching in the middle of building a number, and then need to recover the information associated with the number or number span in the add note, click the number or number span inside the Create built number box.
•    If more than one add note appears in the Notes box, as when a complete add table is displayed, click to select the entry with the add note that you need. When only the one relevant add note is displayed in the Notes box, then click Start to get that add note to appear inside the Create built number box.
•    Treat a "Notation from Table 1 as modified" note as an add note, and click Start or Add to get that note to appear inside the Create built number box.

WebDewey Number Building Tool: Music, Part 1

Note: The general approach to building numbers described here can be applied in any discipline, not just music.

Are you having problems using the WebDewey number building tool with the add tables in the 780 Music schedule?  

If so, let’s try an example: What to Listen For in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis, to which the LCSH "Rock music--Analysis, appreciation" has been assigned.

Here is a summary of the instructions for using the WebDewey number building tool to build the DDC number 781.66117, the number for Rock music--artistic principles.  (The format of the summary is modeled on the tables used in the WebDewey training modules for the WebDewey number building tool.)

Navigate to this number / span	Click	Number built so far	Caption of last number / notation added
781.66	Start	781.66	Rock (Rock 'n' roll)
781.63-781.69:11-15	Add	781.661	General principles
781.17	Add	781.66117	Artistic principles

Does that answer all your questions about how to build the number?  If not, keep reading for details.

First you need to find the record with the base number that you will use and the record with the add note that you will use.  Often—as in this case—the base number and the add note are in the same record.

A quick way to find the number for rock music is to browse the Relative Index for "rock music" and select this entry:

Rock music 781.66

Click the number to see the full record.  In the title bar of the Hierarchy window and in the middle of the hierarchy display, you will see 781.66 †Rock (Rock 'n' roll):

The base number that you will use is 781.66. In the Notes box, you will see the add note (in the form of a footnote marked with a dagger): †Add as instructed under 781.63-781.69

At this point, the Create built number box has no number in the title bar.  Inside the box appear only the number and caption 781.66 †Rock (Rock 'n' roll) plus a Start button:

Click Start in the Create built number box.  The Create built number box changes to show in the title bar that the number built so far is 781.66.  And—important!—the add note appears inside the Create built number box (†Add as instructed under 781.63-781.69). (This is a key to success: clicking Start gets the add note copied from the Notes box into the Create built number box.)  Now there are three buttons: Add, Edit Local, and Cancel. (For the purpose of this exercise, you will use only the Add button.)

If you look in the Hierarchy box, you will see that the number building tool has also taken you to the record for 781.63-781.69 Other traditions of music:

In the Notes box, you see the add table under 781.63-781.69:

How to express appreciation, using that add table? Because the complete add table is displayed in the Notes box, there are now multiple add notes visible in the Notes box. Of those add notes, which is relevant?

If you browse the Relative Index for "appreciation," you will find the entry:

Appreciation—music 781.17

You’ll get similar results if you browse the Relative Index for "music appreciation":

Music appreciation    781.17

If you click the number 781.17 in the Relative Index, you will see that the Hierarchy box focuses on 781.17 Artistic principles:

In the Notes box is a class-here note: "Class here aesthetics, appreciation, taste."

You decide to pursue the possibility of adding notation from 781.17. In order to do that, you need to look again at the add table under 781.63-781.69. The Create built number box is the same as you left it after you clicked Start:

To return to the add table under 781.63-781.69, click that number span in the add note inside the Create number box.  Looking again at the add table in the Notes box, you notice the following entry:

11-15 General principles

Add to 1 the numbers following 781 in 781.1-781.5, e.g., springtime music 15242, melody in springtime music 15242124

The add note under the span 11-15 General principles will allow you to add notation from 781.17 Artistic principles.  Click the span 11-15 in the Notes box.  Then the Hierarchy box changes to focus on that span: 781.63-781.69:11-15 General principles.

Now instead of the multiple add notes in the complete add table, the Notes box displays only the one relevant add note:

Click Add in the Create built number box.  The Create built number box changes to show that the number built so far is 781.661. Inside the Create built number box appears the number 781.63-781.69:1.  And—important!—the add note that you want to follow appears inside the Create built number box:

Now the Hierarchy box focuses on 781 General principles and musical forms, with an outline of its subdivisions, since it is the "numbers following 781" that you can add using the add note in the Create built number box:

Either by clicking down in the Hierarchy box or by searching for the number 781.17, you need to get 781.17 Artistic principles displayed as the focal point of the Hierarchy box:

Now click Add in the Create built number box.  At this point the number building tool will give you an opportunity to add a standard subdivision—but you don’t want to do that.  Look at the updated Create built number box; it shows that you have built the number 781.66117. (Note: you may have to scroll down to the bottom of the screen to see the Create built number box.) The number and caption 781.17 Artistic principles appear inside the Create built number box:

Click Save in the Create built number box.  Your newly built number will appear in the Hierarchy box:

You now have an opportunity to modify or add to the user terms associated with that new number, as explained in the "User Terms with Number Building" part of the WebDewey training modules.  Enough for now!  You have successfully built the number.

A key to success: at each step, find the record with the relevant add note, display the full record so that the add note appears in the Notes box, and click Start or Add to get that add note to appear inside the Create number box. If more than one add note appears in the Notes box, as when a complete add table is displayed, click to select the entry with the add note that you need. When only the one relevant add note is displayed in the Notes box, then click Start to get that add note to appear inside the Create built number box.