Abridged 13 Workbook: : for Small Libraries Using Dewey Decimal Classification Abridged Edition 13

Citation

Satija, M.P. (1999), "Abridged 13 Workbook: : for Small Libraries Using Dewey Decimal Classification Abridged Edition 13", Library Review, Vol. 48 No. 4, pp. 341-342. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.1999.48.4.341.11

Abridged 13 (1997) is a true abridgement of the <it>DDC‐21 (1996) which has been printed from a database prepared at the Library of Congress by a computer‐assisted editorial support system. Accordingly, it has all the new features of the unabridged <it>DDC‐21, namely, revised schedules for 350‐354 Public administration, 370 Education, 570‐590 Life Sciences and new numbers for the countries of the erstwhile Soviet Union among the major revisions. Terminology has been updated to reflect international usage; number building instructions have been made explicitly simple; structures of notes appended to various entries have been simplified; captions have been improved; use of standard subdivision has been a bit regularised. In public administration and life sciences the citation order of facets has been reversed to reflect the shift in the current literature of these disciplines. The manual has been expanded and indexed; and there are more references to the manual in the schedules. The relative index has been expanded by 40 pages to guide users to the correct numbers. In brief, the new abridged edition in a single volume provides small libraries the updated features of the unabridged <it>DDC‐21 at a much lower price.

Sydney Davis was first to write a full length book in 1993 on any abridged DDC‐ that was on abridged DDC‐12 (1990). The workbook under review is a revised and updated edition of that pioneering work. Mr. Davis, senior lecturer at Charles Sturt University, Australia, is an experienced teacher and writer who has taught classification in Europe, Africa and Australia. His workbooks (1990/1997) on full DDC‐20/21 have already been acclaimed by students and reviewers. Association of ÑGregory R. New, assistant editor, DDC and publication by the Forest Press makes it de facto an official guide to the theory and practice of the abridged DDC‐13.

This workbook, simple, readable and practical, forms a clear and valuable introduction to the abridged 13. Illustrations used as examples, though imaginary, are well chosen to highlight the intricacies and finer points of classification and number building. It assumes no previous knowledge on the part of the users to explain the use of schedules, the manual, the tables and the relative index. The book has been divided into 14 small chapters of which the last is a small review exercise. The first six chapters provide a brief introduction to library classification, Dewey decimal classification, history and management of the abridged edition, organisation of the abridged 13th edition, three summaries, manual and their use, and the nature of the notation and operation of the relative index. The seventh and eighth chapters are on the choice of the right number, by subject analysis, determination of discipline, schedule scanning and matching, especially taking up the problems of interdisciplinary subjects. There is also a brief chapter on the citation order and precedence order of facets ‐‐ the latter in case of non‐coextensive class numbers. Users have been occasionally referred to the text of the Abridged 13 to cite a rule or for elaborated explanation. The chapters 9 to 13 are devoted to number building either through the schedules or with any of the four tables. (The abridged DDC has only the first four tables, and omits tables of national, ethnic groups, languages, and persons.) Every chapter ends with an exercise. The last chapter is a small review exercise for drill. An appendix provides explanatory answers to all the exercises. Every chapter has been divided into small sections with feature headings. In the first two chapters the feature headings are in the form of well formulated questions, for example “Which library classification do I need for my library?”, or “What is special about the Dewey Decimal Classification?”

It is a simple, concise and user friendly practical introduction to the subject. Simplicity and clarity of presentation are its hallmarks. The book addresses directly to the users and at every page there are tips and expert advice for the learner. That makes it a self learning text as well as a class teaching tool of high standard in the tradition of OCLC quality products.