BIBLIOGRAPHICAL CLASSIFICATION, systems of. — The need for a systematic arrangement of bibliographical material for immediate retrieval has given rise to special systems of bibliographical classification, by means of which library catalogues can be organized “by subject” (v. CATALOGUE).
The classification of human knowledge originated in the philosophical sphere, and such systems have not been lacking even in the modern age; some indeed have remained famous (F. Naville [1784–1846], A. Bain [1818–1903], E. Spencer [1820–1903], W. Wundt [1832–1920]), but none of them has ever found practical application in librarianship. Among the systems specifically designed for bibliography—of which there are countless examples after those of the French scholars J.-Ch. Brunet and L. Crozet—those of American origin, namely the Dewey Decimal System and the Library of Congress Classification, have certainly established themselves as the only scientific systems now in use. By eliminating the “catchword” tied to the language in which a work is written, they can truly be said to be universal, and they serve not only for the classification of card catalogues but also for the physical arrangement of books in libraries.
THE BRUNET SYSTEM. — Its origins lie in the catalogue of the Thuana Library of 1679, modified around 1700 by P. Marchand, between 1711 and 1760 by G. Martin, later by De Bure, and finally by Brunet himself, after whom it was named, in two successive editions of his Table méthodique (Paris 1842 and 1865). It comprises five main classes: 1. Theology; 2. Jurisprudence; 3. Sciences and arts; 4. Belles-lettres; 5. History; each divided into categories, which in turn branch out into various divisions and subdivisions. This system served as the basis for all subsequent elaborations and is still used in some libraries in France.
THE CROZET CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM. — Developed in the Manuel pratique du bibliothécaire (Paris 1932), it consists of ten divisions: 1. General works; 2. Religions; 3. Philosophy; 4. Pure sciences; 5. Applied sciences and technology; 6. Fine arts; 7. Languages and literatures; 8. Geography; 9. History of peoples; 10. Social sciences. Each division includes various subdivisions.
THE DEWEY DECIMAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM. — Devised by Melvil Dewey for the library of Amherst College, Massachusetts (1873), and subsequently applied by the same inventor to the libraries of Columbia College in New York and the University of Albany, it was expanded and disseminated by the Belgians La Fontaine and P. Otlet, who in 1895 founded the Institut International de Bibliographie in Brussels with the aim of achieving universal application. According to this system, human knowledge is divided into 9 classes, each class into 9 divisions, each division into 9 sections, each section into 9 subsections, and so on, each numbered with digits from 1 to 9; zero is reserved, within each subdivision, for general works. The classes are as follows: 1. Philosophy; 2. Religion; 3. Sociology; 4. Philology; 5. Pure science; 6. Applied science (useful arts); 7. Fine arts; 8. Literature; 9. History. Every work is thus characterized by a number, with as many digits as the subject is detailed: for example, a general encyclopedia would be 23 (third division of the class of general works), but an Italian encyclopedia would be 35 (fifth section of the third division of the class of general works); and the work by M. Rosi, L’Italia odierna, would have the number 945.08, i.e., class 9 (History), division 4 (Europe), section 5 (Italy), subsection 8 (Risorgimento wars). The specifications can be extended indefinitely and become necessary within each class or division when the system is applied to specialized libraries. In particular, for ecclesiastical libraries, detailed developments of class 2 (Religion) have been produced: cf. J. Murphy Lynn, An alternative classification for Catholic books: a scheme for Catholic theology, Canon law and Church history (Milwaukee 1937), and P.-A. Martin, Religion, theology, droit canonique: classe 2 et division 348 de la classification décimale (Montréal [1938]). For the purposes of bibliographical classification, the decimal system
Mufoz, Antonio, 1884–… La basilica di S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura. Roma, F.lli Palombi, [1914].
2 f. p., 7–106 p., 2 f. fl., 11, ex tav. 34.5 cm.
Bibliography: p. 106–106.
The plates are printed on the recto and verso of 55 leaves.
1. Rome. S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura.
Bibl. Vaticana DGS10.3. LSCM0
Geminiani, Francesco, 1637–1702.
Compleat instructions for the violin, containing the easiest and best methods for learners to obtain a proficiency, with some useful directions, lessons, graces, &c., by Geminiani. To which is added a favorite collection of airs, marches, minuets, &c., with several excellent pieces; for two violins. London: G. Goulburn [1710–?].
1 p. L. 28, 2 p. front. pl. 17 x 24 cm. [Waltz Euthere now… introduction for the flute. London [1710–?].]
Caption title: New instructions for the violin.
1. Violin—Instruction and study—To 1800. L. Title. N. Title: New instructions for the violin.
MT350.C82
Library of Congress
11–12410 rev
(photo Enc. Catt.)
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL CLASSIFICATION, systems of — Cards from the Vatican Library and the Library of Congress.
(is so called in a certain sense improperly, because in the numbers each digit retains its isolated value) is accompanied by an extremely rich alphabetical subject index, or “relative index of subjects,” with 43,000 classified headings. It is used in more than 40,000 libraries in America and in a certain number of European libraries, including some in Italy.
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM. — Introduced by the Library of Congress in Washington, which has been publishing its scheme, still incomplete, since 1904. It consists of various classes, designated by one or two letters of the alphabet, as follows: A. General works. Polygraphy; B. Philosophy and Religion (BA–BI. Philosophy; BJ–BZ. Religion); C. Auxiliary historical sciences; D. History and topography (excluding America); E. General history and topography of America and the United States; F. Local history and topography of America and the United States; G. Geography and Anthropology; H. Social sciences and Economics; I. Political science; K. Law; L. Education; M. Music; N. Fine arts; P. Language and literature; Q. Science (excluding medicine); R. Medicine; S. Agriculture and agricultural industries; T. Technology; U. Military science; V. Naval science; Z. Bibliography and Library science.
Each class is further subdivided by the addition of another letter (e.g., G. Geography; GA. Economic geography) and a geographical designation using Arabic numerals, which however vary from class to class. Various other combinations of letters and numbers are used to indicate the author’s name, the title of the work, etc. (e.g., the work by M. Rosi, L’Italia odierna, is classified as follows: DG. 552. R. 779; D. History, DG. History of Italy; DG. 552, History of Italy, Risorgimento; R. 779 is the designation for the name Rosi). The Library of Congress publishes detailed indexes for each class and also prints the catalogue cards of its holdings, supplying them, upon request, to other libraries; the richness of the information they contain allows them to be used even as a bibliographical repertory. In some libraries, such as the Vatican Library, these cards are merged with those of the alphabetical catalogue into a single dictionary catalogue.
The notation for authors. — In order to distinguish and arrange alphabetically two or more books by different authors on the same subject, notations have been devised which, when added to the symbols of the Dewey decimal classification or the Library of Congress system, serve to identify the author or at least the first letters of his name. These consist of the initial letter of the surname, followed by one or more Arabic numerals representing the subsequent letters: the group thus obtained is placed after the symbol of the classification, separated by a period. Special tables also exist for these notations, the most widely used being the Cutter-Sanborn three-figure tables.