CLASSIFICAZIONE BIBLIOGRAFICA, SISTEMI by. — The need for a systematic arrangement of bibliographic material for the purpose of immediate retrieval gave rise to special systems of bibliographic classification, on the basis of which library catalogs can be arranged “by subject” (v. CATALOGO).
The classification of human knowledge originated in the philosophical sphere, and systems of this kind were not lacking even in the modern age; some, indeed, remained famous (F. Naville [1784–1846], A. Bain [1818–1903], E. Spencer [1820–1903], W. Wundt [1832–1920]), but none of them ever found practical application in library science. Among the properly bibliographic systems, which are in truth innumerable, following those of the Frenchmen J.-Ch. Brunet and L. Crozet, the American systems of decimal bibliographic classification and of the Library of Congress have certainly established themselves; these must be regarded as the only scientific systems in use today. By eliminating the “entry word,” which is tied to the language in which the work is written, they may truly be called universal, and they serve not only for the bibliographic classification of the card catalog but also for the arrangement of books in the library.
BRUNET’S SYSTEM. – It derives from 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, from whom it took its name, in two successive editions of his Table méthodique (Paris 1842 and 1865). It comprises five principal classes: 1. Theology; 2. Jurisprudence; 3. Sciences and arts; 4. Belles-lettres; 5. History; each divided into categories. These, in turn, branch into various divisions and subdivisions. It is the system that served as the basis for all subsequent elaborations, and it is still used in some libraries in France.
LA C. B. DEL CROZET. – Developed in the Manuel pratique du bibliothécaire (Paris 1932), it comprises 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 comprises several subdivisions.
THE DECIMAL BIBLIOGRAPHIC 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 H. Lafontaine and P. Otlet, who for this purpose founded the Institut International de bibliographie in Brussels in 1895, with the intention of achieving its universal application. According to this system, the whole of 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 containing as many digits as its subject is detailed: for example, a general encyclopedia will be 03 (third division of the general-works class), whereas an Italian encyclopedia will be 035 (fifth section of the third division of the general-works class); and M. Rosi’s work, L'Italia odierna, will bear the number 945.08, that is, class 9 (History), division 4 (Europe), section 5 (Italy), subsection 08 (the wars of the Risorgimento). The specifications may be extended indefinitely, and become necessary within each class or each division when the system is to be applied to specialized libraries. In particular, detailed developments of class 2 (Religion) have been made for ecclesiastical libraries: 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, théologie, droit canonique: classe 2 et division 348 de la classification décimale (Montréal [1938]). For purposes of bibliographic classification, the decimal system
Muñoz, Antonio, 1884.
... La basilica di S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura. Roma, F.lli Palombi, [1944].
2 leaves of plates, pp. 7–106, 2 leaves. Illustrations, excluding plates, 34.5 cm.
« Bibliografia »: pp. 106–106.
The plates are printed on the recto and verso of 55 leaves.
1. Roma. S. Lorenzo fuori le Mura.
Vatican Library
DG510.3.LCM9
Va 43-1529
Geminiani, Francesco, 1687–1762.
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, minuses, &c., with several excellent pieces [1] for two violins. [London; G. Goulding 1170–1].
1 p. l., 28, 30; p. front., pl. 17 × 24 cm. [With Entire new ... instructions for the life. London 1177–1].
Caption title: New instructions for the violin.
1. Violin—Instruction and study—To 1800. 2. Title. 3. Title: New instructions for the violin.
MT356.C62
11-19416 rev
Library of Congress
(1884)
(photograph, Enc. Catt.)
CLASSIFICAZIONE BIBLIOGRAFICA, sistemi di - Cards from the Vatican Library and the Library of Congress.
(whose name is in a certain sense improper, because in the numbers each digit retains its isolated value) is accompanied by a very rich analytical index, or “relative index of subjects,” in alphabetical order, containing 43,000 classified subjects. It is adopted in more than 40,000 libraries in America and in a certain number of European libraries, including some Italian ones.
THE C. B. SYSTEM OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. — Introduced by the Library of Congress in Washington, which has been publishing its still-incomplete scheme 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 disciplines of history; 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. Instruction and Education; M. Music; N. Fine Arts; P. Language and Literature; Q. Sciences (excluding medicine); R. Medicine; S. Agriculture and Agricultural Industries; T. Technology; U. Military Sciences; V. Naval Sciences; 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 determination of place obtained through the use of Arabic numerals, which nevertheless vary from class to class. Various other combinations of letters and numbers serve 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 cards for the books it holds, supplying them, upon request, to other libraries as well: the wealth of information contained in them makes it possible to use them also as a bibliographical repertory. In some libraries, such as the Vatican Library, they are merged with those of the alphabetical catalogue into a single dictionary catalogue.
LA NOTAZIONE PER AUTORE. — 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 decimal bibliographic classification or of the Library of Congress, serve to identify the author or at least the first letters of his name. They consist of the initial letter of the surname, followed by one or more Arabic numerals representing the subsequent letters: the group thus obtained is appended to the bibliographic-classification symbol, separated from it by a period. Special tables also exist for these notations, the most widely used being the Cutter-Sanborn three figures tables.