Difference between revisions of "Classification System"

Revision as of 17:59, 22 October 2017

The Classification System used for the Library of The Augustan Society, Inc., is unique to our collection, as is common among special libraries. It has not (yet) been given a name.

Like most such systems, it contains several groups of characters that may code for different things depending on the classification and need. The first of these is the class designation. These consist of a letter for the primary category, additional letters for a sub-category, and often a group of two letters or a letter and a numeral for specific subclassifications.

First Line

Primary Classifications

Other categories may well prove necessary over time.

Secondary Classifications

Tertiary Classifications

Some categories are naturally large, and deserving of further subdivision. These come in the several types shown below. Be advised that not all possible subdivisions have been created. For example, if there is only one book on a particular national history, it may well have been left under HN rather than assigning its own classification.

National Classifications

GN and HN are subdivided by nations. Two-letter codes are used for nations represented in the current TLD list found online at Wikipedia. (This source is preferred as there are a number of competing agencies and standards.) Nations not represented on this list are assigned two character cutter codes. Note that this results in nations being shelved out of strict alphabetical order (sometimes wildly so, as Switzerland uses CH).

New codes will be assigned as needed, using the TLD list where possible, and Cutter numbers where not.

Country codes in use include:

Many locations have been part of different countries over the centuries. Items are shelved by the name of the ruling country at the time in question. When works cover a long period, they are shelved under the current name, or rarely under the most common one.

This is a particular challenge for what's now the United Kingdom. While there's a tendency in genealogy to use UK for all areas now included in the country, this is not the case in the field of history. There are many works that pertain only to Scotland, Wales, or Ireland. These works are shelved under those names as a means of subdividing the UK. A very few works address only the period when the name of the country was England or Great Britain, and those are shelved there.

State Classifications

Classification GS is subdivided by state. It may prove useful to create HS and subdivisions at some future point. At present, only US states have classifications. It is fully expected that Canadian provinces will be added once sufficient volumes are cataloged to warrant it. New codes will use the two-letter abbreviations assigned by the USPS or Canada Post. State codes in use include:

Colonies and Territories are filed with the relevant state. Where borders changed or states succeeded (as WV from VA), items are filed according to the name of the state at the time in question.

Peoples Classifications

Classification HP is subdivided by cultural groups, or "peoples". This subdivision is presently tentative, as there are as yet few volumes deserving. Class A7 in particular has very few volumes assigned at present. A goodly number of peoples could be identified and added, but at present the others remain in classification HP. It is also possible that this subdivision will be applied to GP if volumes warrant.

Other classifications that have been proposed, but not implemented, are:

Second Line

The second line is used to more clearly specify the book. There are three data types used:

Author Code

A Cutter code, based on that used by the Library of Congress, is used to uniquely identify each author. Where two authors share a surname, a second Cutter is appended to identify the first names. This is used for the majority of classifications. Thus:

• W35A4 for Alice Walker
• W35J3 for James Walker

Name Code

Classifications GFN and RH are sorted by the name of the family or house, using a Cutter number for each. In these cases, the Author code (and successive entries) are moved down a line.

Date Code

Classification RB is organized by the date of birth of the biographee. When the subject is a couple, the birth date of the senior is used (as Victoria for Victoria & Albert). This avoids the challenges created by monarchs who ruled multiple countries, variations in the spelling of names, and the inadequacy of House names for identification. It has the benefit of shelving contemporaries near one another. Birth dates can be difficult to find, especially in antiquity, but they permit the shelving of living monarchs and heirs, which death dates would not, and coronation dates, which not all achieve. When dates are uncertain, the date given by Wikipedia is normally used.

Dates BC are preceded with those initials, and all dates are padded to four digits. Thus:

• BC1542
• BC0037
• 0200
• 1819

When more than one notable is born in the same year, more specific dates are used, the months padded to two digits:

• 1819-05
• 1819-07
• 1819-10

It has not yet been found necessary to add the day, but at need that would be added in the same way as the month. Beyond that, we'll have to think on it. So far, twins have all been dealt with in the same volume.

Third Line

When an author has written multiple books in a single classification, a Cutter code is assigned to the title of the work. These generally omit articles (a, an, the, and their equivalents in other languages). When the first words are the same or permutations of the same root (as genealogy and genealogical), Cutters for additional significant words in the title are appended without a space.

Subsequent Lines

At need, additional lines may be added to further differentiate volumes. These may include:

Publication Date

Publication dates are useful when multiple editions exist. The same format as for Date codes is used; no special marks are added for estimated or interpolated dates.

Volume Number

Volume numbers are shown as "v.3", always using Arabic numbers, regardless the style used in the book. Parts or issues are also indicated as needed, as "v.3 p.2" or "v.3:4" respectively. Volume and date should not both be used unless multi-volume work has multiple editions; they should not be combined for periodicals.

Copy Number

When multiple copies are held, the numbers are shown as "c.1", "c.2", etc. Deaccessioning may cause some copies to be missing; it is not anticipated that remaining copies will be renumbered.

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