Brian Deer Classification System

Development of the Brian Deer Classification System

The Brian Deer classification system, developed in the 1970s, is an example of a classification scheme that reflects a First Nations perspective. Librarian Brian Deer developed a different version of the system for each library he worked at. From 1974-1976, he was the librarian for the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations).[1] In 1977, he became the librarian at the Mohawk Nation Office, Kahnawake Branch. Neither the Xwi7xwa Library nor the UBCIC Library and Resource Centre know which version of the Brian Deer system their own Brian Deer schedules are based on. A PDF version of the Brian Deer schedule used currently at Xwi7xwa Library can be found on the Xwi7xwa Library website.

We did not analyze whether or not the notation of the Brian Deer classification system (the specific combinations of letters used to denote classes and sub-classes) resembles existing systems such as the Library of Congress or Dewey Decimal Classification system. In the Brian Deer system, specific call numbers are comprised of a class number followed by one or two cutter numbers and the year of publication. Class numbers may be made up of one, two or three letters, and are listed in the Brian Deer classification schedule. Cutter numbers are formulated according to the Library of Congress cutter chart. Often the cutter numbers are according to author, but some titles are assigned an author cutter number followed by a title cutter number.

The number of letters in a class number seem to indicate a loose hierarchical structure within specific classes. Single letter class numbers denote broad classes or subject areas, two-letter class numbers represent more specific aspects or sub-classes, and three-letter class numbers are further subdivisions or levels of specificity within classes. Often, the subdivisions are geographic - corresponding to provinces or countries.

The Brian Deer schedule does not function as a strict hierarchy in the way that the Library of Congress schedules function hierarchically. One-, two-, and three-letter Brian Deer class numbers do not always correspond to class, sub-class and further subdivided levels of specificity. But a nebulous hierarchy becomes apparent on studying the Brian Deer schedule, and it is useful to recognize this pattern within the classification system.

Deer was conscious of the need to have a classification system that reflected modern First Nations concerns.[3] His systems were homegrown, based on the needs of a particular collection. At the Kahnawake Cultural Centre, Deer used two schemes for the collection - his own classification scheme for material on Iroquois history and culture, and Dewey Decimal Classification for non-native material. In addition to subject headings of his own devising (e.g., Border Crossings, Condolence Ceremony, Great Law, Wampum), Deer also used Jean Aitchison's 1977 Unesco Thesaurus[4] because its coverage paid particular attention to "social sciences (including human rights and law) and culture." He planned in fact to develop standardized subject headings.[5]

Incidentally, our group looked at the Unesco Thesaurus. We were surprised to discover that the thesaurus, although excellent on its own terms, did not seem particularly effective in its treatment of terms relating to indigenous issues when contrasted with other similar works. (Admittedly, the 25 intervening years since its publication may have influenced our perceptions). Our conjecture, based on an examination of the thesaurus, is that it suggested subject areas to Deer and offered alternate ways of viewing material.

From our interviews with librarians who use the Brian Deer system, and our examination of available print literature and Internet sites, our group's sense is that the interest in First Nations libraries, resources, and methods to organize these materials is currently high, perhaps even more intense and energetic than before. Yet the focus of such activities may well have shifted from the work of task forces and committees working in conjunction with various library associations, [6] to groups who are using the available resources of the Internet to connect and maintain communications with one another,[7] meeting periodically at conferences and elsewhere to exchange ideas.[8]

Within the context of Canadian provision of library and information services to First Nations users and to support research into First Nations topics and issues, one long-standing aim, at least since the middle of the 1980s, has been to develop "a single standardized Native library classification scheme."[9] As such, it is useful to examine if and how the Brian Deer system might be adapted to form the basis of a standardized First Nations classification scheme. It is after all a classification system that has been around for some time, and it has been tried in a few settings. The classification system itself has been described as "the basic scheme on which others have patterned their work."[10] It would be a mistake to assume that Brian Deer himself was trying to design a universal system, a theoretical framework in which all classes of knowledge are organized. But it would be equally a mistake to believe that Deer simply copied and modified an existing system or that the system is not in many ways a significant departure from Euro-American world view that has formed the basis of the most commonly used classification systems (i.e., the Library of Congress and the Dewey Decimal systems).[11]

We feel that it is important to keep in mind that Deer was dealing with existing collections and trying to develop a practical method for classifying these items. In light of this, his achievement is considerable, and it demonstrates that a classification system can be developed that begins to address the needs of First People.

Top | Previous | Next