Future of the D.D.C. and the U.D.C. |
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DDCThe life and history of the DDC has been one
of growth, adaptation, and change. With over 125 years of history, 21 full
editions in print along with 12 abridged editions and emerging
computer applications such as Web Dewey the future of the DDC looks
bright. There have been increasing attempts to remove the
protestant/America-centric biases from the system, and to expand the
cutter numbers to allow for names from different languages and ethnic
backgrounds than was originally envisioned. There have been more and more versions
in different languages published to allow the system to be available
to as many as possible. The classification systems has also continued to
grow and to adapt to new subjects and ideas such as the burgeoning
computer industry. There have even been talks with the publishers of the
UDC on possible collaboration for material that could be used by both the
UDC and DDC. 1 With the rapid growth of the information industry, and the possibilities involved in the world wide web there will likely be ever increasing need for useful and applicable classification and cataloguing systems. How the DDC will grow to encompass these new venues of cataloguing only the future can say; however, with such a huge base of support (135 countries) 2 and the resources of Forest Press, OCLC and LC behind it the DDC will likely only become more relevant as time goes on. UDCWhile the UDC
is the dominant cataloguing system throughout Europe, Asia, and parts of
Australia it was apparent that upon examination of various OPACs that the
UDC often vied with local cataloguing systems. It was also clear from a
comparison of these two systems that one emerged from the other: DDC=>
UDC. This was observed through the similarities of classification numbers
found in different libraries that used the systems. We also noticed that
there was a great deal of customization of the UDC to provide the most
useful fit to the institutions that were utilizing it. As for its
future, the Universal Decimal System stands at a crossroads, and faces
some major challenges in establishing its role in the next generation of
bibliographic and information systems. While it was given serious
consideration as a candidate for the computer age, thus far these
considerations have not been realized. It is at present at considerable
risk of disappearing altogether. Firstly, it has been restricted by its
“early history as an offspring of the DDC;” it is behind in its
revision, the number of its users has not grown and may be diminishing,
and it is financially insecure. Nevertheless, its proponents are hopeful,
believing that should it disappear there is nothing to replace it. The UDC
has and continues to prove itself as being: …international
in a sense that none of the other major systems is. It has been translated
into many languages and not even DDC, its closest rival, has the breadth
of coverage in terms of collection with a highly ethnocentric viewpoint.
LCC is even less appropriate for international use. 3
How then can
the UDC be saved? Its
supporters claim that we need to know about its current users in order to
know and develop the potential market. Most importantly, its salvation
will lie in its affordability for libraries, its editorial staff to
maintain its currency, and its compatibility to rapidly evolving computer
automation. ____________________________________________________________ 1. Ia McIlwaine, "Preparing Traditional Classifications for the Future: Universal Decimal Classification," Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 21, no. 2 (1995): 57. 2. Chan, Lois Mai, and others, Dewey Decimal Classification: A Practical Guide, (Albany, New York: Forest Press, 1996): 8. 3. Nancy J. Wilkinson, “The UDC: its future,” The UDC: Essays for a New Decade, ed. Alan Gilchrist and David Strachan, (London: Aslib, the Association for Information Management, 1990), 29-32.
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Table
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