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Rethinking Dewey: A Norwegian Perspective on Library Classification Challenges

In Norway, with its 5 million population spread over 19 counties and 428 municipalities, public libraries face significant classification challenges under the Dewey Decimal System (DDS). The Public Library Act mandates each municipality to have a library, yet many operate with minimal staffing and lack professionally trained librarians. This presentation explores the historical integration of Dewey in Norwegian libraries, the emergence of homegrown classification systems, and the ongoing need for a coherent classification policy to improve access to information services for all citizens.

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Rethinking Dewey: A Norwegian Perspective on Library Classification Challenges

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Who needs Dewey? A Norwegian perspective

  2. My talk

  3. Norway: 5 million peoplescatteredaround … • 19 counties • 428 municipalities, ranging from 201 inhabitants (Utsira) to ca. 600 000 inhabitants (Oslo). (2012) • Public Library Act: Eachmunicipalityshall have a publiclibrary, which is administered by themunicipalityalone or in cooperationwithothermunicipalities

  4. Is smallbeautiful? Public libraries: Report to the Storting 23 (2008-2009): • 108 publiclibraries have less staff thanone man-year • 56 % ofthepubliclibraries have less thantwo man-years • 124 municipalities (29 %) have noprofessionally qualifiedhead librarian This shows thatthere is need to have an efficientbibliographic system whichallows for thereuseof (classification) data Main provider to public and schoollibraries: Norwegian Library Bureau. DDK5 (latest Norwegian DDC translation used).Subject headings and classifiactionnumbersmapped: *650 1$aBoliger$0husholdning$1643.1$2BS$9nob

  5. Academic and speciallibraries Library units in all: 314 (Statistics Norway, 2011) • 1 nationallibrary • 146 academiclibraries (universities and university colleges) • 36 libraries in healthinstitutions • 109 publicspecial/researchlibraries • 22 private special/researchlibraries 112 libraries in researchinstitutions and highereducationalinstitutions + theirsubunitsparticipate in the BIBSYS sharedcataloguing system. No unifiedclassification and subject data policy

  6. Haakon Nyhuus «imported» Dewey • Newberry Library, Chicago Public Libray • Head of Oslo Public Library in 1897 • Library reformer ofthecentury! • IntroducedDewey in thelibrary 1898 • Mildlysceptical to Dewey: «… theoldcarriagewithitstenwheels,someofwhichare a littleloose and shaky from wear and tear…»

  7. Arne Arnesen – disseminatedDewey • Head ofcataloguing, later head ofthelibrary • Publishedarticles/booksaboutcataloguing and classification • Publishedcataloguingrules and DDC schedules in Norwegian • Initiatedcourses in librarianship

  8. All editions up to 1983 namedafter Arnesen • Bøkenes opstilling og nummerering, 1914 • (1. ed.) • Klassifikasjon etter MelvilDeweys system, 1920 (2. ed.) • Klassifikasjon etter MelvilDeweys system, 1969 (3. ed.)

  9. Historically: Dewey = publiclibraries • The nationalbibliography (Universityof Oslo Library) startedusingDewey in 1956 • Academic/speciallibraries: • «Home grownsystems» • UDC • Dewey • No officialcoordinationbetweenthetwosectors, Deweyremained «publiclibraryproperty» • 1977: National Office for Research Documentation, Academic and Special Libraries (RBT) establishedthe Norwegian General Classification Committee, DDC Section

  10. 1970s – Turning point • Surveys/seminars/workshops ontheuseofclassification and indexing systems in Norway • Thoroughinvestigationsinto general classification systems: Library ofCongressClassification, BibliographicClassification (Bliss), UDC and DDC. National classification policy published (1977): • Norwegian academic and speciallibrariesareadvised to useeither UDC or DDC. DDC is recommended for smallerlibraries and librarieswith a «general» collectionprofile. UDC is recommended for largercollectionswhereitsgreaterlevelofspecificity is needed

  11. National classification policy (1977) • The long term aimwas a nationalthesauruswhich covers all subjects. The database shouldpoint from thesubject terms to DDC/UDC. The need for Norwegian terms is emphasizedsincetheresultswill be communicated to «students, pupils and the general public» • Since Norway is a small country we have to refrain from translating theinternationalclassification systems in full

  12. National classification policy (1977) • Abbreviated, nationaleditions is an option, but have proved hard to update • Translate terms as an «input vocabulary» to theinternationalclassificationsystems • Centralizeclassification, reuse data from bibliographiccentres (national or international) • Show librarieswheretheycanshortenthenumber (DDC: 331´886)

  13. Results … • The useof «homemade systems»reduced • Move from UDC to DDC (ca. 60 UDC usersremain) • Beforedeveloping DDK4 (published 1983) oneoftheoptionsfor updatingDewey in Norway was to translate the relative indexofthe full editiononly • DDK4 a (more or less) «true» subsetof DDC whichmade it easier for libraries to use DDK in combination with full DDC

  14. Intermediaryeditions (DDK4 and DDK5) • Updatingcontinuesto be a problem • Intermediaryeditiontoosmall for thelarge or specializedcollections, oftentoodetailed for thesmallestlibraries(and thereforealsodifficult to use) Too small: manyeditionsofDewey still in use, littleharmonizationofvocabularies Too detailed: Example (book on dog massage): DDK5: 636.7089582 No suggestion as to where to shortenthenumber

  15. When replacing DDK5 • Surveys/seminar/workshops on the use ofclassification and indexing • Little reuseof DDC numbers (partly due to thenumberofeditions in use, partlythatclassificationnumbersareadjusted to thecollections) • Pilot projectonmixed English/Norwegian (an attempt to createoneDeweyeditionapplicable to all types and sizesoflibraries+ «quickfix»)

  16. Reasonsfor choosing a full translationof DDC: • One sizefits all • The need for Norwegian vocabularythroughoutthe system to form subject headings • End usertoolsneed to be in Norwegian • Updatingofmixededition time consuming and costly • The universitylibrariesprefer a full translation • One source • Easier to reuseclassification • Improveconsistency in OPACs • Facilitatefederatedsearches

  17. Cultural diversity … BIBSYS

  18. Classificationissueswhichneedattention • Acceptance for reuseofclassification from centralizedsources • Convince libraries that Dewey is more than a shelving system! • Experiment with, develop and implement end-userbrowsingtools • Support themappingofvocabularies to WebDewey • Manylibrariesfind DDK5 toodetailed, show where to abbreviate • Affordablelicence

  19. Hanna Lund, Universityof Oslo Library, 1943 «Life is tooshort to allowtheneglectofclassification»

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