NOCAT | Technical but useful. |

Classification is a crucial skill for all information workers involved in organizing collections. This new edition offers fully revised and updated guidance on how to go about classifying a document from scratch. Cataloging authority Broughton leads the novice classifier step by step through the basics of subject cataloging, with an emphasis on practical document analysis and classification. Her book deals with fundamental questions of the purpose of classification in different situations, and the needs and expectations of end users. The reader is introduced to the ways in which document content can be assessed, and how this can best be expressed for translation into the language of specific indexing and classification systems. Key areas covered include:

the need for classification;
the variety of classification;
the structure of classification;
working with informal classification;
management aspects of classification; and
classification in digital space.
Fully updated to reflect changes to the major general schemes (Library of Congress, LCSH, Dewey and UDC) since the first edition, and with added chapters on working with informal classification, from folksonomies to tagging and social media, this new edition will set catalogers on the right path. |

Table Of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The need for classification
3. First principles of classification
4. The variety of classification: systems and structures
5. The classification scheme: internal structure
6. Types of classification scheme
7. Order in the classification scheme
8. Content analysis 1: document description
9. Content analysis 2: practical constraints
10. Controlled indexing languages
11. Word-based approaches to retrieval
12. Library of Congress Subject Headings 1: basic headings
13. Library of Congress Subject Headings 2: structured headings
14. Classification scheme application
15. Library of Congress Classification 1: basic classmark construction
16. Library of Congress Classification 1: use of tables
17. Dewey Decimal Classification
18. Universal Decimal Classification 1: general properties and basic number building
19. Universal Decimal Classification 1: auxiliary tables
20. Faceted classification
21. Managing classification ( )

Every book in every library carries a small tag. That single tag helps to both define the subject matter of the text and arrange the book in the library. Often no bigger than a postage stamp, it is one of most defining characteristics of a library book. Before that tag can be placed, however, a librarian has to determine the subject of the book and how to classify it in the library’s system. Vanda Broughton’s Essential Classification is your local librarian’s best friend when it comes to the ins and outs of book classification.

Broughton’s guidebook to classification does not contain every meaning of every piece of the classifications schemes used around the world, but she does guide the reader to their general use. She goes through the Library of Congress Classification, the Dewey Decimal Classification, and even the Universal Decimal Classification. But beyond that, Broughton goes into the management of classification systems, how to establish good authority control from the get-go, and what goes into the building of a good catalog. This is a technical handbook, so it’s not meant for a straight read-through, but if you’re a librarian looking for a good grasp of cataloguing, you should not be without this book. I used it during my schooling and I encourage beginning librarians to do the same. ( )

This is a Bible for classification research. It is very readable, and is a lot like a textbook. I especially enjoy how each section offers a short summary of what has already been discussed.