Dewey Decimal Classification, Universal Decimal Classification, and the Broad System of Ordering: The Evolution of Universal Ordering Systems

摘要

O f the three systems named in the title of this paper, the first isfamiliar to everyone, even outside the profession of librarianship; the second ismuch less well known; and the last one is probably still a total stranger.Actually, to say that the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) is littleknown in the United States is an understatement. Except for a handful ofpeople who actually use the system, the general notion among many librariansin this country seems to be that the UDC is a quaint, even outlandish system,a transmogrification of Dewey performed by some oddballs in the city ofBrussels. American textbooks on classification still call it the "BrusselsExtension." Such ignorance and neglect is even more deplorable as the UDC isessentially of genuine American descent, being the offspring of the DeweyDecimal Classification (DDC).When we celebrate the Dewey centennial, we can at the same time lookback on exactly eighty years of UDC. It was in 1895 that two Belgianlawyers, Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine, decided to adapt the DDC fortheir plan of the Institut International de Bibliographic (IIB) as aclassification system for the worldwide repertory of all knowledge recordednot only in books, but also in articles, reports, and any other kind ofdocuments.