Dewey structural issues

Periods in DDC 936.8xxx 
Posted by Lars Lørdahl on 2016-04-07 15:49

Dear colleagues,
A couple of years ago 'EDUG 930: Archaeology Working Group' began to work in adding periods to the classification of Northern European archaeology.
http://www.slainte.org.uk/edug/edug930/edug930index.htm

Important and much needed revsions were proposed in 2009 and revised in 2011:
http://www.slainte.org.uk/edug/edug930/docs/EDUG930-Time-periods-in-DDC-930-Archaeology-proposal-2011-03-29.pdf

From what I can see there isn't that much more work that has to be done before we could suggest these changes to be adopted and I'd very much like to continue this now. I hope that we together can see what remains to be done before we can send these suggestions to OCLC.
See you in Göttingen.

Best regards,
Lars Lørdahl
Subject librarian for history and archaeology
University of Oslo Library

Need for revision of geosciences (550) in Dewey
Posted by Heidi Sjursen Konestabo on 2016-04-08 08:44

The Science Library at the University of Oslo Library has been using dewey-classification since 2012. We are now very happy to be able to use the Norwegian translated WebDewey as well. However, classification of material within the geosciences has its challenges.

We would like to propose a working group to revise the class 550 Earth sciences & geology. The class is in need of expansion to reflect the broad field of geosciences today. More specific divisions of the class, more accurate notes, and better definitions are needed.

A few examples to elaborate on this:

- representation of technology considering seismic needs to be included and elaborated

- thermodynamics of the Earth and e.g. geothermal heat are only represented under the main class of social sciences, but needs an entry for natural sciences

- geochemistry is at present only referring to the lithosphere (the outer shell of the Earth). The layers inside our planet are also subdivided into layers based on geochemistry, and entries for this should be included

- a heading for geological age determinations containing radiometric dating methods, isotope systems, and biostratigraphy etc. is needed

- different forms of magmatic intrusions (sills, dykes, batholites etc.) is missing in the tables

- several subjects are missing or lacking specifications such as e.g. salt tectonics, geological maps or environmental geology

We hope to discuss this further with you all in Göttingen, see you there!

Sincerely,
on behalf of the geo-team,
Heidi Sjursen Konestabo
Science Library
University of Oslo Library

Time periods in 930
Posted by Vera Uhlmann on 2016-05-23 12:48
The following was sent to the EPC in April 2016. Since it addresses some questions that may be of interesting to other DDC users (v. the post of Lars Lørdahl on 2016-04-07), I include it here.

Time periods in 930 – use of specific prehistoric ages and subdivision of the Iron Age in Western and Central Europe

Two issues are considered:
• The ability to add to the base number of specific places in 931-939 the specific prehistoric ages as developed in the tables under 930.11-930.16
• Subdivision of the Iron Age: Early and Late Iron Age

1. Specific prehistoric ages as developed under 930.11-930.16
This point is of general interest and it has been realised for England in 936.201, the Germanic regions in 936.301 and the Celtic regions in 936.401 (23rd ed.) where the classifier is instructed to add to the base number the numbers following 930.1 in 930.11-930.15. Conceivably, a similar treatment could be applied to some other prehistoric regions and is proposed here for Switzerland (see appendix A).

2. Early and Late Iron Age
In addition, there is a need to introduce a subdivision for the Iron Age. In Central Europe (i.e. from eastern France to southern Germany, Switzerland, Austria etc.), the Iron Age is generally divided in the early Iron Age (Hallstatt culture HaC and D, 800–450 ) and the late Iron Age (La Tène culture, from about 450 BC onward).
Whereas this expansion can be easily applied to the above-mentioned central European regions (see proposal in appendix , this is not the case for the rest of Europe, since the established subdivisions of the Iron Age vary according to geographic areas, and they vary in chronological range.
Which leads directly to the main problem, i.e. where to put the notation for comprehensive works on Early and/or Late Iron Age, not limited to a geographical area. For the reason mentioned above, neither 930.16 (Specific prehistoric ages – Iron Age) nor 936.02 (Europe north and west of Italia) seem to offer quite a satisfactory location.

E.g.:
930.16 Iron Age
Class here 999-1 B.C.
Class here comprehensive works on Early Iron Age, Late Iron Age not limited to a specific place
930.163 Early Iron Age
Class here comprehensive works on Early Iron Age
930.166 Late Iron Age
Class here comprehensive works on Late Iron Age

These new numbers and captions would more or less only make sense for the central European regions, but less so for other regions with different periodisation. The same reservations apply to 936.02 (which has, by the way, the added disadvantage of not mirroring the structure of 930.11 to 930.16).

Another possibility that suggests itself is to assign a class here comprehensive works note to a suitable notation.
(E.g. 936.40163 ……Class here comprehensive works on Early Iron Age (Hallstatt C, Hallstatt D) in Central Europe)
To solve this problem, we need the experience of the editors.

Appendix A: Proposed expansions for specific prehistoric periods in Switzerland
936
.94 * Switzerland to 486
(Option: Class in 949.4012)
.940 1 Early history to 125 B.C.
(Option: Class in 949.40121)
.940 11 - .940 15 Early history to ca. 800 B.C.
Add to base number 936.9401 the numbers following 930.1 in 930.11-930.15, e.g. Bronze Age
936.940156
.940 16 Ca. 800 B.C. to ca. 125 B.C.
Class here comprehensive works on Iron Age in Switzerland
(See also Appendix B for the expansion of the Iron Age)

Appendix B: Proposed expansions for the Iron Age in the Germanic and Celtic regions and for Switzerland
936
.3 *Germanic regions to 481 and Pannonia
.301 Early history to 113 B.C
.301 1-.301 5 Early history to ca. 800 B.C.
Add to base number 936.301 the numbers following 930.1 in 930.11-930.15, e.g., Bronze Age
936.30156
.301 6 Ca. 800 B.C. to ca. 113 B.C.
Class here comprehensive works on Iron Age in the Germanic regions
.301 63 Early Iron Age
Class here Hallstatt C, Hallstatt D
.301 66 Late Iron Age
Class here La Tène period
936
.4 *Celtic regions to 486
.401 Early history to 125 B.C.
.401 1- 401 5 Early history to 800 B.C.
Add to base number 936.401 the numbers following 930.1 in 930.11-930.15,
e.g., Bronze Age 935.40156
.4016 Ca. 800-125 BC
Class here comprehensive works on Iron Age in the Celtic regions
.40163 Early Iron Age
Class here Hallstatt C, Hallstatt D
.40166 Late Iron Age
Class here La Tène period

936
.94 * Switzerland to 486 formerly 936.4
.940 1 Early history to 125 B.C.
.940 11 - .940 15 Early history to ca. 800 B.C.
Add to base number 936.9401 the numbers following 930.1 in 930.11-930.15, e.g. Bronze Age
936.940156
.940 16 Ca. 800 B.C. to ca. 125 B.C.
Class here comprehensive works on Iron Age in Switzerland
.940 163 Early Iron Age
Class here Hallstatt C, Hallstatt D
.940 166 Late Iron Age
Class here La Tène period