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Showing posts from November, 2014

Metadata Update #22: Reflecting on Classification Numbers

I had a chance recently to listen to a colleague in the public library sector talk about classification numbers and the assigning of Dewey call numbers to materials that were to be housed in a specialized collection which would be devoted entirely to business clientele.   One of the challenges she faced was the fact that so many of the resources were catalogued in the 650s, with most of those being in the 658s.   She found  books on how to write business plans for bakeries and wondered if she could put those books somewhere in the 640s along with other books about commercial baking.   She also had a book on business writing for performing artists and wanted to put that somewhere in the 700s, etc.   She reported that her request to reclassify materials for this collection created considerable controversy in the technical services department with cataloguers who agreed with the appropriateness of reclassification to make the organization of materials more relevant in the specializ