Colon classification
The Colon Classification ('Colon Classification', or 'CC' for short) is a library classification that goes back to SR Ranganathan and is particularly geared towards the classification of small articles (newspapers, magazines). The first version of the CC was published in 1933. The current seventh version was published in 1987.
In the notation of the CC of playing colon (lat., Engl .: colon ) and other punctuation marks , therefore, an important part of the name.
structure
The CC is a partially faceted universal classification .
The universal classification uses Latin capital letters for the notation of the classes (= main categories). All classes are on the same level (none or flat hierarchy ). A section:
- A - science (general)
- B - math
- C - physics
- ...
- L - medicine
- M - Useful Arts
- ...
These classes are in turn divided into subclasses which, however, now describe a hierarchical tree. The subclasses are noted with Arabic numerals. Another excerpt:
-
M - Useful Arts
-
M1 - book production and description
- M13 - papermaking
-
M14 - Printing (general)
-
M143 - pressure
- M1435 - offset printing
-
M143 - pressure
-
M1 - book production and description
- ...
After the (mandatory) categorization into this universal classification, further facets are (optionally) defined in order to further limit the classification object (the article).
The CC uses five basic fundamental facets short PMEST , in the notation each symbolized by a preceding special characters:
- P ersonality (individuality) - indicator is a , (comma)
- M atter (material) indicator is a ; (Semicolon)
- E nergy (energy) indicator is a : (colon)
- S pace (space) indicator is a . (Point)
- T ime (time) indicator is a ' (apostrophe)
Each basic facet is itself a hierarchy tree. A section:
Section of facet P (= thing, object ) of class L - medicine:
- 1 - organs
- 2 - digestive organs
- 24 - stomach
- 25 - intestines
- 3 - circulatory system
- 32 - heart
- 35 - blood
- 4 - respiratory system
- 41 - gills
- 45 - lungs
Excerpt from facet E (= method , procedure, concept, principle) of class L - medicine:
- 1 - nutrition
- 3 - diagnostics
- 4 - diseases
- 41 - General diseases
- 411 - atrophy
- 42 - Infectious Diseases
- 421 - tuberculosis
When using the facet categorization, the order of the five basic facets is fixed (P - M - E - S - T). An article can be assigned to different versions of the same facet, but does not have to be assigned to each basic facet.
example
An article "Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in France 1989" is then categorized as follows:
- Class - Medicine (L)
- P-Facet - Lung (45)
- M-facet - (no assignment)
- E-Facet - Tuberculosis (421)
- E-Facet - Diagnostics (3)
- S-Facet - France (53)
- T-Facet - 1989 (N89)
This results in the notation L, 45: 421: 3.53 '' N89
See also
literature
- SR Ranganathan : Prolegommena to library classification. Asia Publishing House, New York.
- SR Ranganathan: The colon classification. Rutgers University, New Brunswick 1965.
- Rainer Kuhlen , Thomas Seeger, Dietmar Strauch (eds.): Basics of practical information and documentation. Saur, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-598-11675-6 , pp. 136-138.
- MP Satija, Jagtar Singh: Colon Classification: A Requiem . In: DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology . tape 33 , no. 4 , 2013, p. 265-276 ( online ).
Web links
- Colon classification on the iskoi website