Use of the Universal Decimal Classification

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to present a general overview with up-to-date information on the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) use worldwide. Design/methodology/approach -The research combined e-mail interviews with LIS professionals in 208 countries, literature research and information obtained from UDC distributors/publishers (AENOR, BSI, UDC Consortium). The following categorisation of UDC use was offered: A -dominant system; B -used in some kind of libraries only; or C -rarely used. Findings -The paper finds that, of the 208 countries contacted and researched through the literature in 2004-2006, the UDC was found to be used in 124 (60 per cent) of these. In 34 (28 per cent) of the countries researched (in Europe, Asia and Africa), UDC is the main classification system used across national information networks. In 45 (36 per cent) of the countries it is used in certain kinds of libraries. In the remaining 45 (36 per cent) of the countries it is used rarely, in only a few libraries or information centres. Research limitations/implications -It was beyond the scope of this research to provide any information regarding the actual number of institutions using UDC in a given country or to give an estimate of the size and number of document collections organised by it. Although a decline in UDC use since the 1980s was reported from a number of countries, it was not possible to measure this accurately. Practical implications -The interest shown for using UDC in the organisation of digital collections, information exchange and cross domain and cross collection resource discovery depends on accurate knowledge of its actual usage worldwide. This gives a measure of its global importance and verifies its credentials as an indexing standard. This research, which attempted wider and more systematic coverage than previous surveys, should help clarify the status of UDC and its potential use in the networked environment. Originality/value -The paper provides up-to-date information on the presence of the UDC system across countries and languages.

A different approach to Universal Decimal Classification in a Mechanized Retrieval System

“…Over the course of the years UDC has become one of the world's foremost classification systems having been published in different editions in more than 39 languages and used in at least 124 countries [6]. There are currently over 140,000 libraries employing UDC in Europe alone [7] and collections using it include the Scientific and Technical Information Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (VINITI RAS), the Hungarian National Union Catalogue (MOKKA) and The Network of Libraries and Information Centers in Switzerland (NEBIS) [8].…”

Need to Categorize: A Comparative Look at the Categories of Universal Decimal Classification System and Wikipedia

“…The foundation of UDC goes back to two Belgian lawyers, Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine, who as early as 1895 envisaged a classification system that should be able to organize all existing knowledge [4]. Since the first 1905 edition, the existing 19 th century structure of UDC has been filled with overlapping concepts from the 20 th century [5]. From 1993 onwards, UDC consortium publishes a digital Master Reference File [MRF] as UDC standards.…”

Cataloging and Classification

“…In "Use of the Universal Decimal Classification: A World-Wide Survey," Slavic presented results of her study using e-mail interviews with LIS professionals in 208 countries, and a literature review. 114 While the survey did not provide information about the number of institutions using UDC, results did show use in 124 countries (60 percent), with UDC the main classification system in 34 countries (28 percent) in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Slavic believed this was evidence that UDC remained "an international de facto standard in indexing."…”