From UDC to DDC

Reclassification at the University of Bath

Elly Cope

Information Librarian (Chartered) – Cataloguing & Acquistions

Twitter: @ellycope

E-mail: e.cope@bath.ac.uk

A brief glossary …

TS: Technical Services

Workroom: Technical Services office

AS: Academic Services

Upstairs: Academic Services

Levels: Academic Services

Infos: Information Librarians (usually referring to Academic Services)

Deweyfication: The act of reclassifying an item

Deweyed: An item/record that has been reclassified

Library hierarchy

Head Librarian

Deputy Librarian & Head of Technical Services

Bibliographic Services Librarian (Acq., Cat.,

Copy & Print)

Information Librarian (Chartered) – Acquisitions

Senior Library Assistant

x 0.5

Library Assistant x 1.5

Information Librarian (Chartered) – Cataloguing

Cataloguing Library Assistant

1 FTE

Bibliographic Services Librarian (Document

Delivery & Periodicals)

Head of Academic Services

Faculty Librarians x 3 (Levels 3, 4 & 5)

Subject Librarians

Level 3 x 1

Level 4 x 2

Level 5 x 3

Information Librarians

Level 3 x 1

Level 4 x 1

Level 5 x 1.8

Level 3: Architecture & Engineering

Level 4: Science

Level 5: Humanities & Social Science

A brief history

*Academic Services Information Librarians do the classification at the University of Bath*

• Universal Decimal Classification adopted as alternative to Dewey

• Updated schedules not purchased• New subjects not covered

• Additions, notes and amendments made on schedules and, more recently, on the Library wiki• UDC numbers ‘disguised’ as Dewey

• In-house schedules for some subject areas• Negative student feedback• Possibility of shelf-ready

Task Group: formation & methodology

• Communications Task Group recommended that:

“the classification system and organisation of stock be reviewed with a view to implementing a system which is more consistent, user focused and intuitive.”.

• Classification Policy Task Group formed

Methodology:• Graduate Trainee report• Literature search• Ongoing projects• Costings (out-sourcing and in-house classification)• Available schemes and associated costs

Task Group: identifying options

A. Maintain the status quo• Incur no additional costs• But not practical

B. Which classification scheme? In-house or commercial• Ease of use essential

(students and staff!)• DDC or LCC

C. Application of schedules• Across the whole library• Test area

D. Outsourcing• Any benefits?

E. Retro-conversion• Time consuming• Test area?

F. Management of retroconversion• Outsourcing?• Large scale one-off project

Task Group: conclusions

Preferred options• Adopt Dewey across the library

• Update to latest editions when available

• Use Coutts shelf-ready service• Retro-convert existing stock• Short term intensive retro-conversion project

Alternative options• Adopt Dewey on one floor

• Update to latest editions when available

• Use DDC classmark from downloaded BDZ records• Partial retro-conversion of identified problem areas

2009 pilot project

1. “To retroconvert architecture books within the 720 range in our UDC sequence to DDC.”

2. “To acquire new architecture books likely to fall within the DDC 720 range in shelf-ready format.”

• Dewey editions 19+ deemed acceptable• 7,108 items in 720 range• Using ISBNs Coutts found DDC numbers for 3,500• BDZ records for 3,118 had acceptable Deweys• Unmatched books to be classified in-house• Coutts chosen as shelf-ready supplier• Retro-conversion to be done in-house

Pilot project procedures

Academic Services:• Check spreadsheet of titles:

• DDC19+ numbers accepted without checking• DDC18 numbers checked and accepted or reclassified

• Remaining 1,122 items transferred to storage area for classification from scratch• (issued to ‘RECLASS’)

• Holds placed on items out on loan• Joblink staff (aka students) produced spine labels and

updated records

Technical Services:• Quality control items coming in as shelf-ready

Pilot project: results

• Retro-conversion took 22 weeks• 6,768 items were reclassified• 340 books identified as missing (records deleted)• 1,068 moved outside 720 range• 67 architecture books ordered as shelf-ready

(undercharged!)• Catalogue records enhanced• User feedback very positive

Expansion of the project

• No use of shelf-ready• New books to Dewey using numbers in downloaded

records• Extend to all of Level 3 (Mechanical, Chemical and

Electrical Engineering)• Retro-convert all stock• Previous editions and extra copies

• Huge amount of extra work for cataloguing

• Early 2010 Request made for Management to be added (Level 5)

• Late 2010 TS pushed for all fund codes to be Deweyed• Frustrating for the team to know items would be back• Still not literature…

Current Cataloguing procedures

*Everything passing through Workroom now gets a Dewey number (except literature)*

• Check record for a Dewey number• Check that it’s a valid Dewey version for that fund code• If a number can’t be found through BDZ, LoC or OCLC

Classify it goes ‘upstairs’ for a number• Returned to TS for final cataloguing and spine labeling • Extra copies & other editions

• Extra copies dealt with by Technical Services • Other editions dealt with by Academic Services

(partly because of Library layout!)• User IDs for Workroom and the AS floors for holds

Retro-conversion

• Retro-conversion of Level 3 ongoing• Academic Services conduct targeted retro-conversion

projects over summer vacation• Subjects/number ranges nominated by members of

Task Group• Calculations of number of books and time needed to aid

decision• Recent summer projects:

• 2010 Mechanical Engineering (620s)• 2011 Computer Science (003-006)• 2012 nominations were:

• Management (658 & 659)• Biology & Biochemistry (570s, particularly 571)

The future

• Unlikely to adopt shelf-ready in the near future• Ongoing summer retro-conversion projects• Change to library layout?• Changes to Dewey…• Staffing changes

Keep going!

As of August 30th 2012:

37,297 titles in the library have Dewey numbers (15%)

210,272 titles are still UDC (85%)

Calculations predict another 17 years at the current rate..!

Any questions?

Extra copies procedural flowchartCheck call no./item tab. Is the record already Dewey?

YES

Process in the usual way

NO

Is there an acceptable Dewey no. in the bibliographic record?

NO

Put book in stacks for classification

YES

Write it on the slip and in the property stamp. Check record as normal.

Go to call no./item tab

Print record (File/Print)

Change the call number to the Dewey number and change ‘class scheme’ from UDC to Dewey

If the Dewey number will place the books on a different level to their current location update the ‘Home location’ to the correct Level as determined by the call no.

Check everything else is correct

Collect print out

Write on the print out the new call no. and what version of Dewey it’s from. Tick off the copy(ies) you’ve done and write ‘Done’ and the date.

Are there copies on loan?

YES NO

Place holds for RECLASS on them and write ‘holds placed’ and the date.

Put print out in the appropriate Level folder on Jayne’s desk (by UDC no.)

Are they all on loan?

YES

NO

Hole punch and put in narrow blue ringbinder on Cataloguing’s drawers

Part B

Other editions procedural flowchartCheck a previous edition’s record.Is it already Dewey?YES

Breathe a sigh of relief.Double check all the others.Are they all Dewey?

YES

Use that number for your edition and process as normal.

NO

NO

Check records for an acceptable Dewey number.Is there one?

YES NO

Put in stacks for classification

Process your book as normal using Dewey number found

Return to search

Open the record for the next ‘other edition’ in the list

Print a copy of the record

Collect print outs

On each print out write the Dewey version and the new call number

Send to Information Librarian on the relevant level (by fund code)

Add Dewey number in an 082 field making sure to add |2 and the Dewey version no.

Return to searchRepeat until all editions have Dewey numbers and all records are printed out.

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