National Library of Australia

Editorial Policy Committee Meeting November 2007

The Ediitorial Policy Committee held Meeting 128 at the Library of Congress on 13-14 November 2007.

The Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee (EPC) held Meeting 128 at the Library of Congress November 13-14. One of the first items on the packed agenda was the election of Caroline Kent (British Library) as Chair for 2008-2009.Caroline’s election marks the first time in its long history that the EPC Chair has come from outside North America.

Electronic pre-meeting items

Exhibits already discussed and voted on via the EPC discussion list and formally accepted included Exhibit 128-3 Minutes of Meeting 127; Exhibit 128-3.1 Minutes of 127A; Exhibit 128-8 310 Collections of general statistics, and Exhibit 128-25 500-509 Natural sciences.

Two other pre-meeting items were the subject of further discussion at the meeting.
The proposed changes to Exhibit 128-28 600-609 Technology (Applied sciences) troubled some of the committee, and require further clarification by the editors.

A suggestion from the German translation team that fortified wine needed its own number led to several proposals for improving the treatment of wine, including new numbers for fortified wine under the number for wine in home and family management, which is also the interdisciplinary number (641.22 Wine), and under the number for commercial processing of wine (663.2 Wine). Advice on the geographic treatment of wine was received from several countries, and was incorporated were appropriate into the final schedules which were approved at the meeting.

Contributions to the development of the wine schedules are only one of the ways the wider Dewey community is helping to develop the classification. The translation teams serve as corresponding members on EPC, and review all draft proposals distributed on the discussion lists simultaneously with EPC members, and take part in the discussions. Some comments received have led to changes in the recommended course of action, and translation teams have also made direct requests or suggestions for changes in the classification. The Italian translation team proposed changes in philosophy (a new number for philosophical counseling), medicine (a review of the treatment of therapies under 615.851 Mental and activity therapies and 615.852 Religious and psychic therapy), and sports (an expansion under volleyball). This last proposal sparked a lively discussion among EPC members about special expansions versus standard developments in sport, concluding with acceptance of the Italian request, as sports other than volleyball have special expansions too, and the Italian proposal was not creating an undesirable precedent.

A request was received from the Royal Library of Sweden to consider changing the interdisciplinary number for abortion from abortion treated as a social controversy to abortion treated as a medical service—this resulted in new numbers in 610 and 362. (The number for abortion as a social controversy [363.46 Abortion] is not being removed: its status as the interdisciplinary number is just being changed.)

Among other significant actions taken at the meeting, the committee approved a thorough overhaul of the treatment of groups of people in the classification, a project which has in fact been under discussion since late 2005. Some of the proposed changes have already been written about on the Dewey blog . Any adjustments/changes resulting from comments from outside review will be presented to the Committee for approval in due course.

Among other matters the Committee approved updates to:
004-006 Computer science;
010-090 Information and general works—this exhibit was based heavily on a previous exhibit partially reviewed at Meeting 127 but it also incorporated other additions and minor changes made primarily in response to comments from EPC members or from translators
100 Philosophy, parapsychology and occultism, psychology;
320 Political science;
380 Commerce, communications, transportation;
390 Customs and etiquette (except folklore);
500–509 Natural sciences;
520–550 Astronomy, physics, chemistry, earth sciences;
600–609 Technology (Applied sciences);
610 Medicine and health;
630 Agriculture and related technologies;
780 music;
790 Recreational and performing arts; and
800 Literature and rhetoric.

The Editorial Policy Committee EPC suggested that the editors seek user feedback on the proposed new expansion for Trans-Neptunian objects (and relocation of Pluto) prior to deciding which of the proposed solutions is the most appropriate to include in the classification. The committee approved in general propositions for changes relating to trans-gendered and intersex persons it also advised that further input be sought from the wider community.

While in general many of the exhibits encompassing sections of the classification referred to above were approved for either immediate or somewhat later release over the coming months, certain aspects of them were ‘subject to further refinement by the editors’ prior to release, while others were primarily the subject of wider discussion with a view to enabling the editors to develop comprehensive proposals for consideration at later meetings after still further consultations and research.

Among matters requiring relatively minor adjustments and/or explication were issues such as the difference between ‘poultry’ as apposed to ‘chickens’, terms which are almost synonymous, further clarification of light rail etc systems, and other matters of this nature which would form the body of an electronic conference for approval by the committee to enable distribution of the amended exhibits for application in the classification as soon as possible. Once this has been done the new numbers will be distributed via the usual channels.

Exhibit 128-36 800 Literature (Belles-lettres) and rhetoric

For the most part the additions amendments and changes delineated in this exhibit were uncontroversial, however, the Canadians strongly objected to the proposal to regularize the standard literary period tables by combining the two authorized period tables (American and Canadian) into one table, as this, in their view effectively reduces Canadian literature to an undistinguishable part of American literature, and creates problems in the relationships between Canadian literature written in French and that written in English. Their postion has considerable merit from the perspective that national literature has unique features that may be lost when subsumed within another literature, no matter how benign the intention is.

This matter was the subject of considerable discussion in the Committee, the Canadian position being one with which I have considerable sympathy. The editors suggested that it would be possible to make the Canadian literary period tables a formal alternative optional provision if that would be a suitable result. This would not make a massive change to Library of Congress practice other than for Canadian literary works by individuals prior to 1830, which would have a different number to the Canadian choice. While I have not seen the Canadian response to this, I surmise that this proposal is the most likely acceptable outcome, which I would support if the Canadians choose to accept it.

While a number of other matters were discussed at length during the meeting, no decisions were expected; rather they were intended to explore possibilities and give some guidance and directions for the editors to investigate further feasible options and solutions within a variety of disciplines.

During the discussions of the exhibit covering Music (780), apart from the strong objections of the English Committee to the separation of Anthems from Motets proposed in the new schedules, there was a wide-ranging discussion of the shortcomings and possible solutions for a more equitable treatment of modern music forms within the classification. While no definite solution was reached the committee endorsed the idea that the editors should explore as wide a range as possible of ways to organise this particular branch of music in the best interests of users, and we expect further discussions to take place at future meetings before any final decisions are made.

A number of topics were listed on the agenda which were not presented for any decisions but were in fact discussion papers raising complex questions requiring wide-ranging discussions both within the Committee and by outside experts and the wider general Dewey users before any decisions one way or the other could be made. Among these was a paper dealing with Education, which posed the question whether, in the quest to make this part of the classification less U.S.-centric it is at all possible to develop the classification in a way that is sympathetic and compatible with education practices on a much more universal scale. While no real answers were forthcoming Committee members were requested to attempt to explore this further within their own constituencies.

What precisely constitutes a child rather than an adult is a topic of interest too, particularly in relation to paedriatrics within the medical field. Some of these matters will be revisited in later meetings.

A discussion paper dealing with the treatment of the history of changed numbers was listed for discussion at the meeting, but as time ran out it was not discussed. It was also listed for the electronic follow-up meeting 128A, but engendered no comments at all from the EPC members. When it was originally distributed for discussion prior to Meeting 128, no EPC delegate received any useful comments as far as I am aware, or indeed any comments at all, but I expect it will be listed again for Meeting 129 in May of this year.

Meeting 128A

An electronic meeting was held in late January to follow up certain Exhibits which were approved in principle by the EPC, with a request that the editors follow up and clarify certain minor matters not quite clear within the Exhibits as approved. Surprisingly no comments at all were made, suggesting that the exhaustive discussions at the original meeting had canvassed most contentious matters. These exhibits :

128A-7 Trademarks
128A-12 Selected topics in 004–006 and 025.04
128A-23.3 Underground and elevated railroads, and trolleybuses
128A-24.1 Memorial services
128A-28 600–609 Technology (Applied sciences)
128A-31 630 Agriculture and related technologies

were approved unanimously by all EPC members as they stood and should be made available for use shortly.

Meeting 128 unfortunately farewelled four valued members of the Committee, something which has never previously occurred, and all of them will be missed. With the exception of one person who had served for over 12 years and whose knowledge and experience were highly valued, the others also left with regret as their positions had radically changed to the extent that they could no longer justify serving on the committee. They were farewelled with great dismay as all of them had made major contributions to the development of the classification even during the short time of their membership. The four replacements who will make their first appearance at Meeting 129, scheduled for May will be most welcome and come with a broad range of varied experience amongst them.

Certain Exhibits not covered at this meeting, or sent back to the editors for further work will form part of the Agenda for the May meeting, and will be published for public comment shortly. Any and all comments will be gratefully received and passed on to the editors as were all those I had passed on for Meeting 128.

Anne M Robertson
Deputy Chair
Editorial Policy Committee of the Dewey Decimal,Classification Committee