College and Research Libraries Review Articles Classification Systems Classification Systems. B y M a u r i c e F . T a u b e r a n d E d i t h W i s e . V o l . I , P a r t I I I . Gifts [and] Exchanges, P a r t I V and V, by D o n - ald E . T h o m p s o n . ( " T h e State o f t h e Li- brary A r t , " edited by R a l p h R . Shaw.) New Brunswick, N . J . : R u t g e r s University, G r a d u a t e School o f L i b r a r y Service, 1961. 6 0 9 p . $8.00. T h e reviewer's assignment was " T h e State of the L i b r a r y A r t , " v o l u m e 1, part 3, Classi- fication Systems, a n d although confining his a t t e n t i o n to this in detail he f o u n d he h a d to relate it to volume 1, part 1, Cataloging and Classification by T a u b e r , a n d part 2, Subject Headings by Frarey, a n d to all o f volume 4, with five parts, all on m e c h a n i c a l a n d semi-mechanical retrieval systems. Criticism of a c o m p i l a t i o n of this k i n d must r e f e r to organization. T h e s e parts over- lap so much, a n d at least the o n e particu- larly u n d e r review is so i n a d e q u a t e l y i n d e x e d , that for b o t h systematic and selective study of i n f o r m a t i o n retrieval they would have to be gone through and, in effect, reorganized. E v e n the physical organization of the parts is puzzling. Parts 1-2, v o l u m e 1, on closely r e l a t e d subjects, are in o n e physical v o l u m e b u t with two p a g i n a t i o n s a n d two indexes; the closely r e l a t e d part 3 o f this v o l u m e is in a n o t h e r physical v o l u m e with t h e u n r e l a t e d parts 4-5, on " G i f t s " and " E x - c h a n g e s , " b u t with o n e p a g i n a t i o n a n d o n e i n d e x ; the closely r e l a t e d parts on p u n c h e d cards a n d so on are down the l i n e in volume 4, which is i d e n t i c a l with a physical volume, with o n e p a g i n a t i o n a n d o n e i n d e x . T h e set o r series as a whole is n o t as m u c h descriptive or critical o f the state o f the library art as it is abstractive a n d anthologi- cal of the l i t e r a t u r e . Some such title as "Sur- vey o f the L i t e r a t u r e o f L i b r a r i a n s h i p a n d I n f o r m a t i o n R e t r i e v a l " would be more ex- act, e x p l a n a t o r y , a n d less archaic. V o l u m e 1, part 3, seems more a n t h o l o g i c a l than the others, a n d m a n y of the writers q u o t e d in it are vigorous e x p o n e n t s of the opposition of the older d o c u m e n t a t i o n a n d the l a t e r i n f o r m a t i o n retrieval to l i b r a r i a n s h i p a n d its cataloging. P u r p o s e a n d c o n t e n t s of the p a r t u n d e r review are, however, almost e n t i r e l y to be praised. T h e reviewer's only reservation is the general o n e a b o u t c o m p e n d i a , which h e was t a u g h t at school were o n e of the evi- dences a n d causes o f A n c i e n t R o m e ' s de- c l i n e . T h e writings which are summarized with copious e x t r a c t s are clearly cited, b u t will the student always go to the source? W i l l h e check a n d realize that in some cases extracts taken f r o m o n e l i n e o f a r g u m e n t a n d i n t e r j e c t e d i n t o a n o t h e r may n o t q u i t e fully o r fairly represent the writer's views? T h e p r e f a c e says, " I f we have adequately p e r f o r m e d o u r p r i m a r y task, it should be unnecessary to search the l i t e r a t u r e f o r in- f o r m a t i o n on the topics c o v e r e d . " Unneces- sary to search, b u t surely still desirable to take research b a c k to o r i g i n a l sources a n d c o n t e x t s . A n d even f o r searching there is the ' i f , a n d the two stools of the delays o f p e r f e c t i o n i s m a n d the i m p e r f e c t i o n s o r in- adequacies o f improvisation. T h e writer could n o t h e l p n o t i c i n g that his own book, Information Indexing and Subject Cataloging (Scarecrow Press, 1957), is n o t q u o t e d in parts 1-2 on s u b j e c t catalog- ing a n d a l p h a b e t i c a l s u b j e c t headings, b u t is extensively q u o t e d in part 3, Classifica- tion Systems, b o t h on these a n d on alpha- b e t i c a l s u b j e c t cataloging. A n d there is o t h e r evidence o f cross division suggesting t h a t there was some o v e r l o o k i n g in v o l u m e 1, parts 1-2 which is r e m e d i e d in part 3, a n d perhaps some o v e r l o o k i n g in this which is r e m e d i e d i n volume 4, o r the reverse, b u t n o t q u i t e satisfactorily f o r i n f o r m a t i o n re- trieval purposes. "Classification systems" in the library art usually means those typified by D C , a n d i n part 3 chapters I I - I X are on those from D C to CC, b u t even in these, and in chapters X to X I X , there is discussion of retrieval sys- tems which are n o t classification systems o f the same k i n d ; writers a n d writings q u o t e d r e j e c t b o t h the old a n d the new that have g o n e by the n a m e of " c l a s s i f i c a t i o n " in li- b r a r i a n s h i p a n d in d o c u m e n t a t i o n . 76 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S C h a p t e r V is on Cutter's expansive classifi- c a t i o n . C u t t e r , o f course, was a d i c t i o n a r y catalog man who only i n t e n d e d his classifi- c a t i o n f o r the shelf, b u t this c h a p t e r (p. 134) has an excursion on his rules, and on his specific entry, a n d on Kaiser, who was strongly a l p h a b e t i c a l , a n d on the opposition of classified a n d d i c t i o n a r y catalogs. T h i s would have fitted b e t t e r in volume 1, part 2. C h a p t e r X I is on Mooers Zatocoding, b u t Mooers e m p h a t i c a l l y r e j e c t s what is usually m e a n t by a classification system as the quo- tations of h i m show, a n d r e j e c t s s u b j e c t n a m e coding based on any classification in favor o f r a n d o m coding. C h a p t e r X I I deals with Perry classification, b u t again, as the e x t r a c t s show, Perry a n d his associates re- j e c t e d what they called " c o n v e n t i o n a l classi- fication," that is, " h i e r a r c h i c a l classification," a n d in their system the only a p p r o a c h to it is their " g e n e r i c e n c o d i n g , " which has some likeness to the m e t h o d o f the alphabetico- classed catalog. C h a p t e r X I I I , on T a u b e a n d D o c u m e n t a t i o n I n c . , is also one on sys- tems which are n o t classificatory in the usual sense and are based on a r e j e c t i o n o f " c o n - v e n t i o n a l " systems, b o t h a l p h a b e t i c a l and classified. T a u b e is q u o t e d as saying that, " T h e d i c t i o n a r y catalog, the L i b r a r y o f Congress a n d Dewey classification systems . . . were pretty m u c h fixed a n d o u t . " (p. 393). A n d in what T a u b e called " c o o r d i n a t e i n d e x i n g , " in which he used a n u m b e r - m a t c h i n g version of the peek-a-boo m e t h o d he did n o t use a classification n o t a t i o n f o r his s u b j e c t a r r a n g e m e n t as B a t t e n did; h e used his verbal " u n i t e r m s " a l p h a b e t i c a l l y arranged. T a u b e , Perry a n d Mooers, B a t t e n , all r e a p p e a r in v o l u m e 4. I t is, of course, impossible to avoid con- trast o f a l p h a b e t i c a l a n d classified c a t a l o g i n g in controversial discussion o f either, b u t t h e g e n e r a l p r o a n d con arguments could have b e e n gathered together instead o f scattering some o f t h e m through chapters on p a r t i c u l a r systems. A n d t h e so-called c o o r d i n a t e a n d m e c h a n i c a l systems, which c l a i m to be n e i t h e r c o n v e n t i o n a l classified n o r conven- t i o n a l a l p h a b e t i c a l , would have b e e n b e t t e r organized outside t h e cover of the title Clas- sification Systems a n d with the m a t e r i a l in v o l u m e 4. I n d e x i n g is the only way o f r e t r i e v i n g b o t h escapable a n d inescapable weaknesses of classification, a n d the i n d e x to volume 1, part 3, does retrieve some of its classificatory weaknesses, b u t n o t all, because, u n f o r t u n - ately, it is n o t a good i n d e x . I t seems to have b e e n d o n e by someone who did n o t know the c o m p a r a t i v e i m p o r t a n c e or the sense of the s u b j e c t m a t t e r , and relied largely on capitals as a guide. F o r e x a m p l e , " U n i t e r m " in f o u r phrases has f o u r entries which could have b e e n consolidated i n t o o n e ; the in- d e x e r seems to have r e l i e d on the capital " U , " b u t n o t to have realized the u n i t y of the s u b j e c t . Similarly, the categorical tables o f B r o w n ' s s u b j e c t classification have two entries; the i n d e x e r a p p a r e n t l y did n o t realize the identity of B r o w n and his s u b j e c t classification. R a n g a n a t h a n ' s chain procedure or index- ing is discussed in the c h a p t e r on his C o l o n classification, a n d would be looked for in this c h a p t e r by those already i n f o r m e d , but it has been used apart from his CC, and with D C , in B N B and British library cata- log. T h e reviewer h a p p e n s to t h i n k that chain procedure a n d facet analysis are in- flations of old tricks u n d e r new names, b u t they are part of the present state o f informa- tion retrieval art o r a b r a c a d a b r a , and while R a n g a n a t h a n ' s term " d e p t h classification" is i n d e x e d , his term " e n u m e r a t i v e classifica- t i o n " is n o t , and his chain procedure a n d facet analysis are not, though this is i n d e x e d in part 1. B o o k s are i n d e x e d by title, b u t n o t always by author, for e x a m p l e , Memoirs of Librar- ies (Edwards) with n o entry u n d e r Edwards. A n d authors' names are given as in the text, with o r w i t h o u t initials. A n entry u n d e r A u s t r a l i a leads only to the fact that Vickery was b o r n there; the same page is i n d e x e d u n d e r his n a m e . B u t despite f r e q u e n t a n d scattered discussion o f a l p h a b e t i c and dic- tionary cataloging, there is only o n e refer- e n c e u n d e r " A l p h a b e t i c " to a p a p e r called " A l p h a b e t i c s u b j e c t i n d e x e s , " and o n e un- der " D i c t i o n a r y i n d e x . " U n d e r " D e c i m a l , " there is a " s e e " r e f e r e n c e to " D e w e y , " b u t n o n e to " U n i v e r s a l . " P r o o f r e a d i n g , of b o t h the copy a n d the typing for final p h o t o l i t h o g r a p h i c reproduc- tion, seems to have been h u r r i e d . Misprints strike the eye w i t h o u t looking for t h e m ; in o n e q u o t a t i o n (p. 31) an essential " n o t " is left out; in a n o t h e r (p. 4 5 ) an " i s " has be- J A N U A R Y 1 9 6 2 77 come " a n . " A line a p p a r e n t l y left b l a n k for a r e f e r e n c e to be filled in is still b l a n k (p. 141.) W i t h p o o r i n d e x i n g and o v e r l a p p i n g of the parts, at least eight must be scanned to be sure o f picking u p all there is on a spe- cific t o p i c in i n f o r m a t i o n retrieval. B u t even so, this would be greatly time saving in liter- ature searching as c o m p a r e d with checking the literature indexes a n d abstracts a n d working from r e f e r e n c e to r e f e r e n c e in the l i t e r a t u r e itself, so the survey serves its in- tended purposes. T h e reviewer is h i m s e l f c o n t e m p l a t i n g a n o t h e r c o n t r i b u t i o n to the literature, a n d is shocked by the r e a d i n g which he has to catch u p with, but it came u n d e r his n o t i c e at the cost o f n o more than a few hours' s c a n n i n g . H e is grateful, as well as flattered, at finding himself o n e o f the writers b r o u g h t u n d e r his notice, and he at least is glad to have the volumes so f a r is- sued now and as they are, though more time a n d care could have given them b e t t e r or- ganization l a t e r o n . S o m e t h i n g substantial a n d useful has b e e n done, and substance a n d use in p u b l i c a t i o n o f t e n wait too long on p e r f e c t i o n in organization and typography. —John Metcalfe, University of New South Wales Library. Use of Books Patterns in the Use of Books in Large Re- search Libraries. B y H e r m a n H . Fussier a n d J u l i a n L . S i m o n . C h i c a g o : T h e U n i - versity of Chicago L i b r a r y , 1961. [Micro- film] 283p., A p p e n d i c e s A-M. $3.05. T h e study h e r e i n r e p o r t e d makes a fron- tal attack on a p r o b l e m o f increasing con- cern to those responsible for the manage- m e n t of research collections. I t proceeds on the thesis that t h e a c c u m u l a t i v e growth o f the general research library must produce stresses that m a n y i n s t i t u t i o n s will find diffi- cult to resolve, a n d t h a t at least some relief may be achieved through the separation o f m a t e r i a l deserving a high degree o f accessi- bility from that which, because o f l i m i t e d use, might be placed in less accessible and less expensive storage. M o r e specifically, the study seeks to de- velop statistical procedures which will pre- dict with r e a s o n a b l e accuracy the f r e q u e n c y with which groups o f books with defined characteristics are likely to be used in a research library. F o r the sake o f simplicity, the study assumed a working library housing the bulk of the research c o l l e c t i o n o p e r a t i n g in c o m b i n a t i o n with a local, e x p a n s i b l e storage facility a b s o r b i n g m u c h of the least- used m a t e r i a l . T h e authors consider the findings, however, as equally relevant to co- operative storage and a c q u i s i t i o n programs, a n d to programs for large-scale microfacsi- m i l e o p e r a t i o n s . T h e a p p r o a c h has b e e n es- sentially that of o p e r a t i o n s analysis o f use of groups of books at the University o f Chi- cago, b u t with some d a t a from o t h e r librar- ies, i n c l u d i n g Yale, Northwestern, a n d the University of C a l i f o r n i a at B e r k e l e y . T w o u n r e l a t e d s u b j e c t fields in which Chicago's collections are strong were selected for detailed analysis o f the use o f mono- graphs, n a m e l y economics a n d T e u t o n i c languages a n d l i t e r a t u r e . Serial volumes were given separate consideration, as was browsing a n d non-recorded use. Statistical measures were in turn checked against the j u d g m e n t of e x p e r t s i n the s u b j e c t fields analyzed and, finally, such practical matters as procedures for the transfer o f books to c o m p a c t storage, a n d the economics o f b o o k housing receive a t t e n t i o n . T h e authors themselves have given warn- ing that this volume, based largely on sta- tistical procedures, is n o t easy r e a d i n g . I n fact, it is clearly l a b e l e d as a p r e l i m i n a r y e d i t i o n d i s t r i b u t e d f o r review a n d criticism. Lest this w a r n i n g be taken lightly, o n e il- lustrative s e n t e n c e is presented here, ad- mittedly taken somewhat out o f c o n t e x t : " . . . F o r any c u t t i n g - p o i n t , titles fall i n t o two groups: those in the cell to be cut, and those in the non-cut cell. B i n o m i a l confi- dence limits establish the accuracy o f o u r prediction of the n u m b e r o f titles that will fall i n t o these cells in an infinite u n i v e r s e . " O n t h e plus side, however, is the fact that readers will find the b a c k g r o u n d , methodol- ogy, and essential findings o f the study in the i n t r o d u c t i o n a n d first chapter, p. 1-34, a n d the summary a n d conclusions, p. 263- 280, q u i c k a n d easy r e a d i n g f o r those inter- ested. 78 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S