College and Research Libraries 564 College & Research Libraries November 1990 Classification of Library Materials: Cur­ rent and Future Potential for Providing Access. Ed. by Betty G. Bengtson and Janet Swan Hill. New York: Neal­ Schuman Publishers, 1990. 196p. (ISBN 1-55570-027-6). LC 90-8054. The development of online catalogs has sparked a renewed interest in the theory and practice of classification in American libraries. Online catalogs have enhanced the possibilities (as well as user expecta­ tions) for improved subject retrieval. Clas­ sification, with its potential as a device for subject access, can play an increasingly important role in automated catalogs and networks. Within this context, and with the realization that there had not been an American Library Association conference on classification since 1966, the Associa­ tion for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) sponsored a precon­ ference institute at the 1985 ALA Annual Conference and a series of regional insti­ tutes on classification, specifically the two major classification systems used in the United States, Dewey and the Library of Congress. Most of the thirteen chapters in Classification of Library Materials, including the summary by Arnold S. Wajenberg, are based on presentations or workshops given at the preconference and the re­ gional institutes. Hugh Atkinson's keynote address em­ phasizes that classification is necessary not just because it provides shelf place­ ment for an item, but because it can dem­ onstrate to the user relationships with other materials that are broader and nar­ rower in subject content. Catalogs could provide alternative classification numbers for works that cover more than one sub­ ject. A well-applied classification system can help a library patron to sort out from the multiple responses to a subject those materials that meet a specific need. As li­ braries become more dependent on inter­ library loan and decentralized networks, patrons need more precise, accurate, and complete analysis of bibliographic items in order to make informed decisions. They cannot browse through the shelves if the shelves are somewhere else. Karen Markey's report on the Dewey Decimal Classification Online Project demonstrates that classification can im­ prove subject access in an online catalog. Terms from the Dewey Decimal Classifica­ tion Schedules and Relative Index were incorporated into the searching capabili­ ties of an experimental online catalog. The effectiveness of this approach was tested in experiments at four participating li­ braries. The enhancement of bibliographic records with the Dewey Decimal Classifi­ cation improved subject access in key­ word searches. American libraries are now discovering the role classification can play in subject access in an online catalog, but most Euro­ pean libraries have had manual classed catalogs for years. As described by Russell Sweeney, a classed catalog has subject en­ tries arranged by call number notation in the classified file. The catalog has an al­ phabetical index leading the patron from search terms to the notation used to ar­ range the entries. An "author" file, in­ cluding entries for author, title, editor, se­ ries, etc., enables the user to conduct a ''known item'' search. In a classed cata­ log, the classification is not just a device for shelf arrangement and browsing, but a required tool for information retrieval. The European subject search uses key­ words to search files in addition to using classification as the basic searching tool. The American search uses alphabetic des­ ignators, with classification numbers as an · addition. Online access to bibliographic records is leading to a synthesis of the two types of catalogs. Even though most United States libraries have not had public shelflists in their manual catalogs, patrons have learned to use and to expect a call number searching function in online cata­ logs. However promising the future role of classification in an online environment may seem, certain practical considerations must temper optimistic expectations. Phyllis Richmond, in her ''General The­ ory of Classification" chapter, warns that deviations from standard classification systems, especially in a computerized en­ vironment, diminish the chances of using classification effectively for any kind of searching. Several chapters on classifica­ tion policy discuss ways of dealing with variations in classification. Revisions of classification schedules are inevitable, as Recent Publications 565 new fields of knowledge develop and the world's political boundaries are rede­ fined. The Library of Congress system can in­ terpolate new sections of numbers, while changes in the Dewey system are often re­ workings of numbers previously used with other meanings. Ideally, libraries could begin using the new or revised numbers for new materials and could re­ classify old materials every time the classi­ fication system was updated. In practice, most libraries would find this impossible. Libraries can choose to begin using new or revised classification numbers for new materials, leaving old materials under the old classification, or they can continue to use the old numbers. Neither choice offers a completely satisfactory solution. While a library may attempt to maintain the integ­ rity of its own catalog, the fact that most libraries rely on shared copy for the bulk of their cataloging and cannot attempt to classify everything in-house further com­ plicates the situation. . Other legitimate variations in classifica­ tion can occur, even within one library, because of choices made in applying the classification schedules. For example, in­ terdisciplinary studies may fit into two or more places in the schedules, items that are parts of a series may be classed indi­ vidually or under a general number, and bibliographies may be classed together or with their individual subjects. Some li­ braries choose to make local modifications to the classification systems. Such deci­ sions usually prove expensive and dys­ functional for them and for other libraries in an automated network. If libraries ex­ pect classification to be used effectively as an additional point of subject access, then their local classification policies must be­ gin to reflect the increasing importance of precision, accuracy, currency, and stand­ ardization.-Elaine A. Franco, University of California, Davis. International Encyclopedia of Communi­ cations. Ed. by Erik Barnouw, et al. "When we wanted to improve our serials management, Faxon responded with Datalin:Y!. We needed journal availability information, quickly. They gave us online access to other libraries' check-in records. When Faxon responds, the whole subscriber community benefits. Faxon has helped us through competitive pricing policies and global access to publications. Now they're enhancing relations in the broader subscriber/publisher community by advancing common data communication standards and promoting shared resources. In this sense I see them as colleagues." -EllEN]. WAI7E, UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN, LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO Helping you manage your world of information. To learn more about the Faxon Company, the international subscription agency with a commitment to quality service, calll (800) 766-0039.