A brief history of Colon Classification

इस ब्लॉग्स को सृजन करने में आप सभी से सादर सुझाव आमंत्रित हैं , कृपया अपने सुझाव और प्रविष्टियाँ प्रेषित करे , इसका संपूर्ण कार्य क्षेत्र विश्व ज्ञान समुदाय हैं , जो सभी प्रतियोगियों के कॅरिअर निर्माण महत्त्वपूर्ण योगदान देगा ,आप अपने सुझाव इस मेल पत्ते पर भेज सकते हैं - chandrashekhar.malav@yahoo.com

A brief history of Colon Classification

Susan Kelsch

407A Cataloging and Classification I, Summer II term

August 5, 2003

Ranganathan’s Colon Classification in 1500 Words or Less

A brief history of Colon Classification

Dr. Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan, who lived from 1892 until 1972, was a renowned thinker and innovator in the world of library and information science. He introduced one of his greatest contributions to the field, the Colon Classification scheme, in 1933. This was published in two slim volumes. One volume held the rules of using the scheme and the other held the schedules needed to use it. Ranganathan, a mathematician by education, first thought of the scheme while studying in London, soon after his appointment as the first official Librarian at the Madras University Library in 1924. He studied at the London School for Librarianship and was greatly influenced by W.C. Berwick Sayers, a professor there.
He was often frustrated by the limitations of library classification schemes that he studied, which included the Library of Congress scheme and Dewey Decimal Classification. He felt that the schemes contained flaws because they were developed in order to organize existing collections. He felt there was a need to create a scheme that would be able to reflect forthcoming titles with different subject matter than had been seen in the libraries and to expand to new areas of knowledge over time. His Colon Classification scheme was developed to fill this need. He claimed that he was partly inspired by the demonstration of a child’s toy set, called a Meccano set, at a Selfridge’s department store in London. The Meccano set was similar to an Erector Set, containing blocks, loops, string, and other items that could be used to build many different structures.
As Ranganathan traveled back to India after his studies, he worked on the scheme that would eventually become Colon Classification. He tested it on the ship’s library. He then tested it on the Madras University Library and determined that it was ready to be published. The name comes from the use of the colon as the character to differentiate the pieces of the Class Number, which is comparable to a Dewey number. Colon Classification includes an additional guide for creating what it calls a Book Number. The Class Number and Book Number work together to give individual volumes a place on the shelf. What I will focus on in this discussion is the Class Number, which outlines the subject or topic of the book.
The 2nd edition of the Colon Classification standard was published in 1939, after several years of use and testing by the public. Ranganathan referred to this as the Basic Version of the Colon Classification scheme. In 1952, Ranganathan published the 4th edition. This included a major new development, the introduction of the PMEST (Personality, Matter, Energy, Space, Time) categories. The basic idea of five categories was present in the earlier edition, but was not clearly defined. The presence of information in any of these five categories is indicated by different punctuation, making the term ‘colon classification’a slight misnomer. However the name remains.

Description of Colon Classification

Ranganathan based the Colon Classification scheme on the concept of facet analysis, an idea that was not new to library science. He believed that any concept could be built by using a term from a basic class to start the concept at a very broad level and then adding terms that corresponded to facets of that basic class in order to arrive at the very specific topic. This is how his fascination with the Meccano building set came to life in classification. A Class Number was made up of a Basic Class number (or sometimes more than one, as we’ll see later) and as many additional facets (what he called Isolates) that the cataloger needed to add. The Basic Class number is sometimes referred to as the Basic Subject or the Basic Facet.
Each of the five types of facets is associated with different punctuation. The punctuation indicates what type of facet would follow:

, (comma) = Personality
; (semi-colon) = Matter
: (colon) = Energy
. (period) = Space
‘ (apostrophe) = Time
Notes about this punctuation: Catalogers were allowed to omit the comma before the Personality element.
To be exact, the apostrophe did not appear until the sixth edition, published in 1960. Before then, a period was used for both Space and Time.
The letters and numbers used in each area were and are listed in official Colon Classification schedules. The number of Basic Classes is quite small. In 1933 the list consisted of 26 items, one for each letter of the alphabet. The number expanded to 46 in the 1960 edition.
The Personality, Energy, and Matter values vary according to subject. The Time and Space values are much more regular across all subject areas. Also, Ranganathan named in 1933 a small number of common subdivisions such as Bibliography, Maps and charts, Biography, History, Statistics, etc. which are used across all subject areas.

Example

So, for example, consider a book or report about ‘Circulation of periodicals in University Libraries in India up to the 1970s’. Using Colon Classification, this book/report would have this Class Number:

234;46:6.44’N7

This Class Number breaks down like this:
2 = Basic Class number 2, indicates the Basic Class Library Science.
34 = Personality. (Notice the lack of comma, as mentioned above.) In the Library Science Basic Class, Personality indicates types of libraries. 34 is the number for university libraries. In fact, 3 indicates any type of academic library, and 34 is a narrower term, so an additional digit is added to it. 33 indicates college libraries, 42 indicates industrial libraries, 48 indicates government department libraries, etc.
;46 = The semi-colon indicates a Matter value. In the realm of Library Science, Matter indicates the type of materials involved. 46 corresponds to periodicals.
:6 = The colon indicates an Energy value. In the realm of Library Science, Energy facets describe common actions such as cataloging (55), circulation (6), reference service (7), book selection (81). Please note that numbers in Colon Classification are in decimal order (not whole number order), so these four examples are listed in correct ascending order.
.44 = The period indicates a Space value. 44 is assigned to India. The scheme includes the number 1 to indicate World, as well as numbers to indicate specific states/provinces in some countries, such as 7376 for the state of Illinois.
‘N7 = The apostrophe indicates a Time value. The initial letter indicates a century (N=1900-1999), while the 7 indicates a decade. (Ranganathan was thinking far ahead: in his original schedules published in 1933, he had a table of values that went up to Z, which stands for the years 3000-3099 A.D.)
The five facets always are placed in this order. In some cases libraries have become accustomed to omitting some of the punctuation because it is “self-evident” that a new facet has begun. However I found this extremely confusing for someone who is new to the scheme.

About the five facets

Many catalogers and theorists have struggled with the distinction between Personality, Matter, Energy, Space, and Time.
Space and Time are the easiest of the five to understand. However, it is important to note that these are meant to be facets of some other concept—when they are the main focus of a work in themselves, then they are considered to be Personality elements of the work’s Class Number.
The Matter facet typically deals with some concrete object, typically inanimate. This includes basic elements/materials as well as finished products. This category also includes adjectives to describe inanimate objects.
Energy indicates action and interaction. This could be persons, objects, or any entity acting alone or with another. This could include conceptual or intellectual entities as well.
The Personality facet indicates the core point of the subject at hand. It is the most “elusive” of the five, as Ranganathan himself admitted in the 4th edition. In fact, he even admitted that if a concept could not easily fit into the other four categories then it is probably a Personality facet. I believe the Personality element requires the most intuition, as it is the cataloger’s gut feeling about what the most important element of the subject is. In many cases the Personality element is indicated by a Basic Class number only.
Ranganathan also allowed for the combination of two subjects from entirely different disciplines within a single Class Number. In this case, the cataloger added another Personality element onto the end of the initial (and most important) subject, along with the other relevant facets of the second subject. (This is the basic idea, although it is complicated by specific rules of order and number of facets allowed, etc.)

The future of Colon Classification

While Colon Classification, as well as many of Ranganathan’s ideas, continue to influence library and information science, the scheme is not widely used in libraries. It gained a foothold in India during Ranganathan’s life, but it never was the most commonly used scheme in India. Its critics claim that the scheme is better suited for classification of academic libraries than public or general-interest libraries. Colon Classification was also criticized because of major changes from one edition to the next. This not only added a burden of retrofitting to the libraries that used the scheme, but it also gave the international community the impression that Colon Classification was a work in progress rather than a fully functioning scheme. (Criticism about changes to the scheme particularly irritated Ranganathan. He pointed to his fifth law of library science, that a library is a growing organism. He extended this law to include classification of the library.) Most importantly, critics have long maintained that the Colon Classification notation and code numbers are simply too complex to gain acceptance from average library patrons.
Unfortunately, when Ranganathan died in 1972 he had not left an organization in place to continue work on the Colon Classification. All of the updates to the Colon Classification were personally managed by Ranganathan (with a little help from assistants on the development of schedules). So the code did not have the benefit of an overseeing organization to continue work on the code and develop support for its use. Ranganathan was working on the 7th edition of the Colon Classification system when he died. This was finally published in 1987.
Despite its bleak future as a modern, living standard for classification, Colon Classification continues to have great influence in the library world. And at least one article I read wondered: what would Ranganathan have done with classification of the Internet?

Bibliography

Articles

• "Colon Classification." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2003. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 27 Jul, 2003 http://search.eb.com/eb/article?eu=25223.
• Glassel, Aimee. "Was Ranganathan a Yahoo!?"" Internet Scout. March 1998.
• Satija, M.P. "The revision and future of Colon Classification." Knowledge Organization, Vol. 24, No. 1, 1997.
• Singh, Sukhdev. "Potentialities, limitations and the future of the Colon Classification." Herald of Library Science, Vol. 38, No. 3-4, July-October 1999.

Books

• Khanna, J.K. Colon Classification. New Delhi, India: Ess Ess Publications, 1986.
• Kumar, P.S.G. Introduction to Colon Classification, Edition 7. Nagpur, India: Dattsons, 1987.
• Parkhi, R.S. Decimal Classification and Colon Classification in Perspective. New York: Asia Publishing House, 1964.
• Raju, A.A.N. Decimal Universal Decimal & Colon Classification. Delhi, India: Ajanta Publications, 1984.
• Ranganathan, S.R. The Five Laws of Library Science. 2nd ed. Bangalore, India: Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science, 1988.
• Ranganathan, S.R. Colon Classification. Madras, India: Madras Library Association, 1933.
• Ranganathan, S.R. Volume IV The Colon Classification. New Brunswick, NJ: Graduate School of Library Service, Rutgers - the State University, 1965.
• Taylor, Arlene G. Wynar's Introduction to Cataloging and Classification. 9th ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2000.
• ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
• 
  

IGNOU COURSE WARE OF COLON CLASSIFICATION 

UNIT 13 COLON CLASSIFICATION (CC) 

Structure 13.0 Objectives 13.1 Introduction: 13.2 Genesis of Colon Classification 13.2.1 First Edition 13.2.2 Search for Theory 13.2.3 Subsequent Editions 13.3 Basic Principles in Colon Classification 13.3.1 Postulates of Basic Facet 13.3.2 Planes of Work 13.3.3 Rounds and Levels 13.3.4 Postulates of Facet Sequence 13.4 Notation 13.4.1 Mixed Notation-Indicator Digits 13.4.2 Empty Digit 13.5. Devices 13.5.1 Chronological Device 13.5.2 Geographical Device 13.5.3 Subject Device 13.5.4 Alphabetical Device 13.6 Phase Relations 13.7 Systems and Specials 13.8 Merits and Demerits of Colon, Classification 13.9 Practical Work in Colon Classification 13.10 Summary 13.11 Answers to Self Check Exercises 13.12 Key Words 13.13 References and Further Reading 13.0

 OBJECTIVES This' Unit introduces you to the Colon Classification (CC). After reading this Unit, you will be able to • know the origin and working of Colon Classification; • grasp the underlying principles: of the scheme; and • classify documents according to CC. 

13.1 INTRODUCTION You have now studied in detail the Dewey Decimal Classification and Universal Decimal Classification schemes. This Unit attempts to familiarise you with the underlying principles of Colon Classification. CC differs in several respects from the other two schemes, which you have already studied in this Block. S.R. Ranganathan, the author of CC, was well aware that a scheme of classification should be able to meet the challenge of ever rowing universe of knowledge and it should 'be able to 55 Study of Selected Schemes of accommodate, at an appropriate, place, any new subject without disturbing the arrays already formed. The seventh edition of CC has succeeded to a large extent in fulfilling this objective; 56 Classification Two basic strategies for number building in CC are i) subject analysis, and ii) synthesis. The analysis of a given subject results in the facetisation of the subject, as treated in the document, on the basis of five fundamental categories and their manifestation in it. Synthesis consists of bringing together the facets manifest in a subject to represent, as completely as possible, the description of that subject. Synthesis also has another connotation. It consists of connecting to the core subject those other aspects, which it shares with other subjects. By dint of its capabilities of analysis and synthesis, CC is known as an analytico-synthetic scheme. It is also described as a Freely Faceted Scheme. Under a rigidly faceted scheme, each main class was given a facet formula and the numbers were coined with the help of a connecting digit, colon. The drawback under a rigidly faceted scheme, with a single connecting symbol, resulted from the cluttering of the connecting symbol, i.e., whether a facet was present or absent, it had to be represented by a colon. With the introduction of 'separate connecting digits for personality, matter and energy facets in the fourth edition of CC, it became possible to represent only those facets in the number that are manifested in the subject treated in the document. Because of this facility, CC has since been called Freely Faceted. 

13.2 GENESIS OF COLON CLASSIFICATION Ranganathan was a mathematics lecturer. It was a mere accident that he was appointed Librarian of the Madras University Library in the year 1924. He was soon deputed to Britain for an observational tour of British libraries. While in Britain he also attended classes in the School of Librarianship, University of London. Berwick Sayers, known as' the grammarian of library classification, was one of the teachers at the School. During his tour of Britain; Ranganathan visited several libraries and was quick to notice the lacunae in the classification schemes in use then. A chance visit to a departmental store in London gave Ranganathan a clue for evolving a scheme of classification. He saw the demonstration of a toy called meccano set. The meccano set consists of several slotted strips, rods, wheels, screws, nuts and bolts with which several different models could be made. This gave him the idea that in a classification scheme there should be standard units that could be joined by connecting symbols. Ranganathan's standard units resembled the strips and his connecting symbols resembled the nuts and bolts of the meccano set. The standard units became the schedules. Thus, a class number could be constructed with the different elements enumerated in the schedules with a connecting symbol and he chose the colon as the connecting symbol. This was, dip, Ranganathan's conception of Colon Classification. The foundation of Colon Classification was laid in Britain in the year 1924. In 1925, his journey back to India gave Ranganathan ample time to work on the schedules. The library on the ship he was travelling in and the Madras University Library's book catalogue, which he was carrying with him served as the working equipment for him. 

13.2.1 First Edition On reaching Madras he took up the work of classifying the Madras University Library collection. The years between 1925 and 1932 were devoted mainly to the\ construction' of the schedules of CC. In 1929, he also established a library school at the University. Both teaching and library work at the University contributed immensely to the publication 'n 1933 of the first edition of Colon Classification. It had three distinct par: 127 pages of rules explaining the underlying principles, 135 pages of schedules and 106 pages Of index. The notation was mixed, consisting of the-26 Roman capital letters denoting main classes, Indo-Arabic numerals- and also Roman lower case letters. The colon (:) was used as the connecting symbol for joining facets. Each main class was provided with a facet formula. 

13.2.2 Search for Theory Ranganathan was aware of several inconsistencies in his scheme and did not fight shy of consulting subjects experts to know the gamut of each discipline. At the same time he tried to evolve a theory of library classification. The years from 1933 to 1939 were spent in working Colon Classification (CC) on the theory of classification. It was during these years that several Canons of Classification were formulated. The result was the publication of Prolegomena to Library Classification in 1937. Based on this theory, the second edition of Colon Classification was published in 1939. The changes from the first to the second edition were not substantial.. In this edition, two new ,concepts of Octave principles and auto-bias device were introduced. A new main class 8 Spiritual Experience and Mysticism carne into being. The first edition, as already said, had three parts. A fourth part was added in the second edition. This additional part contained about 3,000 examples, which were illustrative of the rules given in the first part. 57 Self Check Exercise l) Why is CC called an analytico- synthetic of classification? 2) What is the significance of the publication of prolegomena to library Classification? Note: i) Write your answer in the space given below ii) Check your answer with the answers given at the end of this Unit. ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………….…………….. ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………….…………….. ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………. 

13.2.3 Subsequent Editions In 1945, Ranganathan shifted to Banaras. He spent two years at Banaras Hindu University from 1945 to 1947. He was, however, bogged down -in administrative work and all research came to a standstill. It was Sir Maurice Gwyer, the then vice-chancellor of Delhi University, who invited, Ranganathan to Delhi and gave him all facilities to devote himself to serious research.The eight years from 1947 to 1955 that, he stayed at Delhi University were productive. Team research became possible, and a quarterly journal, Abgila, became the instrument to publish the research findings. After a lapse of eleven years the third edition of Colon Classification 'appeared in 1950 without any major modifications. There were, however, a few changes in terminology. The findings of research at Delhi culminated in a dynamic theory of library classification.A major finding was that in any subject there could be only five ingredients. This gave rise to the Postulate of Five Fundamental Categories, which were stated as Personality, Matter, Energy, Space and Time (PMEST). The postulate further stated that these five -fundamental categories; fall in the sequence of P M E S T. Each fundamental category was assigned an indicator digit i (connecting symbol) as shown below: Fundamental Category Indicator Digit ' Personality ,(comma) Matter ;(semi-colon) Energy :(colon) Space .(dot) Time .(dot) Study of Selected Schemes of The indicator digit for time was later changed to a single inverted comma ('). The ordinal value of the connecting symbols was also determined. These findings were included in the fourth edition of Colon Classification (1952) and the second edition of Prolegomena to Library Classification, published in 1957. 58 Classification The fifth edition appeared in the year 1957. The fifth edition had made several changes both in the rules and also in the schedules. Many Greek letters were introduced in the fourth edition to expand the base of the main classes. These were found to be irritants and were replaced in the sixth edition by empty and emptying digits (we will discuss the emptying digits later in, this Unit). Some changes were also effected in a few main classes. In addition, the second level of space and time facets was introduced. Meanwhile, the sixth edition of Colon Classification, was published in .1960. At about this time, Ranganathan had shifted to Bangalore. A new centre, Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC), was established-by the Indian Statistical Institute with Ranganathan as its honorary professor. At DRTC, Ranganathan was assisted by a team of researchers. DRTC brought out-several special schedules of classification based on the new research findings. In 1963, a reprint of the sixth edition was published with a few corrections and amendments. At that time an announcement was made that the seventh edition would be, brought out incorporating all the new findings. Unfortunately, Ranganathan passed away in 1972 and the work was delayed. The long awaited seventh edition ' of Colon Classification with substantial changes from the earlier editions appeared in 1987, without an Index. Self Check Exercise 3) In what way was the fourth edition of Colon Classification important? Note: i) Write your answer in the space given below ii) Check your answer with the answers given at the end of this Unit. ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………..….. 

13.3 BASIC PRINCIPLES IN COLON CLASSIFICATION 

The CC, like- other schemes of classification, starts with a set of main classes which form the first order array, of classes. Each main class is divided into facets. All facets are regarded as manifestations of five fundamental categories. Before we pr9ceed further let us see the meaning of the terms introduced in the above paragraph. The terms are i) -main classes, ii) array, iii) facet, and iv) fundamental categories. Main classes:, The main classes in CC are like disciplines in DDC and theoretical subjects in UDC. They are the traditional subjects, which you are well acquainted with, - like mathematics, physics, history, political science and soon. The number of main classes in CC is greater than those in DDC and UDC. Array: The dictionary meaning of array is ‘a systematic arrangement of numbers or symbols in an orderly manner.' In CC also, it means the same as its dictionary meaning. The arrangement, however, is referred to as the preferred sequence. The numbers, in a classification refer to a division of a subject on the basis –of a, single characteristic. For example, in medicine, the organs of the human body form the array- of organs. Facet: A facet is a characteristic by which ' a class is divided/grouped, Each main class is divided into facets to signify the whole series of arrays based on, a set of related characteristics of division. In the main class Literature, all enumerated languages, after which the national -literatures are known, constitute in DDC,, the language facet of that class. In the same class, all literary forms (poetry, drama, fiction, etc.) constitute another facet. It may also be stated Colon Classification (CC) here that within a facet an individual member is called a focus. Hindi literature, for example, is a focus in the language facet of the class Literature. 59 Fundamental categories: To understand the basic principles of CC you have to first understand some of the rules framed by Ranganathan. He calls them postulates. One postulate states that there are five fundamental categories (FC), viz., personality [P],.matter [M], energy [E], space [S], and time [T], PMEST for short. A postulate is a presumption or assumption, which is never put to test. It is a basis for argument and hence one is not supposed to question the veracity of the assumption. That is the meaning of a postulate. According to Ranganathan, in any given subject, there may be a maximum of five fundamental categories. There can be less, but in no case more than five. They also come in the order of PMEST according to their decreasing concreteness. If you are able to identify the fundamental categories irk a given subject, you can classify any subject. Hence, you must have a clear perception of each of the five fundamental categories. We will take up the five fundamental categories one by one for discussion in the reverse order. Time and Space- These two have the usual meaning known to you., A century, a decade, a year, a month, a day, an hour are all indicators of time. If the subject is stated as Economic conditions of India in the 19th century, you can identify the time element in it. In some subjects, it may, not be stated explicitly, e.g., Economic conditions during the reign of Akbar. In this example, the fundamental category time is concealed, but still identifiable. In the same way, it is fairly simple to locate the space element in a subject. In the above title Economic conditions of India in the 19th century, you can find the space facet, i.e. India. Space is indicated by terms like continent, country, city, village, etc. All these come under the facet space. Energy: The next fundamental category is energy. Energy refers to some type of action. In the subject medicine, diagnosis or treatment falls under the facet energy. It shows action. In agriculture, ploughing is energy, in education teaching is energy, and in sociology relief work is energy ,and so on. Matter: There is a major change in the seventh edition of CC in the case of the fundamental category matter. Up to the sixth edition, Matter was present only in a few main classes. There is a complete reversal in the seventh edition. In certain cases, what was considered energy now forms part of the matter facet. Besides, the fundamental category matter has undergone some other changes. It is distinguished as Matter Property [MP], Matter Material [MMt] and Matter Method [MM]. It is only matter property, which has almost replaced the fundamental category energy. To explain matter with a concrete example, in the class medicine, anatomy, physiology and diseases are viewed as manifestations of matter property. Similarly, in the main class agriculture, soil, manure, propagation, etc. are treated as manifestations of matter property. In the main class fine arts, under the class drawing, pencil drawing, ink drawing, and cartoon drawing are considered as a manifestation of matter method. In technology, product, and in biology substance are manifestation of matter material.' Hence, in a given subject, it is not difficult to recognise the fundamental categories of time, space, energy and matter. Personality: The fundamental category personality has evaded definition. Ranganathan found a Way out to recognise personality by the method of residue, i.e., when it cannot be any other fundamental category it is assigned to personality. However, experience in the design of depth schedules suggests that it is possible to identify a core concept in compound subjects going with a basic subject, such as, ` Human Body' in Medicine. Such a care concept is deemed to be a manifestation of "Personality' (See Unit 7 of Block 3) Self Check Exercise 4) Identify the main class and the fundamental categories manifest in the following titles: a. Geography of India. b. Physiology of flowering plants. c. Assessment of the aptitude of college students in India in the 1980s. d. Landscape water colour painting in 17th century France. Study of Selected Schemes of Note: i) Write your answer in the space given below 60 Classification ii) Check your answer with the answers given at the end of this Unit. ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………….……………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………….…….. 

13.3.1 Postulates of Basic Facet Once you determine the different fundamental categories, they are to be attached to. a basic class in the order of P M E S T. A basic facet in the traditional meaning stands for a 16; class, e.g.,-philosophy, psychology, chemistry, literature, history, etc. In CC, originally there were nearly 30 such main classes. This number rose to 47 in the sixth .edition. You can find that many of the main classes listed in the seventh edition are not exactly basic subjects as you know them. If you take, for example, B Mathematics, the different subjects listed under it appear more like its extensions. Similarly properties of matter, sound, heat, electricity, magnetism etc., under C Physics are only adjuncts to the main class C. But in classifying, it makes a difference. Iii C6 Electricity, 6 is not a fundamental category, but is part of the basic class, and hence a separate facet formula had to be given for it. 13.3.2 Planes of Work According to Ranganathan, there are three planes of work through which a scheme of library classification passes. The three planes arc Idea plane, herbal plane and Notational plane. A scheme of library classification has to first enumerate the Universe of Subjects, state their interrelations and fix their order. This is done in the idea plane. The findings of the idea plane are to be represented in terms. This is -the verbal plane of. work. Lastly, these terms are transformed into a notation. This last plane of work is known as the notational plane. There are thus three planes of work: idea, verbal and notational. 

13.3.3 Rounds and Levels Having identified five fundamental categories, it was found that some of them manifest themselves- more than once in a subject, for example personality,, matter and energy. .This phenomenon was handled by the introduction of the postulates of rounds and levels. Take, far instance, a subject like Treatment of brain tumour by radium therapy. In this, we have the fundamental, categories brain FET tumour [A], treatment [ER]-, and radium therapy [El., 11 (E), thus, repeats itself. Such repetition of any of to three (R M and E) fundamental categories is called round of fundamental category. These rounds are indicated as [IPI], [2PI], [113], [2E], , [1Mi], [2M1] and so on. Let us take' another example: King Lear by Shakespeare. First you must find what fundamental categories are present in this subject. The basic class is, of course; literature. The isolates are, language, form of literature, author and his work.

 All these isolates ,, I under the fundamental category personality. They, therefore, belong to thepersonality facet. 'These occurrences are referred to as levels of personality and they all fall in the first round. They are ,therefore ,indicated as [1P1],[1P2],[1P3],[1P4]. They are read as first level; first round, second level; first round, third level; and first round, fourth level. Colon Classification (CC) 

13.3.4 Postulates of Facet Sequence 61 v) Postulate of level cluster: The last postulate for the sequence of facets states that different levels of the same fundamental category within a round should be kept together. Let us take an example like Succession rights of minors in Hindu law. In this, the facets, succession, minor and Hindu law are all manifestations of personality. When arranged, they will be Law (B F), Hindu law [ 1 P 1 ], Minor [1P2], and succession [1P3]. This postulate is known as the postulate of level cluster. Whatever we have studied so far in this Unit can be put in a nutshell as follows: • Because of facetisation, CC differs tan other schemes to a very great extent. • Each successive edition of CC displayed improvement in analysis over the previous edition. • The basic principles worked out in CC axe i. Three planes of work. ii Five fundamental categories. iii Rounds and levels. iv Facet sequence. Study of Selected Schemes of Self Check Exercise 62 Classification 5) What is the significance of fundamental categories? 6) What are the connecting digits for different fundamental categories? Note: i) Write your answer in the space given below ii) Check your answer with the answers given at the end of this Unit. ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………….. 

13.4 NOTATION

 Ranganathan, in his theory of library classification, introduced the concept of three planes of work, which you are already familiar with. Of these, the notational plane is beset with several difficulties. It is in this sphere that much research has taken place and several innovations have been made. You already know the meaning of notation, its function and its kinds. We will now turn our attention to the notation in CC. 13.4.1 Mixed Notation --- Indicator Digits. CC uses a mixed notation. It-consists of 1) Indo-Arabic numerals, 1-9 2) Roman alphabet -both capitals and lower case, A to Z and a to z. 3) Parentheses ( } 4) Indicator digits The following table gives the details of the indicator digits used in the 7th edition of CC. Digit/Symbol Name of the Role of the indicator digit indicator digit * Asterisk indicates agglomeration and interpolation ← Backward arrow indicates backward range " Double inverted comma indicates common isolates ('The above three ` indicator digits have anteriorising value). & Ampersand indicates phase relation ‘ Single inverted comma indicates time facet . Dot indicates space facet : Colon indicates energy facet ; Semi-colon indicates matter facet contd Colon Classification (CC) , Comma indicates personality facet 63 - Hyphen indicates spectator of kind 1 = Equal sign indicates speciator of kind 2 + Plus sign and, addition --> Forward arrow indicates forward range For the arrangement of the class numbers, all the notations and digits used in the scheme have been given values, and, in the ascending sequence, they stand in the following order: ) & ‘ . ; : , - = → a to z 01 to 9 A to Z (asterisk), + (plus), " (double inverted comma) and <7- (backward arrow) have anteriorising value. 

13.4.2 Empty Digit To increase the capacity of an array, CC has introduced what is called an empty digit. An empty digit has no semantic value, but it retains the ordinal value. Let us see the meaning of empty digit with the help of an example. If you are using the Indo-Arabic numerals, you can use a maximum of nine numerals, (I to 9). If a subject & to be divided, we can divide it only up to nine places and the tenth and subsequent divisions cannot be accommodated. To overcome this difficulty, CC uses numerals I to 8 only and 9 is left as an empty digit. It has no value by itself, but regains its full value when it is used in combination as 91, 92, 93 ... 98 or 991, 992, 993 ... 998 and so on (see Unit 9). This method has given tremendous potential to increase arrays in any given facet. The same principle has been used while using a to z, or A to Z. In lower case letters, z is made an empty digit, and in capital letters, T, V and X are postulated as empty-emptying digits and Z as empty digit. (The notation in CC has been discussed in detail in Unit 9 of Block 3). Also, CC uses a number of devices for increasing hospitality and facilitating synthesis. We will see these devices in the following section. 13.5 DEVICES We have seen that new subjects always crop up and a classification scheme should be able to find appropriate places for such new subjects within its framework. Ranganathan provided a number of devices for this purpose. The purpose of such a device is to form a new isolate or to sharpen an existing isolate in an array. This method has considerably reduced the size of the scheme. The four major devices used in CC are: 1) Chronological device 2) Geographical device 3) Subject device 4) Alphabetical device We will discuss each of these in brief. 13.5.1 Chronological Device The purpose of this device is to sharpen a facet number. It can sharpen. an. isolate or form a new isolate. This is done by employing a chronological number from the schedule of time isolates. All numbers for authors in the class Literature are derived through this device. It is impracticable to enumerate all authors. The chronological device has, however, taken care of such a contingency. To give an example, the number for Rabindranath Tagore is 0, 157,1M61. Here, M61'stands for 1861, the year of birth of Rabindranath Tagore. This device has been used in several main classes like library science, mathematics, medicine, fine arts, psychology, education, economics, etc. This device can be used wherever warranted. The basic class of systems is derived through the chronological device. 

13.5.2 Geographical Device The purpose of all -these devices, as stated earlier, 2 to form or to sharpen an isolate number in a schedule. Employing a geographical number from the schedule of space isolates is another Study of Selected Schemes of mechanism of doing this. It has been used in library science, fine arts, religion, linguistics, history and in several other classes. The formation of an isolate using this device is as follows: 64 Classification 152 = d4437 means Rajasthani Hindi, where 152 is Hindi = is the connecting symbol d is the symbol for dialect 4437 is Rajasthan from the schedule of space isolates. Another ' example of the geographical device' Early Egyptian religion for which the number is Q,8677. Here, Q,8 is other religions, and 677 is Egypt from the schedule of space isolates 

13.5.3 Subject Device Subject device is used to form or sharpen a facet by adding to it (facet) another class number from elsewhere in the scheme. This device has been used in several train classes. The part of the number derived by the subject device should be enclosed in parenthesis (circular brackets). For example, Medical college library is 2, J3 (L) In the above example, in library science, 2,J3 represents college libraries to which is added (L) from the main class L Medicine` to derive medical college library by subject device. Let us take another example of subject device. Hindu Law is Z,(Q,2) where Z is law, and (Q,2) is Hindu religion from the main class Q Religion. 

13.5.4 Alphabetical Device Alphabetical device is also used to form or sharpen an isolate number. The device is used taking the first or the first two or three letters of the names of persons, or objects, or products widely accepted as such. The device can be used wherever warranted. The following are some examples where the device is used: 0, 157, 3M61,G Gora, a novel by Rabindranath Tagore Here, G stands for Gora 0,157,3M61,H+W Home and the world, a novel by Tagore. Here, the initial letters of the two words in the title are connected, using the plus sign (+). (H for Home and W for World) D93CM Maruti motor car. D93C is for motor cars and M stands for Maruti J,381B Basmati rice, where J,381 is rice' and B is-for Basmati. There are several other devices used in CC, which are already discussed in Unit 9, BIock 3 Self Check Exercise 7) Give and explain one example each of chronological, geographical and subject devices Note: i) Write your answer in the space given below ii) Check your answer with the answers given at the end of this Unit. ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………….…………….…………….. Colon Classification (CC) 

13.6 PHASE RELATIONS 

65 Nowadays we come across several interdisciplinary subjects. This is the result of interaction between two or more subjects. For this purpose, CC has provided a device called Phase Relation. A phase relation may occur between two or more main classes; it may also occur within one and the same facet of a main class, or within one and the same array isolates. These three types are called inter-subject, intra-facet and intra-array phase relations respectively (see Unit 8 of Block 3). Besides, there are six kinds of phase relations indicated in CC. These six kinds are: 1) General relation phase. 2) Bias phase. 3) Comparison phase. 4) Difference phase. 5) Tool phase: 6) Influencing phase. The connecting symbol for a phase relation is composed of an ampersand (&) and a relation indicator as shown in the table below: Schedule of digits (CC 7' edition) Kind of phase relation Inter-subject Infra-facet Intra-array General a j t Bias b k u Comparison c m v Difference d n w Tool e p x Influencing g Following are a few examples to show the use of different kinds of phase relations in CC: 1) A general study of special and university libraries - Type: intra-facet, Kind: general, No.2,14&jK 2) Psychology for teachers - Type: Inter-subject, Kind: Nat, No.S&bT 3) Comparison of Jainism and Buddhism - Type: intra-facet, Kind: comparison, No.61,3&m4 4) Difference between undergraduate and postgraduate education Type: intra-array, Kidd: difference, No.T,181&w2. 5) Statistical analysis in library management - Type: inter-subject, Kind: tool, Nio.2:8&eBT 6) Influence of music on literature - Type: inter-subject, Kind: influencing, No.O&gNR. 

13.7 SYSTEMS AND SPECIALS Up to the sixth edition of CC, systems and specials were enumerated along with the concerned main classes. In the seventh edition, they have been listed in the schedule of basic subjects. However, they have been separately defined. Systems: The term system basic subjects denote a division of a main class expounded after a school of thought. A school of thought is a group, or succession of persons devoted to some cause or philosophy. The class number for a system is derived by the chronological device. Some examples of system facets are: B6-M8 Hyperbolic geometry, where B6 is geometry and M8 means the 1880s. The number stands for a system of geometry expounded in the 1880s. L-B Ayarveda. B is 999 to 1000 BC - a system of medicine that came into being prior to 1000, BC Study of Selected Schemes of S-N14 Individualistic psychology. It means a school of psychology that came into being in 1914. 66 Classification X-NI Communism. The number stands for a system of economics that came into being in the 1910s. Specials: The term special basic subjects denotes a division of a main class in which the subject of study is restricted in some special manner. The class number of specials are derived by enumeration. Some of the examples of special basic subjects are: 

13.8 MERITS AND DEMERITS OF COLON CLASSIFICATION Due to a sound theory and the provision of a hospitable notation, CC is capable of giving a unique number for almost every subject. The systematic order and the degree of detail due to analysis and synthesis are two great virtues of CC. As a result, it has achieved two objectives: i) provision of a helpful order in each class, and ii) facility in locating a given topic whether it is simple, compound or complex. It is claimed that CC can be effectively used in a computer-aided document finding system. The major drawback of CC is that there exists no machinery to keep up the revision work as in the case of DDC and UDC. The guidance provided in the recently published seventh edition is not enough and lacks clarity at places. It calls for a manual with numerous examples to explain the application of various rules. And above all, it is far from simple, the virtue most cherished by the users. 

13.9 PRACTICAL WORK IN COLON CLASSIFICATION,

 In chapters BB and BC of the seventh edition of CC, a few numbers are worked out. You are advised to go through these examples, worked out step by step. Following are three examples given for your guidance in identifying the fundamental categories and assigning them to appropriate facets. Transplanting rice seedlings in India in the monsoon Agriculture - J(main class BS/BF) Rice - Plant [1PI] - 381 Seedling - Organ [IP2] - 91 Transplanting - Action or energy [E] - D India - S - pace [S] - 44 Monsoon - Time [T] - v You also know the connecting symbols for each fundamental category. The number is, therefore, J,381,91:D.44 `v Treatment for headaches Medicine - L(BS/BF0 Head - Organ[1P1] Disease - Property[MP]-4 Ache - Pain(part of the disease)-17 Treatment - Action[E]-6 Hence, the final 'number is L,18; 417:6 William Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice Literature - O(BS/BF) Language - English'[IP1] - III (from the language schedule) Colon Classification (CC) Form - Drama [1P2] - 2 67 Author - Shakespeare, 1564 [1P3] - J64 (chronological device) Work - Merchant of Venice [1P4] - M+V (alphabetical device) The final number is, therefore, 0,111,2J64, M+V Follow the facet formula given at the beginning of each main class and you cannot go wrong. 13.10 SUMMARY Colon Classification is a freely faceted and analytico- synthetic scheme of classification. It has been developed on a well-thought out theoretical foundation. A lot of research preceded the formulation of postulates and principles. The five fundamental categories (P M E S T) are the basis for analysis in CC. Similarly, facetisation is the basis for synthesis in CC. Several principles have been worked out for the facet sequence. The devices - chronological, geographical, subject and alphabetical - used in CC have provided a high potential for forming new isolates and sharpening the existing isolates. The CC notation is, thus, very rich in hospitality. All the above mentioned salient features of CC are discussed in this Unit. 

13.11 ANSWERS TO SELF CHECK EXERCISES 1) Two basic operations involved in number building in CC are (1) Subject analysis on the basis of five fundamental categories, and (2) Synthesis. The former results in the facetisation of the subject. Synthesis consists of bringing together the facets manifest in the subject to represent as completely as possible the description of that subject. Synthesis also consists of adding to the subject those other aspects, which it shares with other subjects. Because of the operations of analysis and synthesis, CC is called an analytico-synthetic scheme. 2) When CC was first evolved it was not based on any principle except that the idea was struck by the demonstration of the meccano set that Ranganathan happened to see in London. There was no theory to build up the scheme further. This led Ranganathan to do research in this area and the years between 1:933 and 937 were spent in evolving a theory of classification. The results of this research were fi st published in the year 1937 in his Prolegomena to Library Classification. This, then, it the significance of the publication. The Prolegomena is the first publication where Ranganathan' s work of a general theory of classification was published; ; 3) The strenuous research carried on in the thirties and forties bore fruit to a large extent. The postulate of five fundamental categories was evolved. The common connecting' symbol (colon) was creating difficulties in building class numbers. Hence, in the fourth edition of CC, for each fundamental category a separate connecting symbol was provided except for space and time. It was no longer necessary to represent those facets in the number that were not manifest in the, document. CC, thus, became an almost freely faceted scheme and there lies the importance of the fourth edition. It ushered in the dynamism hitherto not obvious in CC. a) Geography - main class India - space b) Botany - main class Physiology - matter (property) Flowering Plants - personality c) Education - main class Assessment - energy Aptitude - matter (property) College students - personality Study of Selected Schemes of India - space 68 Classification 1980s - time d) Painting - main class Landscape - personality Water colour - matter(property) 17th Century - time France - space 5) Ranganathan realized that there could be as many five aspects of a subject . These he called five fundamental categories .If subject analysis is performed on the basis of these categories , it should reveal the different facets of a subject , which can then be synthesized to arrive at the appropriate subject representation in a notation. This also eliminates the necessity of the enumeration of specific subjects in schedules and achieves economy in size of schedules the fundamental categories yield facets and a scheme making use of these become an analytical and faceted classification . This is how fundamental categories are very significant. 6) Fundamental categories Connecting symbols Personality ,(comma) Matter ;(semi colon) Energy : ( colon) Space .(dot) Time ‘(apostrophe) 7) a) Chronicalogical: Example – colon Classification number =2:5N3 , where N3(1930s) is a chronological device to indicate that CC was evolved in the 1930s. b) Geographical device: Example – the Indian Immigrants in the USA number = Y,6J3A44 where 73 and 44 are geographical device. Y,6J - immigrants 73 - USA(geographical device) A - added as per the rule 44 - India(geographical device) c) Subject device: Example – Cement Production number =XX,(F,932) where X- Industrial economics (F,923) - Cement(subject device) 

13.12 KEY WORDS Adjunct : Something incidental or not necessarily essential that is added to the core. Analytico-Synthetic :A scheme of classification based on the analysis of, a subject into different facets. The facets are arranged by the prescribed postulates and the facet terms replaced by facet numbers. The facet numbers are finally synthesised into class numbers with the aid of appropriate connecting symbols. Anteriorising Value :The value that enables the number possessing it to precede other numbers not possessing it. Array :A set of numbers displayed in a row or column derived from the application of a single characteristic. Basic Facet :The main class or basic class. Empty Digit :A digit, which retains its ordinal value without having any semantic value (see ordinal value). 69 Colon Classification (CC) 

13.13 REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

 Encyclopaedia of library and information science(1971). Vol5. New york: Marcel Dekker. Pp: 316-340. Foskett, A.C. (1982). The Subject Approach to Information. 4th ed. Clive Bingley: London. Raju, A.A.N. (1984). Decimal, Universal Decimal and Colon Classification: A Study in Comparison. Delhi: Ajanta Publications. Ranganathan, S.R. (1987). Colon Classification. 7th ed. Edited by M.A. Gopinath. Bangalore: Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science.