Classification Made Simple (2nd ed.)

Citation

Chowdhury, G.G. (2003), "Classification Made Simple (2nd ed.)", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 59 No. 1, pp. 117-118. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410310458073

The overall aim of this book, in the words of the author, is to “simplify the initial study of classification as used for information retrieval” (p. xi), and this revised edition takes account of developments since the publication of the first edition 14 years ago. There are 16 chapters in this book, though some chapters are only two to three pages long. Some chapters have a list of references, and there is bibliography at the end of the book followed by an author‐subject index.

The basic concept of classification is discussed in the first chapter with examples from our daily life, while the second chapter discusses the concept of classification in the context of information systems. The discussions in the first two chapters cover the basic concepts of subject and concrete and abstract things, as well as the concept of hierarchical and faceted classification. Chapters 3 and 4 deal with faceted classification. Chapter 3 discusses the various concepts of faceted classification, chapter 4 provides five examples of faceted classification schemes. Chapters 5 to 8 deal with the hierarchical and enumerative classification schemes. Chapter 5 describes the features of hierarchical classification while chapter 6 provides examples of five such classification schemes. Chapters 7 and 8 discuss how the concept of synthesis has been grafted on to enumerative classification schemes. Appropriate examples have been provided from the earlier and the latest editions of Dewey Decimal Classification, Bibliographic Classification and Universal Decimal Classification. All these chapters are written quite lucidly and will be very useful for the beginners.

Chapter 9 aims to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the enumerative and faceted classification schemes. This is one of the weakest chapters in this book where the author has aimed to compare the features of the two types of classification schemes within a span of less that two pages. Chapter 10 deals with the concept of notation, and discusses the essential qualities of notation, with examples drawn from several schemes. Here the author has preferred to separate the examples from the discussions of the specific qualities, and although eight examples have been given, there are no examples to illustrate some qualities of notation like simplicity and brevity. Chapter 11 covers a very important concept of classification, namely, citation order. Although this chapter is well‐written, one would perhaps expect some more discussions on the evolution of the concept of categorization – from Cutter to Kaiser, Coates, Ranganathan, and so on.

Chapter 12 discusses three features of Dewey Decimal Classification, but this could perhaps be better presented in an earlier chapter (5 or 6) rather than in a separate chapter with just over three pages. Chapter 13 discusses the link between classification and thesauri. This is a well‐written chapter with good examples from several thesauri and thesaurofacets. Chapter 14 briefly discusses the use of classification and thesauri in information retrieval. This is a well‐researched area having hundreds of useful publications, but the chapter is very brief and fails to meet one’s expectations to see some detailed discussions on the use of thesauri in online information retrieval. Chapter 15 discusses the use of classification in the organization and retrieval of Web information. This is again an area with a large volume of research and publications, but the author has given several good examples only by mentioning the names of the projects. Appropriate examples from the projects that made use of the classification and vocabulary control tools such as BUBL Link (http://www.bubl.ac.uk/link/) and INFOMINE (http://infomine.ucr.edu/) would have helped the book meet its stated objective, namely “to outline some of the ways in which classification can be used in information storage and retrieval” (Chapter 16, Conclusion, p. 132).

To sum up, I would say that this book meets its basic objective of being an elementary, introductory study of classification, and will be useful for beginners who may subsequently move on to the advanced treatises on classification and information retrieval, as and when necessary.