UDC/DDC harmonization project

1
UDC/DDC harmonization project

• Religion
• Ia McIlwaine
• Chair, UDC Consortium

2
Why Religion?

• In 2000 UDC published totally new scheme
• Attempts universal approach
• No Christian predominance
• Historical reflection of development
• DDC pronounced Christian bias, accompanied by a
  range of options to overcome this
• Is looking for simplification and modernization

3
Nature of UDC

• Main Table plus
• Range of auxiliaries
• Common forms, Time, Place, Language, Race,
  Persons
• Also
• Common Properties, Activities, Materials

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Examples of recurring concepts

• -026.613 Colours
• -027.13 Under-developed
• -033.62 Porcelain
• -035.554 Feathers
• -048.37 Renewal
• -049.6 Security

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Facet Indicators in UDC

• / all used to combine separate numbers
• Language
• (0) Common forms
• (1/9) Place
• () Ethnic groupings nationality
• Time
• -0 Commonly recurring concepts -02 Properties,
  -03 Materials, -04 Activities c, -05 Persons

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Facet indicators

• Also special auxiliaries for recurring concepts
  within a specific subject field
• e.g. -1/-9 Literary forms in class 82 -
  Literature
• .0 e.g. .03 Styles in Class 7 Fine Arts
• e.g. Alloys in Metallurgy, 669
• 669.3556 Copper-zinc-tin alloys (combining
  3 separate numbers)

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Other features of UDC

• The ability to join two (or more) numbers
  together to create a compound notation
• Use of alphabetical notation
• Many compound concepts do not appear in the
  schedules, except as Examples of combination

8
Examples of combination

• 005.92004.63 Management of electronic
  records
• 504.4551.515.3 Hurricane damage
• 601.2576.31 Morphological behaviour

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Special auxiliaries

• Tables, applicable only within a stated set of
  numbers
• (usually a discipline, or subdiscipline)
• not universally applicable (so reusing the same
  notation)
• Examples
• styles in art
• literary forms

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2 Religion. Theology

• 21 Prehistoric and primitive religions
• 22 Religions originating in the Far East
• 23 Religions originating in Indian
  sub-continent
• 24 Buddhism
• 25 Religions of antiquity. Minor cults and
  religions
• 26 Judaism
• 27 Christianity. Christian churches and
  denominations
• 28 Islam
• 29 Modern spiritual movements

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Special auxiliaries in Class 2

• 2-1 Theory and philosophy of religion. Nature of
  religion. Phenomenon of religion
• 2-2 Evidences of religion
• 2-3 Persons in religion
• 2-4 Religious activities. Religious practice
• 2-5 Worship broadly. Cult. Rites and ceremonies
• 2-6 Processes in religion
• 2-7 Religious organization and administration
• 2-8 Religions characterised by various
  properties
• 2-9 History of the faith, religion, denomination
  or church

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Examples of application

• 26-454-242 Teaching in the Torah on divorce
• 26 Judaism
• -454 Divorce
• -242 Torah. The Law. The Pentateuch
• 27-528-274.6 Scriptural authority of
  Christian liturgy
• 27 Christianity
• -528 Liturgy
• -274.6 Authority of Scripture

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Differential facets

• These are necessary for concepts peculiar to one
  faith only, normally by expanding a base number
  from the Auxiliary table, e.g. to provide a
  different sequence for books of the Bible in
  Judaism from that in Christianity

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DDCs solution

• Option A
• Class the religion in 230280, its sources in
  220, comprehensive works on the religion in 230
• in that case class the Bible and Christianity in
  298

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DDCs solution

• Option B Class in 210, and add to base number 21
  the numbers following the base number for the
  religion in 292299, e.g., Hinduism 210,
  Mahabharata 219.23 in that case class philosophy
  and theory of religion in 200, its subdivisions
  211218 in 201208, specific aspects of
  comparative religion in 200.1200.9, standard
  subdivisions of religion in 200.01200.09

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DDCs solution

• Option C Class in 291, and add to base number
  291 the numbers following the base number for
  that religion in 292299, e.g., Hinduism 291,
  Mahabharata 291.923
• Option D Class in 298, which is permanently
  unassigned

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DDCs solution

• Option E Place first by use of a letter or other
  symbol, e.g., Hinduism 2H0 (preceding 220), or
  29H (preceding 291 or 292) add to the base
  number thus derived, e.g., to 2H or to 29H, the
  numbers following the base number for the
  religion in 292299, e.g., Shivaism 2H5.13 or
  29H.513

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DDCs solution

• Option A vacates the numbers devoted to
  Christianity for use by another religion.
  Options B and C provide preferred treatment (and
  shorter or equivalent numbers) for a specific
  religion. Both explicitly derive notation
  directly from the schedules for the preferred
  arrangement.

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DDCs solution

• Option D provides preferred treatment and shorter
  numbers for a specific religion by relocating it
  to 298, a permanently unassigned number. Option
  E provides preferred treatment (and shorter or
  equivalent numbers) for a specific religion.
  Option E also uses notation derived from the
  schedules, but introduces the use of mixed
  notation.

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DDCs solution

• Each of these options presents some problems and
  none gives the opportunity to provide an
  even-handed approach to the great religions of
  the world

21
DDC survey

• 56 responses from 13 countries
• 9 used one of the options
• None used D or E
• So, wholesale replacement of these options by one
  alternative arrangement under consideration
  perhaps using UDC as a model

22
Mapping at major religion level

• 23 Religions of the Indian 294 Indic religions
• Subcontinent Hindu religion in
• the broad sense 294.5 Hinduism
• 231 Vedism 294.509013 Vedic religion
• 232 Brahmanism 294.5 (in class here
  note)
• 233 Hinduism narrowly 294.5 Hinduism
• 234 Jainism 294.4 Jainism
• 235 Sikhism 294.6 Sikhism
• 24 Buddhism 294.3 Buddhism
• . . . . . .

23
Mapping at major religion level

• 26 Judaism 296 Judaism
• 27 Christianity 230 Christianity
• 28 Islam 297 Islam
• (UDC blue DDC -green)
• Both schemes place general topics of religion
  first - these have not been touched yet

24
Bible

• UDC provides different notations for Jewish and
  Christian Bible, so even same book, e.g. Psalms,
  Genesis, Exodus, will have different numbers
• DDC puts Bible ahead of both Christianity and
  Judaism this to remain at present other
  solutions may be explored later

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Rearrangement of DDC

• Taoism (299.514)
• Confucianism (299.512)
• Hinduism (294.5)
• Jainism (294.4)
• Buddhism (294.3)
• Wicca (299.94)
• Yoruba (African people) religion (299.68333)
• Voodoo (299.675)
• Ras Tafari (299.676)
• Bible (220)
• Judaism (296)
• Christianity (230)
• Islam (297)
• Scientology (299.936)

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Note

• New religions or minor religions are
  collocated with their origin, where relevant,
  otherwise the root number is extended
  geographically, then chronologically, hence the
  placing of, e.g. Wicca, Ras Tafari

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Buddhism as a case study

• UDC base number 24 DDC notation
• DDC 294.333 Buddhist mythology
• 243.3
• Result
• Moves to chronological position
• Retains DDC number building internal/auxilary
  tables
• Meaningless notation in either system
• Retains limited development

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Buddhism Case Study 2 Detailed Mapping
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Findings

• Structural differences and inconsistencies in
  both systems
• Differences in enumeration/synthesis
• Differences in main religion auxiliary table
• Differences in common auxiliaries

30
Islam

• UDC expansion developed using DDCs concepts (but
  not order)
• No problem in creating notations, but order
  differs dramatically
• Differences in common auxiliaries also create a
  problem

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Islam

• 28-43 SOCIAL CUSTOMS AND PRACTICE
• 28-44 SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
• 28-441 Taharah. Mental and physical
  purification
• 28-442 Food and diet
• 28-442-027.568 Halal. Permitted food
• 28-442.2-027.583 Haram. Forbidden food
• 28-442-426.4 Fasting
• 28-442.5 Rules concerning specific foods and
  drinks
• 28-442.5636.4 Pork
• 28-442.5663.2/.5 Rules concerning alcoholic
  drinks

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Fundamental problems that need to be addressed

• 28-442 Food diet
• -027.568 Permitted
• -027.583 Forbidden
• (The -0 numbers are from Common auxiliary of
  Common Properties)
• 636.4 Pork (from class 63)
• 663.2/.5 Alcoholic drinks (from 66)
• Note 663.2 to 663.5 specify a range of alcoholic
  drinks, expressed by using the slash for
  consecutive numbers

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Greater detail in UDC

• 28-426 Objects in worship. Furnishings and
  decorations
• 28-526.1 Furniture. Platforms Lecterns
• 28-526.1-032.2 Fountains
• 28-526.11 Dikka. Platform
• 28-526.13 Minbar. Pulpit
• 28-526.15 Kursi. Lectern
• 28-526.4 Tasbih. Subhah. Beads

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Greater detail in UDC

• 28-565 Major fasts and festivals
• 28-565.5 Rajab (7th month of Islamic year)
• 28-565.51 Laylat al-Miraj (Night of the Ascent
  of Muhammed into heaven) (Rajab 27th)
• 28-565.6 Ramadan. Month of fasting (9th month of
  Islamic year)
• 28-565.62 Laylat al Qadr. Night of Power
  (commemorating the sending down of the Koran
  to Muhammed) (Ramadan 27th)
• 28-565.7 Shawwal (10th month of Islamic year)
• 28-565.71 Id al-Adha. Feast of the Breaking of
  the fast (Shawwal 1st)
• 28-565.8 Dhu-l-Hijja (12th month of Islamic year)
• 28-565.81 Annual pilgrimage ceremonies in and
  near Mecca (Dhu-l-Hijja 8th-13th)
• 28-565.83 Id al-Adha. Feast of the Sacrifice.
  Id al-Hajj. Feast of the Pilgrimage
  (Dhu-l-Hijja 10th)

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Same concepts in DDC

• No detail for physical contents of mosques and
  festivals are handled thus

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297.36 Special days and seasons

• Including Jum'ah (Friday prayer) Ashura' (Tenth
  of Muharram) Mawlid al-Nabi (Prophet's
  birthday) Id al-Adha, Id al-Fitr
• Class here rites and ceremonies associated with
  special days and seasons, Islamic religious
  calendar
• See also 297.37 for sermons for special days and
  seasons
• 297.362 Sawm Ramadan (Annual fast of
  Ramamadan)
• Including Laylat al-Qadr
• Class comprehensive works on fasting in
  297.53

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Conclusions to date

• Basic overall arrangement can easily be
  implemented
• This will create greater interoperability
• Improve the structure of both schemes
• UDC framework works at basic level for DDC
• Level of detail more problematical, and needs to
  be resolved