Implementing the Brian Deer Classification Scheme for Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe library at Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute has a collection of more than 4,000 books, periodicals, and audiovisual materials focused on the culture, history, and language of the Cree Nation. Both Dewey Decimal Classification and Library of Congress Classification use non-Indigenous perspectives that result in unwieldy call numbers for our items, while nevertheless losing the specificity of subjects in our collection. We therefore chose to implement the Brian Deer Classification (BDC) scheme. BDC is a nontraditional system developed specifically for Indigenous libraries in which the collections inform the classification plan. Catalogers with specialized knowledge of the community represented in the collection is essential to success.