Publishing classification systems on the Internet: representation and use

Abstract

Classification systems are published primarily in the book form, for various purposes and in different versions. They are identified by the number or year of publication. The authors propose another variant of maintaining classification systems, i.e. in the card format.The authors discuss the issues of presenting classification schedules of popular classification systems on the Internet with special focus on their applications. They explain why privately owned classification systems, like Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) and Universal Decimal Classification (UDC), are not published on the Internet, while the systems supported by government organizations (e.g. national libraries) are traditionally published openly. The authors provide the example of the Library of Congress Classification (LCC), which is the United States’ National Classification System and which is published on open access. The project of the open presentation of the Library-Bibliographical Classification (LBC) in several versions supplemented with indices on the website of the Russian State Library (RSL) is described in more detail. The possibilities for their use are analyzed.