Cutter Expansive Classification: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:18, 30 April 2011

Revision as of 19:19, 30 April 2011

Line 6:

==History of the Cutter classification==

Charles Ammi Cutter (1837&ndash;1903), inspired by the decimal classification of his contemporary [[Melvil Dewey]], originally developed his own classification scheme for the collections of the [[Boston Athenaeum]], at which he served as librarian for two dozen years. He began work on it about 1880, andpublishing publishedan overview of the firstnew schedulessystem in 1882. The same classification would later be used, but with a different notation, also devised by Cutter, at the earlyCary 1890sLibrary in Lexington<ref>Cutter, C. HisA. five-volume[http://books.google.com/books?id=L10oAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1 catalogue''Expansive ofClassification: thePart AthenaeumI: collectionThe isFirst aSix classicClassifications'']. inBoston, bibliographicC. historyA. Cutter. 1891–93, p. 1.</ref>.

Cutter received many requests from librarians at small libraries who wanted the classification adapted to their needs<ref>Cutter, C. A. [http://books.google.com/books?id=L10oAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1 ''Expansive Classification: Part I: The First Six Classifications'']. Boston, C. A. Cutter. 1891–93, p. 1.</ref>. He devised the Expansive Classification in response, to meet the needs of growing libraries<ref>Cutter, C. A. [http://books.google.com/books?id=L10oAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA23 ''Expansive Classification: Part I: The First Six Classifications'']. Boston, C. A. Cutter. 1891–93, p. 23.</ref>.

The Cutter classification, although adopted by comparatively few libraries, mostly in [[New England]], has been called one of the most logical and scholarly of American classifications. Its outline served as a basis for the Library of Congress classification, which also took over some of its features. It did not catch on as did Dewey's system because Cutter died before it was completely finished, making no provision for the kind of development necessary as the bounds of knowledge expanded and scholarly emphases changed throughout the 20th century.

The Cutter classificationExpansive Classification, although adopted by comparatively few libraries, mostly in [[New England]], has been called one of the most logical and scholarly of American classifications. Its outline served as a basis for the Library of Congress classification, which also took over some of its features. It did not catch on as did Dewey's system because Cutter died before it was completely finished, making no provision for the kind of development necessary as the bounds of knowledge expanded and scholarly emphases changed throughout the 20th century.

==Outline of the Cutter classification==

Line 37 ⟶ 39:

===Cutter Numbers===

One of the features adopted by other systems, including Library of Congress, is the Cutter number. It is an alphanumeric device to code text so that it can be arranged in alphabetical order using the fewest characters. It contains one or two initial letters and Arabic numbers, treated as a decimal. To construct a Cutter number, a cataloguer consults a Cutter table as required by the classification rules. Although Cutter numbers are mostly used for coding the names of authors, the system can be used for titles, subjects, geographic areas, and more.

==Notes==

{{reflist}}

==References==

* Bliss, Henry Evelyn. ''The Organization of Knowledge in Libraries: and the Subject-Approach to Books'', 2nd ed. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1939.