Date: Wed, 19 Mar 97 18:40:13 EST
Subject: Paper - Elazar Classification
Cultural and Religious Problems in Dewey Decimal Classification (excerpts)
Although the Dewey Decimal System is used internationally, it often falls short of meeting the needs of many cultures and countries. This is most evident when a special library attempts to classify large amounts of materials that normally are placed in only one or two classes. David H. Elazar and Daniel J. Elazar developed a classification scheme loosely based on Dewey's decimal system for classifying Judaica collections. The scheme is fully elucidated in their work, A Classification System for Libraries of Judaica. The system was tested and used in the Library of the United Hebrew Schools of Detroit, Michigan.
Judaism is not the only religion and culture to experience difficulties in adapting the DDC for their collections. ....
In his dissertation, Socio-cultural Factors Affecting the Adaptations of the Dewey Decimal Classification in the Middle East, Momeni writes ....
Momeni cites Meena Krishnaswami, ....
Other attempts to adapt the DDC to Islam ....
Momeni was dissatisfied with all of these attempts ....
Ziauddin Sardar, another Muslim scholar, also laments the lack of a classification system reflecting the Islamic worldview. ....
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The Dewey Decimal Classifications were designed for a Christian America. A quck perusal of the 200s confirms that.
As I look at the DDC from a Jewish point of view, two immediate difficulties are evident. First, the Hebrew scriptures and commentaries are separated from the rest of Jewish sources by 60 subdivisions. Even those scriptures translated and published by Jewish sources are located under 221.52 - Old Testament, modern versions. Such is the case with the Tanakh: A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures according to the Traditional Hebrew Text. In fact, Jews do not refer to their Bible as the "Old Testament", but as the Hebrew Scriptures or the Tanakh.
Second, the Jewish calendar, which is an integral part of liturgy, ritual and practice, is located at 529.3. The Christian (religious) calendar is found with its liturgy at 264.021 - Public worship, Calendars and ordos. The Jewish calendar could easily be located in its corresponding subdivision, 296.4 - Public services, rites, traditions.
At 220.9 in Dewey we find Geography, history, chronology of Bible lands in Bible times. Judaism is synonymous with the history of Israel, and yet the geography of Bible lands is located either with Christian Religion, or at 933 for ancient Israel and 956.94 for modern Israel. Zionism is not included in the scheme at all. (It is in the 20th edition at 320.54095694, but not in the 17th edition, which would have been contemporary with Elazar's scheme.)
Given that in a Judaica collection, works on Christianity would be scarce, there still is little room for maneuverability. In a library that has a substantial collection of Judaica in addition to its other collections, the same argument applies. The catalogs I was able to access both in the United States and in Israel use LC Classification, so an examination of Dewey call numbers in an extensive collection was denied me.
At first glance, Elazar's classification scheme is very like Dewey's. He uses ten classes and decimals to organize the body of Judaism. However, Elazar believes "any attempt to organize knowledge must be rooted in the fundamental principles of the field it seeks to organize" (2). He designed his system to encompass the extent of Jewish tradition in its organization, its purpose and its structure.
Elazar's ten classes are:
001-099 Bible and Biblical Studies
100-199 Classical Judaica: Halakhah and Midrash 200-299 Jewish Observance and Practice
300-399 Jewish Education
400-499 Hebrew, Jewish Languages and Sciences 500-599 Jewish Literature
600-699 The Jewish Community: Society and the Arts 700-799 Jewish History, Geography, Biography 800-899 Israel and Zionism
900-999 General Works
To illustrate the design of his classification scheme and its relation to Jewish knowledge, Elazar placed the 10 classes in the form of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. The beauty of his design is brilliantly displayed to the scholar of Judaism. (A diagram is included at the end of this paper.) As the Torah-- the five books of Moses, the prophets, and the writings or wisdom literature are the guiding light of Judaism, they receive top billing in Elazar's scheme. On the Tree of Life, they are called the crown. Jewish law and the "fences" built around the Torah (the Talmud), are next in importance. Observance and prayer are the results f study, as well as leading to further study, so they are placed third. Education, both religious and secular, are highly regarded in Jewish tradition. In the collection, this area would include both general and Jewish works. Languages follow education. Four distinct languages have given rise to a vast body of literature. In addition to Hebrew, Aramaic, Ladino and Yiddish have made an historical mark on the traditions and culture of Judaism. The social institutions and the people of Judaism are found next in the scheme, followed by history and geography . The last class is not the last on the diagram. The foundation is the 800s, Isael and Zionism, in the position of the kingdom. General works are found in theposition that is characterized as "picking up and passing on information."
As with DDC, this is a subject classification system. After determining the subject of the work, one consults the schedule, and follows the directions for classifying a work. Decimal points are carried out two places. Cutter tables are used to assign author marks.
Although Elazar's scheme was designed specifically to classify collections which focus on Judaica and Judaism's influence, it can easily be adapted for large Judaica collections found within other libraries using decimal classification. The DDC classification of 296 for Judaica would be appended with the Elazar classification, allowing depth of specificity.
For example, Miriam Chaikin's book, Menorahs, Mezuzas, and Other Jewish Symbols has the DDC number 296.4 for Judaism, traditions, rites, public services. In the expanded (Dewey and Elazar) system, the book would have the call number 296.225 for Judaism (296) and Jewish Observance and Practice, Jewish Symbols (225). Two works that appear closely related in the Dewey schedule gain perspective in Elazar's scheme. Myrowitz's Finding a Home for the Soul: Interviews with Converts to Judaism is given the Dewey number 296.71-- Religious experience. Reuben's book, Raising Jewish Children in a Contemporary World: The Modern Parents' Guide to Creating a Jewish Home, is classed as 296.74-- Religious life and practice. Using Elazar, Myrowitz's book would be 207.9, and Reuben's book would be 656.3. Quite a difference in location, which would be reflected in the expanded system also.
The DDC shows other biases in classification. The book, Where Does God Live? is a children's book which talks about God in a broad, non-denominational way. It was written by Marc Gellman, a Jewish author, and Thomas Hartman, a Catholic priest. Gellman is listed as the first author. The call number is 231.G319-- Christian religion, Doctrinal theology. Given the nature of the book and its authors, I would prefer a call number of 212.4-- Nature of God, monotheism. In this instance, using Elazar's scheme would merely reverse the situation. The call number would be 136.13 G3-- Jewish theological and theosophic concepts, revelation of God.
Elazar's scheme has a place for comparative religion, and its call number is nearly identical to the Dewey number. Comparative religion is located at 290. Elazar recognizes three other religions: Paganism - 291, Christianity - 292, and Islam - 293. These are subdivided alike, using the following divisions:
Philosophy also falls in the same area in Elazar as in Dewey. Comparative philosophy is 184; medieval philosophy is 170; and modern philosophy is 175. In Dewey, the historical treatment of philosophy is 180, and modern philosophy is 190.
Incorporating Elazar's scheme into the DDC 296s would give depth to the subject Judaism, but to what end? Jewish cookery would lose its identification with other ethnic cookery; Jewish architecture would no longer be located with other cultural architecture. The structure of the disciplines would be disrupted.
I appear to ask the same question that Momeni asks in his dissertation. How can the DDC be made to reflect cultural and religious influences and still be a universally recognized and usable scheme? The answer might lie in applying mnemonic subdivisions to the area of religion that would equalize the treatment of different faiths.
Certainly Elazar's scheme would define the essence of Judaism in the synagogue or seminary library. Parts of it could be incorporated into the DDC on a local level for those libraries with large Judaica collections. I would definitely explore the option for such a collection.
I did recommend Elazar's for my synagogue library, and they have ordered a copy of it. If the information on the listserv for librarians of Judaica, HaSafran (The Librarian), is accurate, Elazar's scheme is undergoing revision at this time. A few librarians emailed me indicating that they either use or know of other libraries, particularly synagogue libraries, who use Elazar's classification system.
For me, the question remains. Is DDC as universally useful as it is universally used? I think for a collection that does not require specificity, the DDC is appropriate. However, very few of the catalogs that I looked at extended the Dewey numbers to any length; certainly not to the extent that is indicated for Zionism-- 320.54095694.
I wonder whether DDC can continue to meet the needs of expanding knowledge and changing worldviews. The Middle East is gaining in importance, and yet Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, and Jordan all share the classification of 956.9. I find that I still prefer LCC to DDC for both my recreational and intellectual reading, but I can appreciate DDC's usefulness for the small to medium-sized public library.
Sardar's Class Outline ....
Bibliography
Elazar, David H. and Daniel J. Elazar. A Classification Scheme for Libraries of Judaica. Detroit, Mich.: Wayne State University Libraries, 1968.
Krishnaswami, Meena. "A Proposal for the Method of Adapting the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme to Meet the Needs of India". Library Resources & Technical Services. 9(4): Fall 1965. 449-461.
Momeni, Mahvash Keshmiri. Socio-cultural Factors Affecting the Adaptations of the Dewey Decimal Classification in the Middle East. Thesis (Ph.D.): University of Maryland, 1982.
Sardar, Ziauddin. Islam, Outline of a Classification Scheme. London: Clive Bingley, 1979.
Dewey Decimal Classification, 17th and 20th editions.