Introduction:
Libraries store and manage thousands of materials. These materials need to be organized in a in a systematic and easy way. For this purpose Classification Systems are broadly use in libraries all over the world.
Class:
A class is an assembly of things which every member of the assemble possesses.
According to MacMillan Family Encyclopedia - "Class is a category of persons or things which similar in socio-economic status and grade, etc."
Classification:
The term class or classification derives from the Latin word ‘Classis’ used in ancient Rome to distinguish people according to their wealth and importance.
According to Harrod's Librarians Glossary classification is "the arrangement of things in a logical order according to their degrees of likeness, specially the assignment of books to their proper places in a scheme of book classification".
According to E.C. Richardson - "classification is a mental process by which things or ideas are grouped or separated according to their likeness or differences".
1. Purposes of classification:
The purposes of book classification are discussed here under.
i) Helpful sequence:
The basic purpose of any library classification for a service-library should be arranged in a method most convenient to the users and to the library staff. The documents should be arranged in a class, and based on the mutual relations between them.
2. Correct replacement:
Documents after being taken out from shelves by the users or by the library staff should after being used be replaced in their proper places. It is essential that library classification should enable the correct replacement of documents after these have been returned from use.
3. Addition of new documents:
A library would acquire new documents from time to time. Therefore, horary classification help in finding the most helpful place for each document.
4) Withdrawal of documents from stock:
In case, the need arises to withdraw a document from the stock for some reasons then library classification should facilitate such a withdrawal.
5)Book display:
In a restricted sense, the word display is adopted for a special exhibition of books and In the widest sense, the term is used to indicate that the collection in an open access for users. In this case, Classification greatly supports book exhibition.
vii) Other purposes:
1. Compilation of bibliographies catalogues and union catalogues.
2. Classification of information.
3. Classification of reference queries.
4. Classification of suggestions received from the users.
5. Filing of non book materials such as photographs, films, etc.
6. Assist the cataloguer in determining subject headings.
Function of Classification :
1. It brings like books together:
Classification arranges books in an order most convenient to the readers and the librarians. Classification brings together all the books on the same subject which mutual relationship is clearly displayed.
2. It saves time:
Classification is a great time saving device for readers. The arrangement by subject, saves a lot of time of readers as well as of staff.
3. It reveals the weakness and strength of the collection:
As classification arranges books on shelf by subject, it clearly shows which subjects have a good collection, and which subjects require more attention. In this way, it facilitates the book selection process and helps to developing all round collection of the library.
4. It helps in bibliographic research:
There is a great value of classification in Bibliography research and it helps in the compilation of bibliographies, catalogues and union catalogues.
5. It helps in stock verification:
Classification plays a vital role in the stock verification. Generally, verification of stock is done through a shelf list, which is arranged in classified order. Books on the shelf are also arranged in the same order. In the stock taking system, a person on the shelf goes on calling the call number of the books while the other person, holding the shelf list goes on pushing the relevant cards forward. Thus, the process of stock taking is completed within a short time.
Beside these, Classification ensures speedy location and replacement of books on the shelves for the next users.
Conclusion:
We may finally mention that classification is a key to knowledge, because it is clear that if we arrange things in a definite order and we know what that order is, we have a very good map or key to those things. Without classification, no librarian can build up a systematic library. In order to build up a systematic library, to locate library resources and retrieve information, classification is absolutely essential. So it can be said that classification is the basis of all order in heading literature and its record.
