Reflecting and Shaping World Views: Historical Treatments in Classification

Lee, Hur-Li and Gu, Kangnan and Shah, Zarina Mohd (2007) Reflecting and Shaping World Views: Historical Treatments in Classification .

Abstract

Examples of historical treatments in classification and categorization are abundant in our lives. In American pop culture, we often use decades as a framework to define, understand and interpret fashions, ideas, events, and issues. The 1960s, for example, represent to many Americans a time commonly associated with youth and rebellion and the first vivid images from the decade that come to mind include rock ‘n roll music and hippies. Another example is the simple categorizations applied by the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) on their Website (http://www.nmwa.org/collection/) to organize its permanent collection into: the 16th-17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. In today’s widely used library classifications (e.g., Dewey Decimal Classification and Library of Congress Classification), historical treatments have always been a standard feature, seen throughout the schedules (e.g., 372.904 for “elementary education in the 20th century” in DDC and PN720 for “literary history in Renaissance” in LCC).