Development Of A Classification Schema For The Discipline Of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Based On The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) System

Abstract

Digital Library is an important concept of modern technological and digital knowledge era. The term „digital library‟ is a source of much debate and confusion. The term is used to mean a distributed library information service, located either in a physical or a virtual space, or a combination of both, in which a significant proportion of the resources available to users of that service exist only in digital form (Rowlands and Bawden, 1999). Thus distinguish the digital library from the „electronic library‟, which simply provides access to a range of material in digitized form within the framework of a traditional library. There are several advantages of a digital library over a conventional library (Sood and Chandrasekharan, 2004). These include minimizing storage space and cutting down costs of library maintenance and resource distribution. A digital library is also not merely an automated conventional library, where the resources are electronically catalogued and are available only for browsing purposes although conventional libraries do preserve socio-cultural ambiences within their spaces, a digital library can provide more equitable and widely distributed access at lower costs. Moreover, it may be most appropriate means of organizing intellectual artifacts that cannot be represented or distributed in printed formats, such as audio/video multimedia content. Thus a digital library may evolve into a complex system that makes information available in hard copy, on magnetic tape and discs, CD-ROMs and videodiscs, including those from online sources. In this context, the knowledge classification schemas play a vital role in managing digital libraries. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Classification is a System of arrangement adopted y a library to enable patrons to find its materials quickly and easily (The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007). While cataloguing provides information on the physical and topical nature of the book (or other item), classification, through assignment of a call number (consisting of class designation and author representation), locates the item in its library setting and, ideally, in the realm of knowledge. Current predominating systems include the Dewey Decimal 10 Classification (DDC), Universal Decimal Classification (UDC), The Library of Congress Classification, the Bliss Classification, and the Colon Classification (CC) etc. The instances for the most common classification approaches are Hierarchies, Trees, Paradigms, Faceted Analysis. However, those systems provide a structure for organizing knowledge and bringing related items together in a helpful sequence from general to specific. It makes the access easy for user from a heterogeneous collection. General components in a classification scheme include:  Verbal description  Arrangement in a logical order  Notation Indexing is also very impotent in the context of creation of Knowledge Structure. In general, the indexing process can be divided in to three main categories. They are Familiarization, Analysis and Translation. Rahmatollah has pointed out that the way in which data elements are correctly stored and manipulated in online library systems is very important for the various functions of the bibliographic record, especially in a global online environment. In relation to the requirements of the bibliographic record for searching, retrieval and display, agreement needs to be reached nationally and internationally regarding the coding of certain data elements to allow for their indexing. This is a necessary requirement and a principle for large catalogues and for databases in shared environments. The treatment of some fields and subfields for indexing and display does not, at present, follow a uniform approach (Rahmatollah,1997).