Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Unlocking Knowledge: A Comprehensive Guide to Universal Decimal Classification (UDC)

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🌍 Global Reach

Today, UDC is used in over 130 countries, primarily in academic libraries, national archives, and specialized institutions...


🧩 How UDC Works: Structure and Notation


🔢 1. The 10 Main Classes

CodeCategory
0Generalities, Information & Knowledge
1Philosophy, Psychology
2Religion, Theology
3Social Sciences
4(Unused – reserved for expansion)
5Mathematics, Natural Sciences
6Applied Sciences, Medicine, Technology
7Arts, Entertainment, Sports
8Language, Literature
9Geography, History

🧠 2. Hierarchical Notation

Each number can be extended to represent more specific subjects:

  • 61 → Medical Sciences
  • 616 → Diseases
  • 616.2 → Infectious Diseases

🔀 3. Faceted Classification

UDC allows combining codes to represent interdisciplinary subjects like 159.9+61 for "Psychological aspects of medicine".


🌟 Benefits of Using UDC

  • Universal Applicability
  • Scalability
  • Navigation-Friendly
  • Digitally Adaptable

🏛 Real-World Examples

  • UNESCO Library: Multilingual management
  • National Library of the Czech Republic: Digital use case
  • Medical Libraries: Classifying diseases, treatments

⚠️ Limitations

  • Complex for Beginners
  • Needs Regular Updating
  • Requires Training

🧭 Conclusion

Universal Decimal Classification remains a smart, structured, and scalable approach to organizing knowledge for the 21st century.


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