- Source: Korean Decimal Classification
The Korean Decimal Classification (KDC) is a system of library classification used in South Korea.
The structure and main level classes of the KDC are based on the Dewey Decimal Classification.
The KDC is maintained and published by the Classification Committee of the Korean Library Association.
The first edition of the classification was published in 1964; the most recent edition is the sixth edition published in 2013. Almost all school and public libraries in South Korea use the KDC to organize their collections, as well as the National Library of Korea and some university libraries.
History
Multiple library classification systems had been developed for Korean libraries before the publication of the KDC.
These included the Railway Bureau Library Classification(1920), the Korean Decimal Classification edited by Bong-Suk Park(known as KDCP, 1947), the Han-Un Decimal Classification(1954), and the Kuk-Yeon Decimal Classification(1958).
After the disappearance of editor Bong-Suk Park in the 1950s, the KDCP system decreased in use. Korean librarians considered adopting the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), especially after it was implemented at Yonsei University in 1957, but struggled to apply it to East Asian and Korean-focused works in their collections.
In February 1963, members of the Korean Library Association's Classification were appointed to create a national classification; they decided to make revisions to the order of the main classes of the DDC, for example bringing together the class Language(700) together with the class for Literature(800).
Committee members prepared draft classes and indexes and the first edition of the KDC was published in May 1964. Both the text and the index were written in Korean Hangul characters and Chinese characters.
The second edition was published just two years later, in 1966, correcting errors and omissions found in the first edition.
The third edition was published in 1980, maintaining the basic framework of the previous editions while expanding significantly.
The fourth edition, published in 1996, made considerable changes, including increasing the number of representatives on the Classification Committee. The committee sought feedback from the library community and implemented revisions included in the recently published edition 20 of the DDC and edition 9 of the Nippon Decimal Classification. New policies applied to the fourth edition included principles suggesting the main classes should remain as static as possible, with focus shown to expanding classes devoted to technology and science. Likewise, many subject specialists were consulted for the publication of the fifth edition in 2009. The publication of the 23rd edition of the DDC in 2011 provided opportunity for a new revision of the KDC, and the sixth edition was published in July 2013. Greater numbers of classes provided number building capacity in the sixth edition, allowing for more specificity.
Description
The KDC classifies resources primarily by discipline, though some classes are collocated by subject. There are eight auxiliary mnemonic tables used to expand class numbers.
The main classes of the KDC are the same as the main classes of the Dewey Decimal Classification, but four of those main classes are in a different order: Natural sciences (400), Technology and engineering (500), Arts (600), and Language 700. Though the structure is heavily influenced by the DDC, aspects of multiple library classifications have been invoked in the creation of the KDC, including the Library of Congress Classification for the arrangement of the social sciences (300), the Universal Decimal Classification for medical sciences (510), the KDCP for Korean and Oriental subjects, the Nippon Decimal Classification for those of Japan and Oriental subjects.
= Classes of the KDC 6th edition
=000 General works
000 General works
010 Books, Bibliography
020 Library & information science
030 General encyclopedias
040 General collected essays
050 General serial publications
060 General societies
070 Newspapers, journalism
080 General collected works
090 Materials of province
100 Philosophy
100 Philosophy
110 Metaphysics
120 Epistemology, etc.
130 Systems of philosophy
140 Chinese classics
150 Oriental philosophy and thought
160 Western philosophy
170 Logic
180 Psychology
190 Ethics, moral philosophy
200 Religion
200 Religion
210 Comparative religion
220 Buddhism
230 Christian religion
240 Taoism
250 Chondoism
260 [Unassigned]
270 Hinduism, Brahmanism
280 Islam, Mohammedianism
290 Other religions
300 Social sciences
300 Social sciences
310 Statistics
320 Economics
330 Sociology and social problems
340 Political sciences
350 Public administration
360 Law
370 Education
380 Customs, Etiquette, Folklore
390 Military science
400 Natural sciences
400 Natural sciences
410 Mathematics
420 Physics
430 Chemistry
440 Astronomy
450 Earth science
460 Mineralogy
470 Life science
480 Botany
490 Zoological science
500 Technology
500 Technology
510 Medical science
520 Agriculture
530 Engineering, technology, etc.
540 Construction and architecture
550 Mechanical engineering
560 Electrical, comm. & electric engineering
570 Chemical engineering
580 Manufactures
590 Human ecology
600 Arts
600 Arts
610 [Unassigned]
620 Sculpture, plastic art
630 Crafts
640 Calligraphy
650 Painting, design
660 Photography
670 Music
680 Stage performance, museum arts
690 Amusements, sports & physical training
700 Language
700 Language
710 Korean language
720 Chinese language
730 Japanese & other Asian languages
740 English
750 German
760 French languages
770 Spanish languages & Portuguese language
780 Italian languages
790 Other languages
800 Literature
800 Literature
810 Korean literature
820 Chinese literature
830 Japanese & other Asian literature
840 English & American literature
850 German literature
860 French literature
870 Spanish & Portuguese literature
880 Italian literature
890 Other literatures
900 History
900 History
910 Asia
920 Europe
930 Africa
940 North America
950 South America
960 Oceania and Polar regions
970 [Unassigned]
980 Geography
990 Biography
= Expansion tables
=Table 1. Standard subdivisions
Table 2. Geographic Areas
Table 3. Korean geographic areas
Table 4. Korean historical period
Table 5. Languages
Table 6. Subdivisions of individual languages
Table 7. Subdivisions of individual literatures
Table 8. Subdivisions of individual religions
Usage
KDC is used by a wide range of libraries within Korea, including by the National Library of Korea and most school and public libraries in the country, along with some university libraries, such as the one at Keimyung University.