The purpose of this thesis is to examine the transition from SAB to DDC in the public libraries of Sigtuna.More specifically, it aims at investigating why the decision was made to adopt the DDC and how the system has been implemented. Particular attention is drawn to the difficulties and problems that have arisen while organising the libraries open shelves with DDC and to the ways in which the difficulties have been handled. These questions are examined through a pragmatic perspective on Knowledge Organization that focuses on the contexts and domains in which the classification system is used. The empirical material is drawn from qualitative interviews with the former director of Sigtuna public libraries and with the in-charge of the catalogue department.

In November 2008 the National Library of Swedendecided to switch classification system from SAB toDewey decimalclassification (DDC). SAB had untilthen been the main classification system in the wholeof the Swedish library field for 87 years. The decisionwas not limited to the national bibliography but alsoapplied to the research libraries of Sweden. Thisprocess developed according to the West Europeantendency to change in favor of the internationally wellspreadclassification system Dewey for more cooperationin the cataloguing process. The public libraries wassimultaneously recommended by SverigesBiblitoteksförening to switch from SAB to DDC in orderto create a uniform classification system for all Swedishlibraries. The purpose of this thesis is to examine howlibrary staff at two Swedish public libraries has beenaffected before, during and after the transition. To do so atheory on organizational change by Nadler and Tushman(1990, p. 80), have been applied. The theory is based ontwo different dichotomies divided into two dimensions;strategic versus incremental change and reactive inopposition to anticipatory change. The method used inthe study are semi qualitative interviews with four andfive informants respectively from two public libraries.Findings show that the transition to Dewey was reactive.According to my informants no larger change for theorganization took place.

In November 2008 the National Library of Sweden decidedto switch classification system from SAB to Dewey decimalclassification. SAB had then been the main classificationsystem in the whole of the Swedish library field for 87 years.Included into the decision was not just the nationalbibliography but also the research libraries of Sweden. Thisdecision was in alignment with a West European tendency tochange in favor of the internationally well-spreadclassification system Dewey in order to co-operate more inthe cataloguing process. The purpose of this study takenplace in the autumn and winter of 2013 is to examine howlibrarians involved in the transition feel about what differentways the implementation has affected the research libraryorganizations. We also aim to study the librarians’ view onthe involvement of the research libraries into the decision ofthe changeover. In order to do so we apply a theory onorganizational change by Nadler and Tushman (1990, p. 80)that deals with two different dichotomies appropriate to ourstudy; strategic versus incremental change and reactive inopposition to anticipatory change. When these dimensionscome together into a typology we can describe change astuning, adaption, re-orientation or re-creation. The methodwe are using is semi qualitative interviews with fourinformants respectively from two Swedish research libraries.Our findings are that the transition to Dewey merely meantchange as tuning; an incremental and anticipatory transition.No larger organizational change took place according to ourinformants. / Program: Bibliotekarie

Swedish libraries are currently discussing andimplementing the classification system Dewey (DDC).Most libraries in Sweden have used the Swedishclassification system SAB until recently. In 2008 TheRoyal Library of Sweden (KB) decided to switch fromSAB to DDC. Many academic libraries chose to followKB’s example and by January 2011 a switch was made atKB and at many academic libraries.The aim of this master thesis is to examine and analysethe library sector’s discussion that occurred before andduring the Swedish switch from SAB to DDC. The mainquestion asked is; What is being discussed about Dewey2010-2011 and in what manner? To organize and anlysethis discussion discourse analysis is used. Discourseanalysis by Laclau and Mouffe is used both as methodand theoretic ground. The material which has beenanalyzed consists of the library sector’s discussions andstatements found in journals, reports, blogs, meetingprotocols and seminar.The analysis shows four different discourses; thetransition discourse, the spatial discourse, the instrumentaldiscourse and the public library discourse. In conclusion,it can be argued that the transfer to Dewey has gone froma planning stage to an implementing stage at academiclibraries. Public libraries in Sweden have shown lessinterest and are considered to be in a planning stageparallel to the academic libraries implementing stage.Earlier discussions about pros and cons with Dewey havealmost disappeared 2010-2011 and discussions of spatialmatters are frequently occurring in the material. / Program: Bibliotekarie

The aim of this master's thesis is to examine how shelving is organized among Swedish libraries that have switched from the Swedish classification system SAB to using the DDC, and what problems arise in this process. The method used is interviewing librarians at Swedish university and special libraries. The Swedish national library announced their swap to the DDC in 2008, and several libraries followed suit. The reported advantages with a switch were mainly that using an international classification system meant that Swedish libraries would no longer have to undertake a time consuming classification work, since most of the foreign literature already is Dewey classified. Disadvantages were that the DDC is not adapted to Swedish circumstances. Research on open shelving show that obtaining a browsable book collection requires a broad shelf classification. If libraries motivate their shelving solution by wanting browsable collections, efforts will be made to keep shelf classification broad enough. Certain categories have by tradition been shelved separately in Swedish libraries, and this study seeks to find out if a classification shift changes this custom, and if so, whether or not this is only attributable to the change of classification. Findings show that libraries motivated their swapping of classification mostly by the perceived flaws of the SAB system, and not by the promise of saving time, nor by the benefits of the DDC system. Most librarians seemed to lack sufficient knowledge of the DDC, which may be a reason why librarians claimed that the workload necessary to re-shelve the stock was the biggest drawback with switching to the DDC. Most libraries desired browsable shelves, and therefore used shelf lists to better be able to adapt the classification system to the stock. The custom of shelving certain categories separately survived the classification swap for some categories, but not for others. In the latter case this can be ascribed to a dwindling use of these specific categories by the patrons.

In this two years masters thesis in Library and Information Studies, the Russian Library-Bibliographical Classification (LBC/BBK) and the Chinese Library Classification (CLC) are analyzed with regard to their historical and ideological backgrounds and their respective evolutions. The structure of these classifications is compared with the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), as well as three chosen subjects (History, Politics and Religion). A qualitative comparative textual method is used.The study shows that these classification schemes, created at different times, different parts of the world, and different political systems, have different biases but give priority to the European before other foreign views. Otherwise, they often use a proximity principle. The CLC and the LBC were originally based on Marxist materialist principles but built in totally different ways. The CLC is closer to the DDC in the idealistic outline of the main groups of classes. The Chinese scheme, influenced by Maoism, shows the clearest ideological purpose, while the current LBC shows less bias than the others in the studied subjects. The dramatic political changes that Russia experienced after the fall of the Soviet Union necessitated the renewal of the scheme, which was not the case with the other two schemes. Despite this, the original structure of the LBC and also the Chinese Library Classification has been, with a few exceptions, retained, but the subdivisions have changed much more substantially. The LBC has lost its original Marxist content and the CLC has followed the regimes official guidelines which do not really acknowledge the major changes in Chinese society over the last few decades properly. History can explain many aspects of library classification schemes.

This master's thesis examines the possibilities of correction and change in a classification scheme, with regard to the changes that occur in the world the classification system intends to describe. Applying a comparative method and classification theory, the classification of the example of the former Yugoslavia (1918-1941, 1945-1991), its republics and successor states, and the languages, formerly known as Serbo-Croatian are examined through a comparison of the main classes and divisions of language, geography, and history, in Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), and Klassifikationssystem för svenska bibliotek [Classification for Swedish Libraries] (SAB). Eight editions of DDC, from 1876 to 2014, are compared to seven editions of SAB, from 1921 to 2013. The editions have been selected in order to show the changes prior to, and following, the First World War, changes after the Second World War, and changes following the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991. The examination shows that both systems have updated their editions according to the changes in former Yugoslavia over the years. DDC has well constructed facet schedules, especially Table 2 concerning geography, but fails, in some cases, to construct a logic and hierarchical structure for the republics and languages of Yugoslavia, partly due to the fixed classes and divisions that survive from the very first edition of DDC from 1876, but also as a result of the decimal notation, and its limitations, itself. SAB seeks to construct a hierarchically logic and equal scheme for the languages, areas, and states of the former Yugoslavia. Although the facets for geography and chronology aren't as developed as the ones in DDC, the overall result is that of a logically consistent and hierarchically clear classification, with short notation codes, thanks to the alphabetic mixed notation, which allows more subdivisions than the numerals and the pure notation of DDC. This study is a two years master's thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

This master’s thesis focus on Dewey Decimal Classification during the period 1932 to 2011, where the classification of the psychological knowledge domain is analyzed and discussed. In the light of the recent swedish switch from the swedish classification system SAB to DDC, this research area deserves prominence. The aim of this study is to investigate how DDC represents the historical development of the psychology subject with its underlying epistemology, to identify and analyze values and prejudice, and to analyze problems with DDC’s classification of psychology in relation to three other classification systems. The theoretical framework consists of Birger Hjørland’s Domain Analysis and Critical Classification represented by Hope A. Olson among others. The results show that DDC is updating slowly in relation to subject developments, and that the multidisciplinary character of the psychological field causes problematic spreading of its disciplines in the system. These problems are to a certain degree due to the fact that DDC is a universal classification system, leading to the creation of compromise solutions, that are to a large degree avoided in specialized systems, like Birger Hjørland’s. Moreover, results show that the system’s choice of terms indicates certain values and prejudice occurring at certain times, thereby marking the system’s non objective character. The findings are also discussed in relation to postmodernism and poststructuralism, showing that the universal classification system DDC isn’t compatible with these viewpoints.

The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine how libraries can organize their collections in terms of library shelving and displays and to what extent these activities stem from a desire to create a user-friendly library. The thesis is based upon a case study of Arkenbiblioteket in Sweden and the material consists of a literature study and qualitative, semi-structured interviews with three librarians at Arkenbiblioteket. The theoretical framework consists of theories on information-seeking behavior, classification and displays. These theories form the basis of the analysis of the empirical material.The main reason for the changes in shelf arrangement at Arkenbiblioteket was a desire among the library staff to create a user-friendly library. Their experience of the previously used SAB classification system was that it was outdated and suited neither the collection nor the users’ information-seeking behavior. Many Swedish libraries have recently decided to change from SAB classification to the internationally used Dewey decimal classification. This, however, was not an option for Arkenbiblioteket as the staff believed that DDC, with its classification’s notation based on Arabic numerals, was likewise ill-suited for their users. As a result they created their own classification and shelving system using text in plain and colours for each category. Furthermore, the staff at Arkenbiblioteket focuses on library displays with commercial inspiration from bookshops. They work with face-front displaying techniques to inspire users. In conclusion, both the new shelving system and the library displays are designed to suit the users and their information-seeking behavior, whether they are conducting a specific search or merely browsing. The feedback from users on the new shelving system has been mainly positive.This study is a two years master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

In November 2008, the National Library of Sweden decided to change their standard classification system from the Swedish Library Classification System (SAB) to the american Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC). One of the main reasons to this transition was the assumption of gaining the possibility to exchange and import catalogue posts by using an outspread international classification system. Throughout the years, it has been disputed whether DDC’s treatment of music has been the most suitable. The system has been criticized for being biased in favor of Western music and not being updated with the growth of new music. The purpose of this study is to examine the opinions among librarians connected to the music area on how this classification transition went, and how it has affected their work. The primary questions concerned with this study are if the interviewees perceive that there is a problem by using DDC for music and if so, how? Additionally, does this change also affect the library users, or is it only the librarians? The method I am using to examine these questions is qualitative interviews based on Steinar Kvale and Svend Brinkmann’s thoughts in their book Den kvalitativa forskningsintervjun. The theories that will be used for this thesis are theories concerning functional requirements of classification systems. The results show that the interviewees’ opinions are that DDC’s notation tends to be long, which affects the usability of the system. The interviewees’ perception is that DDC is also lacking in its treatment regarding musical recordings and the popular music area. One of the main reasons for this shortage is because there is basically no other library outside of Sweden that is classifying such material with DDC, which means that the information exchange with countries abroad has so far been rather exiguous.