tags:: [[library]][[dewey]][[communication]][[history]][[dewey]][[perspective]] projects:[[]]
Wiegand, W. A. (1998). The “Amherst Method”: The Origins of the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme. Libraries & Culture, 33(2), 175–194.
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- Cite Key: [[@wiegandAmherstMethodOrigins1998]]
- Link: JSTOR Full Text PDF
- Abstract: Although a debate about the origins of the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme has been going on for generations, historical consensus remains elusive. This paper contributes new information to the historiography on the origins of the scheme: (1) by grounding an account of Melvil Dewey’s thinking as he was crafting the Decimal Classification on an analysis of a larger body of sources than previous classification historians have consulted; and (2) by expanding and deepening historical understanding of the contextual forces influencing his decisions on the classification structure.
In the article The “Amherst Method”: Origins of the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme, Wiegand discusses the origins of the iconic Dewey Decimal System, in addition to the underlying perspectives influencing his methods of classification. The author begins by covering the controversy surrounding Dewey’s system, wherein his academic adversaries accuse him of plagairizing from other classification ideas. Wiegand then discusses Dewey’s origins at Amherst, a traditionally conservative university based in Massechussetts. The author explains Dewey’s method of classification, dividing then subdividing nine subjects based on perceived importance. After describing the historical origins of the Dewey Decimal system, Wiegand brings to light the important note of perspective, and how this affects the ranking of different subjects by ‘importance’. He argues that Dewey was heavily influenced by his traditional Catholic university, in addition to his perspective as a well-off white male, when designing the classification system. Thus, subjects such as philosophy and the sciences are ranked highly, while social sciences and the arts are deemed less important. The author finally explains that Dewy’s classification system is heavily skewed by the traditional Western perspective of the 1800s, and must therefore be viewed with a critical lens in order to properly understand the messages behind the system.