Universal Decimal system

The universal decimal system (CDU) is a system of classification of Bibliothèque developed by Paul Otlet and Henri the Fountain, two Belgian lawyers , starting from the Decimal system of Dewey (CDD), and with the authorization of Melvil Dewey. She knew several editions since 1905.

Like the decimal system of Dewey, it distributes human knowledge in nine noted categories from 1 to 9, the 0 being reserved with the general information “in general”. Each category itself is divided into ten parts.

0 - General information
1 - Philosophy and Psychology
2 - Religion S
3 - Social sciences
4 - temporarily unoccupied (devoted before to linguistics)
5 - Science S
6 - Technical S
7 - Art S, Leisure S and Sport S
8 - Literature and Language S
9 - Geography and History

Part 5 divides as follows:

50 - General information on what precedes (sciences)
51 - Mathématiques
52 - Astronomie, Astrophysique
53 - Physique
54 - Chimie, Minéralogie, Cristallographie
55 - Géologie, Météorologie

etc

One zero finishing an index always states that it is about general information, for example 540 means “general information in the field of chemistry”.

It is necessary to recall that these indices are in fact of the decimal numbers, which one removed the 0, since these two signs would be common to all the indices. Thus, 540 must be classified before 61.

Intended for the origin to draw up an exhaustive universal bibliography, it allows the realization of very complex indices. In fact, the experiment proved that what was in the beginning a will of precision did not facilitate the information retrieval and made the decimal system universal very difficult to maintain. Average editions, in the form of large books, are published every approximately ten years. There exist also shortened editions, less bulky, the last one was published in 1998. A computerized edition is under development.

In France, the universal decimal system is used in the majority of the college libraries but it regresses since the end of the Années 1980, with the profit of the Decimal system of Dewey. It remains still of use, in a simplified version, the information centers and of information of the schools of the secondary (primarily in the colleges) and in many public libraries or deprived.

In French-speaking Belgium, the use of CDU is necessary for any library wishing to be recognized by the French Communauté of Belgium.

External bonds

Official site of the consortium CDU
Extracts from CDU

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