UCSD Classification for Bibliographies

Author: Shirley Higgins
Date: April 10, 2000
Approved by: Cataloging Committee

Background

With Cataloging Service Bulletin 113, issued Spring 1975, the Library of Congress announced that it would begin supplying alternate subject classifications for bibliographies in the following categories:
  1. Z1201-4980 national bibliography, with topical focus
  2. Z5051-8999 subject and personal bibliography
In 1976 UCSD implemented the use of LC's alternate subject classification, with some exceptions (manuscripts without topical focus, bibliographies of newspapers or periodicals, bibliographies of academies, societies, museums, universities, etc., bibliographies of the League of Nations and the Unites Nations, and government publications lists without particular subject focus). At that time, UCSD also implemented the local practice of adding a lower case "z" to the end of the classification number, and entering the call number in the 099 field. For original cataloging, catalogers entered an 090, using the subject classification, and standard cutter and date, plus entered an 099 for local use. This local practice for bibliographies was designed to keep bibliographies on a particular subject together within the classification for that subject, and filed after other works on that subject. In the years since 1976, two major clean-up projects were undertaken to reclassify Z call numbers to the various subject areas and add the lower case "z." At the current time, there are over 13,000 items classified in various subject areas, with lower case "z" at the end of the class number.

In January 2000, the Cataloging Committee decided to discontinue the practice of adding the lower case "z" to the end of the class number, for the following reasons:

  1. While keeping the bibliographies together and filed after other works on a particular subject may be useful in certain subject areas, in other areas, where UCSD has few materials under that classification number, or in the Reference collection, where many bibliographies are shelved, it creates an unnecessary distinction.
  2. This local practice is cumbersome, especially for catalogers creating new OCLC records, who must input the local number in the 099 field, plus also enter it (without the "z"), in the 090 field.
  3. The "z" interferes with shelflisting order in InnoPac, interfiling with Cutter numbers beginning with "z."
  4. Finally, "z" has not been consistently used to designate bibliographies. LC classification contains many numbers which are specifically assigned for bibliographies, but not classified as "Z's", and subject-oriented call numbers for bibliographies assigned by other OCLC member libraries do not generally contain alternate "Z" class numbers. In both these cases, copy catalogers are unlikely to have added the lower case "z" to the subject classification number.
In February 2000, the Information Services Committee and the SSHL Bibliographers approved the decision to discontinue the "little z" and strongly supported the proposal to clean up existing call numbers.

Catalogers should discontinue use of the lower case "z" immediately. A clean up project will be proposed for the summer of 2000. Catalogers should ignore existing call numbers with little "z's" encountered in the course of cataloging, as they will be handled by the clean up project.
 
 

Classifying Bibliographies

  1. Class Z will continue to be used for the following subject areas:
  1. For bibliographies, indexes, book lists, etc., that have a specific subject focus, use the appropriate subject classification number. For bibliographies of non-literary authors, use the biography number for the person (see Subject Classification Manual section F275). Class bibliographies of literary authors in the "General works" section within the "Biography and criticism" area of the Individual Author Tables (Tables 31-40).
Original catalogers will assign and use subject classification numbers as described in #2 above. Copy catalogers will use subject classification numbers as found on member copy, alternate subject classification numbers found on LC copy, or alternate subject classification assigned by original catalogers. Enter call numbers in the 090 field, and discontinue use of the lower case "z" immediately.