On Thu, Nov 28, 2002 at 11:01:44AM -0500, Andrew Arensburger wrote:
So while we're at it, can anyone clarify the general form of a Dewey number? I've seen "123" and "123.45", of course, but also apostrophes and slashes: "123.45'67". Would
The apostrophes and slashes are like the middle dots you see in dictionaries; they help the cataloguer to know where the "word break" in the code is. In the case of a code like "123.45'67", it means that the library has the liberty to choose between assigning "123.45" (less detail in the catalogue) and "123.4567" (more detail). AFAIK deployed Dewey codes should not have slashes or apostrophes. Caveat: I am not a librarian, so perhaps my understanding is not right either. -- Ambrose Li ``A good style should show no sign of effort; what is written should seem a happy accident.'' ~ Somerset Maugham