Knowledge Organisation and Contemporary Art Cataloguing Practices in Two Libraries in Sweden, Umeå Uni- Versitetsbibliotek and Konstbiblioteket
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! Knowledge Organisation and Contemporary Art Cataloguing Practices in two Libraries in Sweden, Umeå uni- versitetsbibliotek and Konstbiblioteket Elsa Avraam Institutionen för ABM Uppsatser inom biblioteks- & informationsvetenskap ISSN 1650-4267 Masteruppsats, 30 högskolepoäng, 2017, nr 734 Författare/Author Elsa Avraam Svensk titel Kunskapsorganisation och samtida konst: katalogiseringspraktiker på två bibliotek i Sverige, Umeå universi- tetsbibliotek och Konstbiblioteket English Title Knowledge Organisation and Contemporary Art: Cataloguing Practices in two Libraries in Sweden, Umeå uni- versitetsbibliotek and Konstbiblioteket Handledare/Supervisor Ulrika Kjellman Abstract This master thesis examines the cataloguing practices of two art libraries in Sweden in relation to contemporary art. The aim of this study is to show how classification systems and other forms of controlled vocabulary corre- spond to contemporary art and reveal the factors that influence the everyday practice of cataloguing. The qualitative methods of semi-structured interviews and an analysis of bibliographic records have been used for the purposes of this study. The study is based on domain analysis as conceived by Hjørland and Al- brechtsen and some concepts and principles of Knowledge Organisation in the field of Library and Information Science. A total of three interviews of cataloguers has proved that perceptions concerning classification and subject indexing differ among cataloguers and cataloguing practices depend on local policies concerning acquisition, shelving and user perspectives, but also each library’s resources and the institutional context (academic vs muse- um). Through the analysis of eleven bibliographic records, no consistent pattern has been detected, in relation to indexing and classification. The libraries do not use special systems for subject analysis. The classifications pro- vided by universal systems have been considered insufficient to express all the concepts found in documents. The use of subject headings is, therefore, important and complements the process of subject analysis. The classi- fication systems and subject headings lists analysed include the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), the Swe- dish Sveriges Allmänna Biblioteksförenings Klassifikationssystem (SAB) and the Svenska ämnesord (SAO). This is a two-year master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies. Abstract (sv) Denna masteruppsats handlar om katalogiseringspraktiker på två konstbibliotek, nämligen Umeå universitetsbib- liotek och Konstbiblioteket, i relation till samtida konst. Syftet med denna studie är att visa hur samtida konst återspeglas i klassifikationssystem och andra former av kontrollerad vokabulär och ta reda på vilka faktorer på- verkar katalogiseringsarbete. Metoden som har använts i studien består av halvstrukturerade intervjuer med katalogisatörer och en analys av bibliografiska poster. Studien baseras på domänanalys som har utarbetats av Hjørland och Albrechtsen samt vissa begrepp och principer från Kunskapsorganisation inom ramen för Biblioteks- och Informationsvetenskap. Analysen av tre intervjuer visade på att uppfattningar om klassifikation och ämnesordsindexering skiljer sig åt bland katalogisatörer och att katalogiseringspraktiker beror på varje biblioteks riktlinjer med avseende på för- värv, hylluppställning, användarperspektiv, bibliotekets resurser samt institutionell kontext (akademisk vs muse- al). Elva bibliografiska poster har analyserats och genom analysen har inga mönster i relation till ämnesordsin- dexering och klassificering identifierats. De undersökta bibliotek använder inte något specialsystem för klassifi- kation eller ämnesordsindexering. Klassifikationskoder från universella system ansågs otillräckliga för att ut- trycka alla begrepp i dokumenten. Ämnesordsindexering är därför viktig och anses vara mer effektiv för ämne- sanalys. Klassifikationsssystem och ämnesordlistor som har analyserats är Dewey Decimal Klassifikation (DDK), Sveriges Allmänna Biblioteksförenings Klassifikationssystem (SAB) och Svenska ämnesord (SAO). Det- ta är en tvåårig masteruppsats i Arkiv-, Bibliotek- och Museumstudier. Ämnesord Katalogisering, klassifikation, ämnesord, konst, bibliotek, domänanalys. Key words Subject cataloging, Classification, Subject headings, Contemporary art, Art libraries, Domain analysis. !2 Table of contents Introduction .........................................................................................5 Background ..........................................................................................6 Contemporary art and the ‘new art history’.......................................................... 6 Knowledge Organisation ......................................................................................7 Art libraries ..........................................................................................................8 Classification ........................................................................................................8 Criteria for a good classification system ............................................................10 Subject analysis ..................................................................................................10 Effectivity of subject analysis ............................................................................11 The Dewey Decimal Classification ....................................................................12 The SAB classification system ...........................................................................12 The Library of Congress Classification .............................................................13 Literature review ...............................................................................14 Contemporary art documentation .......................................................................14 The arts in the LCC ............................................................................................15 Classifying photography and artists’ books........................................................ 17 Limited resources ...............................................................................................18 Alternative systems ............................................................................................19 Notation and specificity .....................................................................................21 Western world bias .............................................................................................21 User perspectives ................................................................................................22 Interdisciplinarity ...............................................................................................23 Theoretical and methodological framework ...................................24 Domain analysis .................................................................................................24 Collectivism and discourse communities ...........................................................27 Theories of categorisation ..................................................................................28 The epistemological basis of universal systems .................................................29 Aim and research questions ................................................................................31 Method and material ...........................................................................................32 Study ...................................................................................................35 The arts in the DDC ...........................................................................................35 The arts in the SAB ...........................................................................................35 Swedish subjects headings .................................................................................36 Selection of libraries for interviews ...................................................................37 Umeå universitetsbibliotek .................................................................................38 Konstbiblioteket .................................................................................................39 Delimitations ......................................................................................................41 Semi-structured interviews .................................................................................41 Informants ..........................................................................................................42 Interview results .................................................................................................43 !3 Comparison of the DDC and the SAB .......................................................................45 Cataloguing art........................................................................................................... 47 Institutional context, principles and guidelines .........................................................49 Consequences and the purpose of classification and indexing ..................................50 Analysis of Libris bibliographic records ............................................................53 Douglas Gordon .........................................................................................................55 Marina Abramovi" ....................................................................................................57