The Organization of Knowledge and Bibliographic Classification in Nineteenth-Century America
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THE ORGANIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND BIBLIOGRAPHIC CLASSIFICATION IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICA Katherine M. Wisser A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Science in the School of Information and Library Science. Chapel Hill 2009 Approved by Dr. Paul Solomon (Chair) Dr. Deborah Barreau Dr. David Carr Dr. Jane Greenberg Dr. Stephanie Haas Mr. Daniel Pitti ©2009 Katherine M. Wisser ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT KATHERINE M. WISSER: The Organization of Knowledge and Bibliographic Classification in Nineteenth-Century America (under the direction of Dr. Paul Solomon) Bibliographic classification is culturally bound. This research examines the classification systems created for social libraries in the first half of the nineteenth century in the United States. Social libraries are defined as institutions that have voluntary membership and are dependent on membership fees. Seventeen classified catalogs were examined and their classification systems compared. This study explored the underlying warrant of these classification systems and compared the systems to Francis Bacon’s organization of knowledge as published in The Advancement of Learning to identify the potential influence of the underlying warrant on the classification structures. Contextual influences of individual libraries and larger sociocultural influences on religion, fiction, and science were also considered. Of the 17 classification systems in the sample, 13 were comparable to Bacon’s organization of knowledge, although the order of classes was not followed. Religion classes demonstrated a shift away from primacy, while the fiction class solidified its place in the libraries. Finally, changes in science classes demonstrate the immediacy of the environment on the development of systems. Further research is suggested on the utility of warrant as a component of discourse as well as its possible limitations. iii ACKOWLEDGEMENTS Writing a dissertation is both a solitary and a collaborative event. It is solitary in that in the end it is up to the writer to digest and present original research. But it is collaborative in that there are those around the writer who provide essential support while pursuing the goal. My collaboration has been wide and far-reaching, and I am grateful for the variety of people that have contributed to my process. I could not have completed this dissertation without the support of my committee, colleagues, friends, and family. I would like to thank first my committee for their support, including Deborah Barreau, David Carr, Jane Greenberg, Stephanie Haas, Daniel Pitti, and Paul Solomon. While I have felt since the beginning that my committee was wholly supportive of my success, each one at some point provided much needed cheerleading or on-the-spot advice. Special thanks goes to Deborah Barreau and Daniel Pitti who helped me keep a sense of humor in this past year. I cannot thank my chair, Paul Solomon, enough for the time that he devoted to my successful scholarship. Without his unwavering confidence in my work, his critical eye, and his willingness to allow me to blather through new ideas, I would still be spinning over classification systems or worse. He also demonstrates the qualities of academic respect and citizenry. I am grateful to him for all that he has taught me. While a committee provides the foundation for the doctoral dissertation, others made significant contributions to my process. The staff of Interlibrary Borrowing at Davis Library, iv UNC-Chapel Hill provided me with the raw material to do the analysis. That effort made it possible for me to analyze more catalogs than I initially envisioned. The community of SILS has surpassed the expectations of support. Staff, faculty, and doctoral students alike were cheering me on through the process and made me feel that it was possible. In the past year, Evelyn Daniel has been a constant in my efforts and to that I am grateful. I have had too many friends professionally to name, but they have cheered me through this process as well and deserve many thanks for asking about my progress and putting up with my intensity. Friends are an essential ingredient to any endeavor, and I am fortunate to have many. I would especially like to thank Jackie Dean, Carolyn Hank, Cassidy Sugimoto, Phil Edwards, and Stephanie Peterson for the tender care in my angst-filled moments and for the unyielding friendship during my crabbiest over the past year. Finally, my family provided the foundation of my success in any situation. My mother never wavered in her support and belief in me, and while she has been gone for quite some time, her love still resonates. My in-laws continue to provide support and confidence in my endeavors. And my husband, to whom this work is dedicated, has made this possible for me. Without his love and support, I would be rudderless. v DEDICATION For Bill, who weathers the storms vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................xi LIST OF FIGURES ...............................................................................................................xiii Chapter PRELUDE………......................................................................................................xiv 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................1 2. CLASSIFICATION, WARRANT, AND DISCOURSE ................................16 The impulse to classify .......................................................................19 Qualities of classification ....................................................................25 Warrant in classification research and its connection to discourse .........................................................................................35 Discourse .............................................................................................55 3. SOCIAL LIBRARIES AND THE AMERICAN INTELLECTUAL AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE .................................................................71 Forming and forging a new nation ......................................................72 Libraries in Colonial America ............................................................79 The circulating library .........................................................................82 The social library in the new nation ....................................................87 Types of social libraries ......................................................................94 The nature of social libraries .............................................................110 vii 4. SOCIAL LIBRARY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS .................................123 The Library Company of Philadelphia .............................................126 American Philosophical Society .......................................................139 Redwood Library and Athenaeum ....................................................144 Charleston Library Society ...............................................................150 The New York Society Library .........................................................156 The Library Company of Baltimore .................................................163 Salem Athenaeum .............................................................................168 Mercantile Library Association of the City of New York ................171 Mercantile Library Company of Philadelphia ..................................176 Mechanics’ Society of the Library and County of Lancaster ...........182 Providence Athenaeum .....................................................................184 Louisville Mercantile Library Company ..........................................189 5. WARRANT IN SOCIAL LIBRARY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS ....................................................................................................195 Sir Francis Bacon ..............................................................................196 Baconian warrant of social library catalogs ......................................207 Religion, fiction, and science ............................................................216 6. CONCLUSION .............................................................................................231 Future research ..................................................................................234 Appendices A. SAMPLE CATALOGS ................................................................................236 B. CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM OF THE LIBRARY COMPANY OF BALTIMORE (1802).........................................................238 viii C. CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM OF THE LIBRARY COMPANY OF PHILADELPHIA (1807) ...................................................239 D. CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM OF THE LIBRARY COMPANY OF BALTIMORE (1809) ........................................................241 E. CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM OF THE NEW YORK LIBRARY SOCIETY (1813) .......................................................................242 F. CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY (1824) ..........................................................243 G. CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM OF THE CHARLESTON LIBRARY SOCIETY ...................................................................................246 H. CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM OF THE LIBRARY COMPANY OF PHILADELPHIA (1835) ...................................................255