Bibliographic Classification: From Mimetic Representation to Isomorphic Documentality

by Joacim Hansson

Overview

A novel analysis that understands bibliographic classification systems as autonomous documents and not just as information retrieval tools.

Bibliographical classification systems are developed as tools for the retrieval of documents and information in libraries or bibliographical catalogs. Traditionally, they have also served as organizing principles for library shelving. As with most kinds of classification, bibliographic classification systems are products of their time, encoding the beliefs and values of the cultures in which they are created. In Bibliographic Classification, Joacim Hansson addresses the connection between classification and society in a new way by analyzing bibliographic classification systems not just as information retrieval tools, but as autonomous documents, using a theoretical foundation from Document Studies, Information Science, and Organizational Theory.

The book advances its argument in three case studies: the Universal Decimal Classification, read as part of progressive social movements in early twentieth-century Belgium; the Swedish SAB-system, developed in the late 1910s, read as a formulation of cultural integrity and nationalist reformulation; and Jewish bibliographic classification practice with specific focus on how to address historical Jewish identity and the Holocaust in Judaica collections.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780262384865
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	11/18/2025
Series:	History and Foundations of Information Science
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216

About the Author

Joacim Hansson is Professor of Library and Information Science at Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden. He has published nine books, both in Sweden and internationally, including Libraries and Identity and Educating Librarians in the Contemporary University.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“A brilliant exposition of the documental relation of classification systems and society, both theoretically rich and historically informed. A very important work.”
—Ronald E. Day, Professor, Indiana University

“A must-read for anyone interested in the history of libraries and bibliographic classification systems. The author provides interesting case studies and new insights into our understanding of how documents work and what they do.”
—Roswitha Skare, Professor of Documentation Studies, UiT the Arctic University of Norway

“Hansson, an internationally recognized scholar in document theory and knowledge organization, triumphs in the humanist’s work. This text will change how you see bibliographic classification.”
—Joseph T. Tennis, University of Washington