The heritage of early FC in document reference retrieval systems, 1920–1969

Abstract

Revisits the heritage of faceted classification (FC) beginning with an examination of the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) in its early manifestations and the groundwork established by international documentalist groups. Early document retrieval experimentation with FC during the intensive period of system design, testing and evaluation in the 1950s and 1960s is discussed, as well as the rise of an international discourse community that sought to augment and extend the reach of FC through system implementations. A list of acronyms employed in the article is given in an appendix.