Documenting and Preserving a Call Number System: Lessons Learned

Christopher A. Straughn, Continuing Resources Librarian and Documents Coordinator, Northeastern Illinois University

castraughn@neiu.edu

This website is a supplement to the poster presented at the 2021 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition.

Background

Northeastern Illinois University Libraries (NEIU) has been a depository for the publications of the State of Illinois since 1968. It is one of 22 depositories for the State of Illinois. Illinois documents are shelved in a dedicated area on the second floor of the library next to federal publications. Within our ILS, Alma, all government publications are grouped under a single location.

NEIU organizes Illinois documents according to the Nakata-Strange system, which was proposed by Yuri Nakata and Michele Strange in 1974; their system is outlined in Classification Scheme for Illinois State Publications. Of the 22 state depositories, 19 employ either Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress Classification. The Chicago Public Library uses a SUDOC-based scheme that bears strong resemblance to, but is distinct from the Nakata-Strange System. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) is the only other library that has implemented the Nakata-Strange system for Illinois documents, although it uses LC Classification for many of these documents as well.

Because the Nakata-Strange system is a provenance-based system, and because serials are organized using what are effectively accession numbers, the systems at NEIU and UIC have diverged considerably. As new agencies and subagencies are formed, and as new serials are published, new designations will are assigned, and these differ between UIC and NEIU. For example, NEIU uses the agency code DNR for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, while UIC employs NR. As a result, the NEIU and UIC systems are now effectively unique. For further information on the structure of this system, see the main page for this project.

Prior to this project the only known documentation for our system was on cards stored in a card catalog drawer. We wanted to improve both internal workflows and to make this information accessible to the broader public by assembling documentation that was both complete and accessible. We also saw this call number system as an important artifact of library history, as well as a document of the structural history of Illinois government. To this end we assembled a database outlining the call number system, published it to the web alongside further documentation, and made this information available in PDF format.

The goal of this presentation is to outline the lessons learned while documenting NEIU's implementation of the Nakata-Strange system. Although documenting a call number system is not likely to be a common experience, many of the issues we encountered can be avoided by considering the points outlined here..

Why?

What motivates us document a call number system? Starting here can inform the process.

Is the system still in use? Is the collection it organizes currently growing?

NEIU's implementation of the Nakata-Strange system organizes an active, growing collection, so both patron and staff needs were considered.

Is the system unique?

The NEIU system is unique in that it has diverged from the UIC system over the past 40+ years. Although basic documentation exists in the 1974 proposal by Nakata and Strange, the fact that this system is provenance-based means that documentation needs to be continually updated as new agencies are created and as accessions continue. Certain aspects do not need to be documented (e.g. cutters), as they are not unique and are documented elsewhere. Our goals in creating this description were informed by the "why": to create more accessible documentation for a growing collection and to document and preserve a unique aspect of library history.

How Much Detail?

Establishing why we want to document a call number system informs how much detail and what kind of detail our description should include.

Less DetailMore Detail
Currently used?NoYes
AudiencePatronsLibrary Staff
TypeClassificatoryProvenance-based

NEIU's Illinois documents collection is in-use and currently growing. More detail is needed to allow patrons to locate materials and for staff to add call numbers to new materials. Staff are the primary audience for our documentation, so we have been as detailed as possible. Plans to make a patron-friendly guide to the system are in the works - this may take the form of a simple poster, as opposed to the complicated explanations and deep detail in the current project. As a provenance-based system, the Nakata-Strange system requires a lot of detail. Each agency's subagencies are assigned a number, and these numbers increase as new subagencies are created. Under this level, series and serials are assigned sequential serial numbers. This requires title- (or at least series-) level detail in our description to ensure that new serials can be assigned unique numbers.

Dont' Reinvent the Wheel

Reuse existing documentation and pull data from your ILS to save time and reduce errors.

My initial impulse was simply to enter data from the cards that were the primary source of documentation for our system. This proved to be very time-consuming. I made much better progress when I asked staff in other departments what they knew about the system. This led to the discovery of some notes hidded away in a binder, the full description by Nakata and Strange, and the fact that we used Cutter-Sanborn numbers, rather than LC Cutters. I also found it useful to query our ILS, Alma, for a list of call numbers, titles, and responsible agencies. I was then able to manipulate this data in Excel to find a definitive list of agency classes, subagency numbers, and serial numbers. This not only saved a lot of time, it ensured that my documentation matched our actual collection. The information held on our cards was not always accurate or complete, but proved to be useful in resolving questions from the data pulled from our ILS and in finding portions of the collection that were not represented in the catalog.

Consider Access and Longevity

Access and longevity can be planned from the outset. Consider your audience and create documents in as many formats as possible.

Our project consists of a database, a website, and a PDF summary. The database requires specialized knowledge to use, so it is not a good option for long-term access. The website, however, makes the database accessible through search features and options to organize the information it contains. The PDF will ensure long-term access as we disseminate it through various channels. Our original card system will also be stored for posterity, but in a more stable location.

Reap the Benefits

As you assemble documentation, consider the unexpected benefits that arise and factor those into your documentation.

At NEIU we have found documentation of many agencies that are not represented in our catalog. We plan to use this to identify portions of our collection that still need to be cataloged. In the course of extracting data from our ILS we found a number of titles with improperly formed or incorrect call numbers. These have since been corrected. Because our system is provenance-based, we anticipate some use in recreating a history of the structure of Illinois government. Library staff may conduct further research in this arena, or we may offer this information to interested scholars elsewhere.