The Universal Decimal Classification in the Organization of Knowledge: Representing the Concept of Ethics

Abstract

Training in knowl­edge organization (KO) involves an understanding of theories for the construction, maintenance, use, and evaluation of logical documentary languages. Teaching these KO concepts in LIS programs are related basically to accessing documents and retrieving their intellectual content. This study focuses on access to documents and exploring the ethical theme in all its dimensions as applied to the teaching of an undergraduate discipline as part of a Bachelor of Library Science degree offered at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). As a methodology, a Project-based Pedagogy strategy is used in the teaching of a discipline called “Classification Systems: UDC” for students to classify a documentary resource from a collection on ethics. The teaching of bibliographic classification requires students to learn how to use the mechanisms available to form a notation as well as to use a syntax schema (tables) appropriately. Students also learn to determine a place for the document in the collection, considering the knowl­edge represented in the collection as a whole. Altogether, such a practice can help students to understand the theory underlying a classification system. The results show that the students were able to understand the basic concepts of knowl­edge organization. The students were also able to observe that the elements of the different tables of a classification tool are essential mechanisms for the organization of knowl­edge in other contexts, especially for specific purposes.