What's cooking in the proverbial Dewey kitchen? We haven't set a date yet for Electronic Meeting 146A of our Editorial Policy Committee (EPC), but we're already lining up some proposals for it. In these asynchronous meetings, EPC considers a slate of proposals for about a month before voting on them; January 2026 is a likely date. I usually post proposals to the Google Drive once there's a date.
In the meantime, I thought I'd share what we're working on. Here's an overview of 146A proposals in progress:
- T1--011 Systems - A common theme of recent EPC proposals is when to use certain standard subdivisions or if they're more like jumping-off points for specific builds. See recent (approved) proposals on T1--0285 Computer applications or T1--068 Management, for example. Very much like management, the term "systems" gets used a lot, but it doesn't always mean T1--011 applies.
- Types of computers - Quantum computers, molecular computers... are they "specific types of computers" as specified at 004.1 or best treated elsewhere? Computer science always moves quickly, so this is just one example of computer science topics we'll be addressing in the near future.
- Indexing for ethnic groups and religion - It can be tricky to properly classify a topic when some amount of geographic scope is implied. For example, should you use T1--09 and T2 notation for China to represent a Chinese martial art? The problem comes up in religion too, where many religions, especially in 299, are identified by their place of origin, or the group of people from which it originates. This proposals seeks to clarify how to properly build numbers for the intersection of group and religion.
- Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) - This is a user-driven proposal to represent the upcoming Mexican holiday. Is it a secular observance or a religious one? Is it just an expression of All Souls' Day? The answers to those questions are nuanced, and this exhibit proposes how to handle works treating it one way or another.
- Electric and electronic systems of cars - Even when they're still powered by gasoline, electric and electronic systems are becoming ever more important in cars. We found confusion between numbers like 629.2549 and 629.272, which this proposal seeks to address.
- Collections of literature vs. history and criticism of literature - These are two basic concepts that get expressed a lot in number building for literature. But what do you do with a work that contains both a collection of literature and history and criticism about it? There are instructions, but they're sort of hidden in various places. This exhibit seeks to get those instructions straightened out and placed where they'll be most helpful.
Let me know if you'd like to hear more about any of these, to review them before they're shared, or even to make a proposal of your own--it's not too late!
