Brinkler classification

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Brinkler Classification is the library classification system of Bartol Brinkler described in his article "The Geographical Approach to Materials in the Library of Congress Subject Headings" (1962). The geographical aspect of a subject may be conveyed through three types of headings. Here is one example (see Brinkler (1926) for many more examples):

• (A) a topical heading with geographical subdivisions (e.g. Art--Paris);
• (B) a place with a topical subdivision (e.g. Paris--Description); and
• (C) a geographical description of a phrase (e.g. Paris Literature).

Bartol Brinkler explores what type of heading is more useful to a patron, and he finds that it depends on the level of familiarity a patron has with a topic and what approach they take when searching for resources on their topic. Bartol Brinkler investigates a system of classification that will best serve these two ideal types of patrons (for the purposes of his paper):

• (1) a person looking for everything on a subject is helped along by Type A headings; whereas
• (2) a person looking for everything on a place relies on Type B headings.

One possibility is to assign Type A and Type B headings to every resource, but the cataloguing cost would be high. A system that aids readers regardless of their approach to a topic involves using cross-references (e.g. Canada--Botany, See Botany--Canada). Admitting that see and see also references would require more work on the part of librarians, Bartol Brinkler notes that librarians must keep in mind "...readers do not have the same knowledge [of classification] and do need all the help they can get..."

[edit] Biography: Bartol Brinkler

Bartol (also known as Bart) Brinkler was educated at Princeton Graduate School; he had a MA and Ph.D. He graduated in 1937. From 1947-1982, Bartol Brinkler worked at Widener Library at Harvard University as head of classification and cataloging. In 1976, he trained all the catalogers at Widener Library on the Library of Congress classification system. Bartol Brinkler also served as a "consultant on classification (...this included the construction of a special classification system & supervision of reclassification for Dumbarton Oaks Research Library, Washington, DC, [19]59-60, and J.K. Kennedy-Institut fur Amerikastudien" (Who's Who, 1970). Bartol Brinkler died on 2 October 1993. He is remembered in the Princeton Alumni Weekly as a "quiet librarian."

No other publications by Bartol Brinkler are known to exist; he only lists the journal article presented here in Who's Who.

[edit] References

• Brinkler, Bartol. The geographical approach to materials in the Library of Congress subject headings: report of a study project. s.l.: s.n., 1960. [Accession No: OCLC 3853830].
• Brinkler, Bartol. The geographical approach to materials in the Library of Congress subject headings. Library Resources & Technical Services 6, no. 1 (Winter 1962): 49-64.
• Who's who in library service. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1933, 1943, 1955, 1966. 5th edition published as: A Biographical directory of librarians in the United States and Canada. Chicago, ALA, 1970.

[edit] External links

• Harvard University. Widener Library.
• Library of Congress Classification Outline.
• Princeton Alumni Weekly: Memorials 1937.