The order of the books on the shelf: a study on the topographic signature in the university libraries of the National University of La Plata

Abstract

Based on the hypothesis that the common pattern relating the different libraries of UniversidadNacional de La Plata (UNLP) for the construction of the class signature is the use of Universal Decimal Classification (UDC), and that there is an important dispersion in the elements composing the topographic signature, there was a recounting in the academic libraries to research about the ways to build the topographic signature for the order of the bibliographic material on the shelf. There was a sample of the topographic signatures of the “Roble” collective catalogue. The differences and similarities found were analyzed. There was an interview for the ones responsible for the technical processes of each library to ask about the causes for the differences found. It was proven that, even though most of the libraries use UDC to generate the class signature, they also use different editions with dissimilar use criteria.Also, in the formation of the topographic signature, the criterion used varies notoriously from one library to the other, making difficult to find coincidence in the assigned topographic signatures. It concludes that the determinant factor in the result is the way in which the labor practices are developed in these institutions.