Segmentation

Discover how segmentation is used in DDC numbers and find examples illustrating segmentation methods in WebDewey.

Policies and Procedures of the Library of Congress Decimal Classification Division

Segmentation in DDC numbers

  • One aid to reduction of the full DDC number is the segmentation provided in DDC numbers assigned by such centralized cataloging services as the Decimal Classification Division of the Library of Congress and the Library and Archives Canada.
  • The segmentation is indicated by a prime mark ('), a slash mark (/), or other comparable indicators.
  • The segmentation mark indicates the end of the abridged number (including, if applicable, the end of the abridged standard subdivision in the abridged number).  

Examples illustrating segmentation methods

155.6/6

155.6		   The psychology of midlife

The psychology of adults (the number found in the abridged edition)
  6     Persons in middle adulthood (the remainder of the number found in the schedules of the unabridged edition)
           
324.6/23092

324.6		   A biography of Susan B. Anthony

Election systems and procedures; suffrage (the number found in the abridged edition)
  23092     23 Women's suffrage (the remainder of the number found in the schedules of the unabridged edition) plus 092 Persons (from unabridged Table 1)
           
282.092/2   Collected biography of Catholics
282.092     282 Roman Catholic Church (the number found in the schedules of the abridged edition) plus 092 Persons (from abridged Table 1)
  2     Collected persons treatment (the remainder of the notation found in unabridged Table 1)