The Donated Competitive-Exam Collection
Aided junior college library in Nashik has 9,600 volumes classified by DDC 22 and a shelf list last updated in 2019. It receives a donation of 480 books: 300 on MPSC/UPSC general studies, 120 on computer fundamentals, and 60 on soft skills. The principal has already announced a 'Competitive Exam Corner' near the reading hall in the annual magazine and wants it ready in three weeks. Two attendants argue: one says put all 480 at 001 or 371.42 so the corner is easy to supervise; the other says scatter them by subject so computer books sit with 004. The library has a classified catalogue and an OPAC with only title and author fields. Students complain they cannot find current affairs books; teachers want a 7-day issue period, not 14. The librarian must decide class numbers, location codes, and catalogue entries without reclassifying the existing collection.
1. Recommend a class-number strategy for the three groups and a shelving arrangement. Justify with DDC principles and user access.
Read the worked answer
Do not create one class number for the whole donation. DDC is arranged by discipline, so the first question is what the book is about, not where the principal wants the shelf.
- Computer fundamentals: classify at 004 and use 005.1 or similar only when the book is about programming or software. These books belong beside the existing computer-science shelves, even if a copy also sits in the corner.
- Soft skills: classify by emphasis. A book on communication and personality development for interviews fits 158.1 or 650.13; a book on interview technique for examinations may fit 371.26. Do not use 371.42 unless the content is actually guidance and counselling.
- General studies: genuinely cross-disciplinary current-affairs compilations can go at 001; exam manuals about examinations and testing can go at 371.26; civil-service material dominated by public administration can go at 351.076. Add a book number so titles do not collapse into one shelf mark.
For shelving, use a location prefix such as CE in the call number (for example, CE 004 MUK) rather than changing the classification. This preserves subject browsing, satisfies the principal's corner, and avoids reclassifying 9,600 volumes. Keep a duplicate shelf list for the CE sequence so the corner can be supervised and counted.
2. How should the librarian use the OPAC's limited fields and a location code so students can find the corner without destroying subject browsing?
Read the worked answer
The OPAC problem is a retrieval problem, not a classification problem. Title and author alone will not answer queries such as 'current affairs' or 'computer awareness'. Therefore:
- Add a collection code field (CE) to every donated item and ensure the OPAC can filter on it. If the software cannot, create a simple web list or printed pathfinder updated monthly.
- Add subject headings even if the database has no full MARC: at minimum 'Competitive examinations - India - Study guides', 'General knowledge', 'Computer science', and 'Soft skills'. This allows subject searching without changing class numbers.
- Use the call number prefix CE and a book number; keep the classified sequence intact behind the corner display.
- Publish a one-page guide listing class numbers, issue periods, and the location of old question papers; train the attendants to use it.
- Differentiate loan periods by collection code, not by arbitrary rule: 7 days for CE books, 14 days for general stock. Record the decision in the library committee minutes so teachers see the rationale.
The test is whether a student can move from a broad subject search to a shelf position without staff help. If the OPAC cannot support that, the printed pathfinder is the fallback, not a reason to abandon classification.