Classification and interdisciplinary browsing: the experience at the University of Pavia

Abstract

The gradual adoption by the University of Pavia libraries of the classified shelving based on the Dewey Decimal Classification is presented. This has allowed developing the browsing interface  SciGator, which offers the possibility to browse through the subjects in the libraries and launch searches in the OPAC catalogue for documents shelved by their corresponding DDC classes or their local equivalents. SciGator also allows searching for documents indexed with their respective class or with a class linked to it in the network of class cross-references. The convenience and possible improvements of SciGator are discussed.