Facts, Approaches, and Reflections on Classification in the History of Argentine Librarianship Hechos, Enfoques y Reflexiones Sobre la Clasificación en la Historia de la Bibliotecología Argentina

Argentine library science literature reflects a diverse interest in the subject organization of library collections. Early writings looked at the need to organize one library in particular (the National Library methodical catalog of 1893); and, therefore, the central issue was the adoption of a practical model of library organization. However, the twentieth century inaugurated the era of library studies in thestrictest sense. It began an exchange of ideas about the advantages and disadvantages of decimal classification, and it resulted in the work of Carlos V. Penna by the middle of the century. This article is based on the analysis and interpretation of the primary sources, with the purpose of identifying the influences of European and American library thought on the development of the history of classification in Argentina in a period during which a national library identity began to develop. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: © 2002 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]