The Introduction and Use of Forms of Decimal Classification in Russia, 1895-1921: UDC, DDC, and the Normal Plan

The first mention of the decimal system of classification in the Russian library literature occurred in 1895. Between 1895 and 1907, the system made little headway in Russia. In the few instances in which it was adopted during this period, the form was generally that of the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) rather than that of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC). In 1908, the decimal system began to receive greater attention in Russia, owing in part to the efforts of the bibliographer B. S. Bodnarskii, a UDC proponent. In 1911, a group of St. Petersburg librarians put forward their own scheme of decimal classification for small Russian libraries. In addition to the UDC and the domestic Russian variant, DDC also received some serious attention and appears to have been the most popular form in Russia following the Revolution of 1917. In early 1921, however, the Russian government issued a decree singling out the UDC as the system of classification to be used in all libraries in Russia.