Crowdsourcing the Dewey Decimal Classification: When Users Become Contributors

Over half of all Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) numbers in bibliographic records are built numbers—numbers generated by following instructions to add notational components from various parts of the DDC to base numbers. WebDewey includes a number building tool that assists users in building Dewey numbers and permits them to contribute those numbers and their corresponding user terms for review and approval; vetted numbers are returned to WebDewey with accompanying Relative Index terms so other users can access and use the contributed built numbers. This paper describes the initial behavior of users from the English and Norwegian WebDewey communities in contributing Dewey numbers and access terms. Phenomena examined include, for example, the complexity of the numbers that users build, the frequency with which users accept default terms, and the kinds of changes that users make in the contributed terms.