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Published by LSHTM Press London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Keppel Street London WC1E 7HT UK press.lshtm.ac.uk Text © London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine 2024 First published 2024 Cover design by Tom Grady ISBN (Hardback): 978-1-0687853-0-6 ISBN (PDF): 978-1-0687853-1-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.56920/lshtmp-1 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (unless stated otherwise within the content of the work). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA. This license allows for copying any part of the work for personal and commercial use, providing author attribution is clearly stated. Suggested citation: Barnard, CC 2024, A classification for medical and veterinary libraries, rev. E Carpenter, LSHTM Press, London. DOI: https://doi.org/10.56920/lshtmp-1. License: CC-BY-NC 4.0 To read the free, open access version of this book online, visit https://doi.org/10.56920/lshtmp-1i FOREWORD I was honoured to have been asked to write a few words by way of a foreword to this, the long-anticipated third edition of A Classification for Medical and Veterinary Libraries by Cyril C. Barnard, revised by Eloise Carpenter. I am the fifth professional librarian to have been entrusted with the care and ongoing development of the Library at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) – the Library that between 1921 and 1959 Barnard organised, nurtured and grew into one of the most comprehensive collections in public and global health and infectious disease anywhere. Barnard and his classification scheme have long been a part of my professional life, and for the greater part of the Library’s history the scheme has been an essential tool in how we as a service describe, organise and enable our users to discover and use our library collections. A revision of the Barnard scheme has been an aspiration of a succession of library directors at LSHTM, so I am delighted that it has finally come to fruition. When Cyril Barnard, our first professional librarian at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, initially set out his scheme in 1936 it was in response to a real need for a classification scheme that met the needs of specialist health libraries. The second edition published in 1955 was designed to encompass new and emerging areas of health research and education that could not accurately be described within the original. This third edition fulfils the same need, but also addresses head-on some deeply embedded inequities resulting from the context in which the first two editions were written. Examining the scheme from our 21st Century perspective, it is clear that the legacy of colonialism, the dominance of Western thought and the social structures of the time heavily influenced the language used and the hierarchies inferred within the original scheme. Decolonising Barnard’s classification scheme was therefore essential as part of the revision process. When Eloise Carpenter, Collection Services Manager, first came to me with the proposal to revise the scheme I was both enthusiastic and a little concerned. Enthusiastic, as a revision was long overdue and would be of immense practical use, and as mentioned above had been a project long-dreamed of by myself and my predecessors. A little concerned, as I knew this was not going to be a small undertaking and, not least in honour of Barnard, we had to be sure we got it right. The essence of Barnard’s scheme had stood the test of time, but new subjects and approaches had to be incorporated, some existing subjects re-classified in the light of greater scientific understanding over time, and as described above the language and structure of the original reinterpreted though a decolonising lens. Such an undertaking would also, I understood, be all-absorbing. It would require meticulous research, professional knowledge of classification, an understanding of Barnard’s thinking as he compiled his original scheme, the ability to grasp the subjects described and how they interrelate, and fine analytical skills to tease apart, reconstruct and augment the scheme where necessary, without losing sight of the integrity of the whole. As evidenced here, Eloise was more than capable of rising to the challenge, and I congratulate her on her achievement.ii During his lifetime Barnard championed the sharing of knowledge and resources, and proactively encouraged collaboration between librarians, libraries and the organisations and communities they served, both nationally and internationally. Barnard’s scheme was adopted by libraries around the world, including the World Health Organization, and he spent time assisting these libraries with its implementation. It is fitting therefore that we publish the third edition of Barnard’s scheme through LSHTM’s online open access press, so that it can be freely read and used by as wide an international audience as possible. We would be delighted to hear from any individuals and libraries with an interest in this revised edition, and hope that it may be a springboard for future collaboration and innovation. I believe that Barnard would approve. David Archer Director of Library, Archive & Open Research Services London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine August 2024iii PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION In 1936, Cyril Cuthbert Barnard (1894-1959) published the first edition of his Classification for Medical and Veterinary Libraries. Barnard was the first professional librarian at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), in post between 1921-1959. While selecting resources, it had soon become apparent to Barnard that the classification schemes available at the time were not suitable for the specialist focus of LSHTM. Barnard devised his own classification scheme focusing on tropical medicine and public health, revising it in 1955 to accommodate new and emerging subjects. The LSHTM Library, together with other academic libraries and health organisations, has used the scheme ever since. During the summer of 2019, the Library decided to embark on a project to review and update Barnard’s classification scheme. There were several motivations for this long overdue revision. Classifying twenty first century resources with a scheme based in the 1950s was proving a frustrating experience for Library staff, but also more importantly for readers trying to locate resources. Advances in science and medical knowledge meant some classifications placed subjects in classes they no longer belonged in. This was not only inaccurate but unhelpful for readers browsing the Library shelves or trying to find similar items in a catalogue search. Many subjects being taught and researched today had no class mark in the schedules so local amendments abounded. Several subjects displayed the prominence that they had enjoyed in the post-war years with lengthy lists of class marks no longer relevant for contemporary research. The resulting medley of class marks was increasingly unsatisfactory and brought into sharp focus with the introduction of an annual collection evaluation exercise and periodic mapping exercise. Correct and meaningful reporting on subjects contained in the Library’s collections and mapping them to research priorities and teaching interests of LSHTM relies on effective analysis of metadata contained in catalogue records. Accurate placing of subjects within the schedules is fundamental for enabling access to resources and for ensuring productive collection management. When Barnard amended his scheme in the 1950s Britain was experiencing unprecedented social and political change. In addition to initiatives in health, welfare and education provision, Britain was faced with the ‘end of Empire’ and the shifting balance of power from colonialism to independence. However, the withdrawal of colonial power did not lead to a decolonisation of thought and practice. The legacy of colonial and imperial history remained embedded in British society, including universities and their libraries. The coloniality of knowledge and prominence given to Western thought reproduced itself in the content of library collections and library practices. Traditionally the nature of library collections has been to control and classify resources resulting in cataloguing and classification conventions which promote Western thought and knowledge structures: subject headings rooted in a racist and sexist past, colonial taxonomies, language that appropriates or ignores the ‘other’ so perpetuating ideas of inferiority and superiority, and the geo-politicisation of knowledge. The bias inherent in the language and structure of the scheme is repeated in the search hierarchies and language of library discovery tools. Decolonising Barnard’s classification scheme was therefore essential as part of the revision process, and in supporting the aim of LSHTM in decolonising its curriculum and pedagogy.