DeweyBrowser: beta forever!

The beta 1 version of the OCLC Research DeweyBrowser has now been superseded by beta 2. We are, after all, in the age of Web 2.0, where the mantra is 'beta forever'!

The beta 2 DeweyBrowser has some nice features, sporting improved functionality and a new interface (the latter being reminiscent of the similarly slick OCLC Open WorldCat interface - also in beta). Users can search for a topic or DDC number, or drill down by clicking through the Dewey captions which are represented as Dewey clouds. New features include the ability to filter search results by format, language, and OCLC Audience Level. Users can also search within result sets, view search histories, and peruse larger Dewey clouds. Of course, the best thing about DeweyBrowser remains the fact that it provides access to – and interlinks with - one of the biggest databases in the world; a union catalogue of over 1 billion hybrid resources (i.e. the OCLC Worldcat database).

We know the story. DDC is the most widely used classification system in the world, built on sound principles that make it handy as a general knowledge organisation tool. It has expressive notation, which makes it conducive to deployment on the web for improved information retrieval (for example, see HILT or OCLC Terminology Services), as well as well-defined(ish) classes and maturely developed hierarchies for powerful retrieval within other information environments. It is good to see OCLC so active in harnessing all this structured data for doing some good. Take a look at OCLC's FRBR inspired FictionFinder, for example, or the new-ish Open WorldCat. It's about putting all this structured information the LIS community has accrued to good work – and it's about time too!