The relation between Panizzi and Dewey

a discursive analysis about their creations and the modern librarianship

Abstract

Introduction: Librarianship has been developing, especially since the nineteenth century with the creation of the first schools and the development of more elaborate rules and systems of organization.
Objective: This article aims at a comparative study between two of the most important librarians in history and who brought innovations in this century. Antony Panizzi, creator of the British Museum's Catalog of Printed Books, better known as the Panizzi Catalog, which organized the entire British Museum Library in 1837, and Melvil Dewey, creator of the Dewey Decimal Classification in 1876, used to date and considered of the most popular rating methods in the world. Both were pioneers in the history of Librarianship and organization of information, one in catalogs and the other in classifications. Although they have modified different areas, they are related, and the paths of librarians have several points in common.
Methodology: This study will discuss, with the help of discourse analysis and its theorists, the importance of the creations of these two librarians and how they are then linked and completed.
Results: The two librarians described seem to be distant, their ideas do not seem to belong to the same circle, but as the present work shows, they are closely linked.
Conclusions: The creations of both are still present in our routine activities and have aided in the development of current techniques and systems, showing that Librarianship has a strong base in their past that assists in the construction of their future.