PCDM : a French classification for music documents in public libraries

The "Principles of Classification of musical documents" (PCDM), is a classification developed in French public libraries since 1983, especially for documents related to music, according to a scheme more convenient than the Dewey Classification, regarding the needs of the users in a public library.

The first version (1983) was designed only for sound recordings.

The latest version (#4) was published in : Musique en bibliothèque / sous la direction de Yves Alix et Gilles Pierret, Editions du Cercle de la Librairie, collection Bibliothèques (ISBN 2-7654-0843-2).

Additions and updates are published on the site http://www.acim.asso.fr/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=7

This version 4 has as an ambition to allow the shelf marking (material filing) of all types of documents (discs, books, videos, etc.) as well as their analytical indexing in the catalogues.

It is a decimal system, which can be integrated inside the decimal system of Dewey, taking the place of subdivisions of the Dewey section 780

The main classes of the PCDM4 are :

0 Generalities, musical sciences and techniques

1 Afro-American influenced music (Blues, Jazz, R'n'B, Rap, Reggae, etc.)

• 1.1 Blues
• 1.2 Negro spirituals, Gospels
• 1.3 Jazz
• 1.4 Rhythm'n'blues, Soul, R'n'B
• 1.5 Rap (Hip Hop related music)
• 1.6 Reggae

2 Rock music, and related international pop music

3 Classical music (Western erudite music)

4 Electronic music

5 Functional music, miscellaneous

6 Music and cinema

7 Decant class (unclassifiable documents)

8 National or local use class (in France, "Chanson francophone")

9 Music of national traditions, World music