The Concept of Folk: Interpreting its Representation in Knowledge Structure

Inclusion and representation of multidimensional concepts pose a challenge to any Knowledge Organisation System. This study aims to explore how the concept of Folk has been reflected in the twenty-third edition of Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDC). It shows how the various aspects related to folk has been classified in the scheme, as well as highlights the interpretational difficulties that a classifier might face while representing folk in the Universe of Knowledge. Not only so there are instances of similar terms being present in DDC making the classification context dependent. It also examines how some of the documents on folk and its diverse concepts are classified in the Library of Congress (LOC) and National Library of India (NLI). The findings reveal that the concept of folk is vastly diverse and requires proper understanding and interpretation.