Library and Information Management Forum

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Browsing Library and Information Management Forum by Author "ADESOPE, Oluwaseyifunmi Yetunde"

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    EVALUATING BIAS IN TRADITIONAL CLASSIFICATION SCHEMES IN AFRICAN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES: A CRITICAL AND EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF EPISTEMIC BIAS IN DEWEY DECIMAL CLASSIFICATION (DDC) AND LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION (LCC)
    (Library and Information Management Forum Vol. 28. No. 1 2026, 2026) OKHAKHU, David. O; QUADRI Monsuru Omotayo; ADESOPE, Oluwaseyifunmi Yetunde; ADEWOLE, Tomilola Adebola
    This study critically examines epistemic bias embedded within the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) and Library of Congress Classification (LCC) systems as applied in Nigerian academic libraries. Drawing on postcolonial theory, critical library studies, and African epistemological traditions, the research adopts a mixed-methods design integrating systematic content analysis of classification schedules, case studies of three federal university libraries, semi-structured interviews with 24 cataloguers, and comparative shelf audits. The study argues that DDC and LCC, developed within Western intellectual traditions during the era of colonial expansion, systematically marginalise African religious thought, indigenous knowledge systems, oral traditions, and other non-Western epistemologies. In response, the study proposes a framework for culturally responsive reclassification grounded in Ubuntu philosophy, Afrocentric perspectives, and international library standards. The findings offer implications for decolonial practices in library science education, cataloguing policy, and the pursuit of epistemic justice in African higher education.