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)
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)
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Date
2026
Authors
OKHAKHU, David. O
QUADRI Monsuru Omotayo
ADESOPE, Oluwaseyifunmi Yetunde
ADEWOLE, Tomilola Adebola
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Library and Information Management Forum Vol. 28. No. 1 2026
Abstract
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.
Description
Journal of Library and Information Management Forum