Managing Hardcopy Drawings

Abstract

This Paper Presents a Classification System for Managing and Indexing Hardcopy Engineering Drawings, Referred to, in this Paper, as Drawings Library Management System (DLMS), Developed for an Appropriate Technology Research Centre in Botswana. the System Is Akin to Common Library Cataloguing and Classification Systems such as the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), Universal Decimal Classification and Others, which, though Are Well-Known and Have Been around for many Years, Are yet to Be Exploited for the Classification and Management of Paper Drawings. in Fact, Hardcopy Drawings Appear to Be Neglected Compared to the Softcopy Type, for which Various Scholarly Articles Have Been Done on their Classification, Retrieval and Management. this Is Unfortunate as, Invariably, it Is Hardcopy/paper Drawings that Are Mostly Used in Production, Especially in Developing Countries where the Power of CAD/CAM Is yet to Be Fully Harnessed. Accordingly, the DLMS, a Model Successfully Used in a Research Centre in Botswana for over Ten Years Is Proposed.The System Was Further Analysed against and Compared to Three Main Library Classification Systems, Namely, the Dewey Decimal, the Universal Decimal and the Library of Congress Systems. Results Show that the DLMS Is a Better Classification System for Managing Hardcopy Drawings.