The Brian Deer Classification System (BDC) is a library classification system used to organize materials in libraries with specialized Indigenous collections. The system was created in the 1970s by Canadian Kahnawake Mohawk librarian A. Brian Deer , and has been adapted for use  by a small number of First Nations libraries in Canada. History and usage Deer designed his classification system while working in the library of the National Indian Brotherhood  from 1974 to 1976; instead of using a standard library classification scheme,  he created a new system to organize the library's historic  research materials and papers. He went on to work at the Cultural Centre at Kahnawake and the Kahnawake Branch branch of the Mohawk Nation Office , creating new schemes for their collections. The new systems Deer created were designed specifically for the materials in each collection according to the concerns of local Indigenous people at the time (for example, categories included land claims, treaty rights, resource management, and Elders' stories). Between 1978 and 1980, the system was adapted for use in British Columbia by Gene Joseph and Keltie McCall while  working at the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs . Variations of the Brian Deer Classification System are used in a small number of Canadian libraries. One prominent library using BDC is the X̱wi7x̱wa Library at the University of British Columbia, which uses a British Columbia-focused version of BDC along with First Nations House of Learning subject headings. The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Resource Centre revised the BDC in 2013 , with the goal of providing users with a more flexible and culturally appropriate approach to organizing their resources. The Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute in Oujé-Bougoumou, Quebec implemented a local adaptation of BDC when they opened in 2012. In 2020 the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council in Prince George, British Columbia moved from organizing its library with the Dewey Decimal Classification to  a version of the BDC, adding new categories for topics of local interest such as the  Missing and murdered Indigenous women epidemic . The  organizational structure of BDC reflects a First Nations worldview, with an emphasis on relationships between and among people, animals, and the land. Subcategories demonstrate the relationships among First Nations by grouping them geographically as opposed to alphabetically , as is frequently used for specific topics in the Library of Congress Classification. The top-level hierarchy of the X̱wi7x̱wa Library adaptation of BDC demonstrates the emphasis on access to subjects prioritized by a First Nation collection:
The Brian Deer Classification System (BDC) is a library classification system used to organize materials in libraries with specialized Indigenous collections. The system was created in the mid-1970s by Canadian librarian A. Brian Deer Kahnawake Mohawk. It has been adapted for use in a British Columbia version, and also by a small number of First Nations libraries in Canada. History and usage Deer designed his classification system while working in the library of the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of Nations from 1974 to 1976. Instead of using a standard library classification scheme, such as that of the Library of Congress, he created a new system to organize the library's historic indigenous research materials and papers. He later worked at the library of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, where he developed a system for its holdings. He returned to Kahnawake, working at its Cultural Centre at Kahnawake and the Kahnawake Branch branch of the Mohawk Nation Office . His system was flexible, and he created new forms for their collections. The new systems Deer created were designed specifically for the materials in each collection according to the concerns of local Indigenous people at the time (for example, categories included land claims, treaty rights, resource management, and Elders' stories). Between 1978 and 1980, the system was adapted for use in British Columbia by Gene Joseph and Keltie McCall while they were working at the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs , becoming known as BDC-BC. Joseph later adapted it further for use at the library of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Variations of the Brian Deer Classification System are used in a small number of Canadian libraries. One prominent library using BDC is the X̱wi7x̱wa Library at the University of British Columbia, which uses a British Columbia-focused version of BDC along with First Nations House of Learning subject headings. The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Resource Centre issued a revised BDC-BC in 2014 , with the goal of providing users with a more flexible and culturally appropriate approach to organizing their resources. The Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute in Oujé-Bougoumou, Quebec implemented a local adaptation of BDC when they opened in 2012. In 2020 the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council in Prince George, British Columbia shifted from organizing its library with the Dewey Decimal Classification to using a version of the BDCS. They added new subject heading categories for topics of local interest such as the crisis of Missing and murdered Indigenous women . The high-level organizational structure of BDCS reflects a First Nations worldview, with an emphasis on relationships between and among people, animals, and the land. Subcategories demonstrate the relationships among First Nations by grouping them geographically as opposed to alphabetically ; the latter is a practice frequently used for specific topics in the Library of Congress Classification. The top-level hierarchy of the X̱wi7x̱wa Library adaptation of BDC-BC demonstrates the emphasis on access to subjects prioritized by a First Nation collection:
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1970s by Canadian Kahnawake Mohawk
mid-1970s by Canadian
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, and
Kahnawake Mohawk. It
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in a British Columbia version, and also
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(now the Assembly of Nations
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1976; instead
1976. Instead
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such as that of the Library of Congress,
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indigenous
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went on to work at the
later worked at the library of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, where he developed a system for its holdings. He returned to Kahnawake, working at its
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, creating new schemes
. His system was flexible, and he created new forms
A
they were
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.
, becoming known as BDC-BC. Joseph later adapted it further for use at the library of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
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revised the BDC in 2013
issued a revised BDC-BC in 2014
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moved
shifted
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using
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BDC, adding new
BDCS. They added new subject heading
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crisis of
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epidemic
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high-level
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BDC
BDCS
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, as is
; the latter is a practice
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BDC
BDC-BC