The sad saga of this class (the most difficult ever tackled by BC2 in the vastness of its vocabulary and the intricacy of its relationships) continued. Although, as reported at last year's AGM, the serious weaknesses revealed by the new A/Z index and its close inspection by the eagle eyes of Eric Coates have been largely resolved, their implications for changes in the structure and order and status of some classes resulted in a great deal of time-consuming amendment. Then, because of the completely synthetic nature of BC2 notation, the changes in notation for a given class often reverbetrated, resulting in a need to amend not only the notations but also the instructions for class-mark building.
This work has proved laborious as well as time-consuming. Combined with the need to amend the A/Z index entries, it has occupied us for most of the year. But it is now nearing completion; the two appendices (How to subdivide a class, and Radicals & functional groups) have to be amended accordingly and the job will be done.
These two classes, for both of which detailed drafts have been made, are now regarded as being part of the full Arts component in BC2. The second (Class VX) is closely related to Class W (Applied art & design and Fine arts); the first is seen to be a mixed class, embracing elements from Class UN Technology (previously known as Useful arts) as well as Class VX Recreative arts and Class W Applied arts & fine arts. As such it serves as a logical bridge between Technology (which ends the major sequence of classes in BC2 whose order is determined by integrative level theory) and the other disciplinary classes. The above analysis has also allowed BC2 to seek funding for the completion and publication of classes VW/VX as integral parts (along with Class VQ Music) of the Arts component in BC2.
This class, after a long gestation, was finally published in early 2007 (by K.G. Saur Verlag, München). Our hearty thanks are extended to Colin Ball for his excllent and invaluable work as joint-author of this large class (the BC2 volume is nearly 300pp long). Class W covers Applied arts & design, and Fine arts; it excludes Music, which is being published separately. It is disappointing that no reviews have yet appeared - but one at least is on its way.
The small working-group on the finalizing of this class and the development of a thesaurus to supplement the schedules (reported at the 2006 AGM) continued its work. Financial support is being sought for its completion in the next two years, together with the other Arts components noted above.
Work continued on this, as reported under Class C above. BC2 would like to express its deep thanks for the work Eric Coates and Leonard Will are doing on this.
Members will be pleased to hear that the urgent problem of BC2 finances and the need to seek funding to help the completion of the system is now being tackled. A detailed application is being prepared to assist specifically the completion in the next two years of the classes in the Arts component, as described above.
All members of BCA will join us in giving thanks to the Committee for its sterling work in keeping the Association going. Special thanks are due to the officers: to our Secretary, Vanda Broughton, our Treasurer Angela Haselton (and her ever-reliable auditor, Ken Best) and our Bulletin editor Tony Curwen. We also wish to thank two long-serving amd much valued Committee members who left us last year: Frank Emmott of Barnardo's and Richard Crabtree of the University library at Senate House (who was also the Committee's host at its meetings there). We wish both of them a very happy retirement.
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