The UDC Consortium (UDCC) is a non-profit international organisation aiming to maintain and develop the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) system. Established by the International Federation for Documentation (FID) and a consortium of publishers (Dutch, English, French, Spanish and Japanese editions), the Consortium gained copyright over the Universal Decimal Classification on 1 January 1992.
The primary tasks and objectives of the Consortium include:
- maintaining and distributing an authorised version of the UDC;
- publishing professional literature;
- supporting publishers and UDC users by issuing licences and providing services related to data transmission, translation and marketing;
- assisting users by resolving UDC-related queries, publishing news and updates about the UDC;
- actively engaging in and supporting professional UDC research;
- promoting the UDC and aiding in education, in collaboration with libraries and higher education institutions;
- organising international professional conferences;
- preserving the UDC heritage by archiving and digitising UDC documents and publications.
From its inception until 2014, the Consortium consisted of institutions involved in the development of standards and commercial publishers. Since 2015, national libraries, which translate and publish UDC as a professional standard, have become part of the Consortium.
The Consortium is overseen by an Executive Committee, while the Editorial Team is responsible for its development and maintenance. Revision and development of the UDC are carried out in cooperation with the Supervisory Board, composed of classification experts from around the world.
The headquarters of the UDC Consortium are located at the National Library of the Netherlands (Koninklijke Bibliotheek) in The Hague.
