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Faceted Classification: Management and Use

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Abstract

The paper discusses issues related to the use of faceted classifications in an online environment. The author argues that knowledge organization systems can be fully utilized in information retrieval only if they are exposed and made available for machine processing. The experience with classification automation to date may be used to speed up and ease the conversion of existing faceted schemes or the creation of management tools for new systems. The author suggests that it is possible to agree on a set of functional requirements for supporting faceted classifications online that are equally relevant for the maintenance of classifications, the creation of classification indexing tools, or the management of classifications in an authority file. It is suggested that a set of requirements for analytico-synthetic classifications may be put forward to improve standards for the use and exchange of knowledge organization systems.

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Notes

  1. Some general observation on this issue can be found in, for example, Ingwersen and Wormell (1992), Ellis and Vasconcellos (2000), Broughton and Lane (2000). Practical applications are described by Devadason (2003), Yee et al. (2003), Denton (2003) and Van Dijk (2003).

  2. Parallel division rule by which the same subdivsion can be used in several places in the schedules. (e.g. animals in zoology, palaeontology, agriculture; languages in ethnic grouping, literature and linguistics). So, for instance, UDC notation 821.111 English literature or (=111) English speaking people is derived from a notation =111 English language.

  3. Definition of a telescoped array: “Array of classes in a schedule of classification, made of co-ordinate and subordinate isolates, as viewed from the Idea Plane, but whose class numbers appear to be co-ordinate, as viewed from Notation Plane” (Ranganathan 1962, p. 278).

  4. We can mention here a simple format with XML encoding created to express resource description terms organized in mutually exclusive categories (facets) under the title XFML (eXchangeable Faceted Metadata Language)—which does not have the status of a vocabulary standard but is frequently used to support applications for facet-based Web interfaces (Van Dijk 2003). This schema also seems to be focused on hierarchical relationships and has no provision for accommodating complex vocabularies.

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  1. UDC Consortium, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Aida Slavic

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  1. Aida Slavic
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Slavic, A. Faceted Classification: Management and Use. Axiomathes 18, 257–271 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10516-007-9030-z

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