Beyond retrieval: A proposal to expand the design space of classification

Abstract

Abstract:In Information Science, the creation of classification schemes has been more commonly described in the mode of scientific discovery, as opposed to artifact design. From the literary warrant of Hulme to the terminological warrant of the Classification Research Group (CRG), to Hjørland's domain analysis, the classificationist seems like one who documents and compiles, and not one who actively shapes design. Outside of Information Science, however, classification is used as an active argument to structure interpretations (in linguistics and philosophy) and as a means of coordinating and imposing order on work practices (in studies of information systems). In this paper, I suggest that classification researchers should investigate a wider variety of design possibilities, in which the purpose of a classification is not assumed to be a retrieval tool in the traditional manner. A consequence of an expanded design space is that standard classification manuals and guides become insufficient support for the design process; a new research area might be the facilitation of problem-setting aspects of classification design. One avenue of possible research involves the description of a design language, following the description of such by Lowgren andStolterman (2004) and Donald Schon (1983). A design language, which might be operationalized as a set of product qualities, might provide a framework by which designers can better understand, evaluate, and create classifications.

Three Questions Concerning the Foundation of Multi-perspective Classification

“…The editors of the first edition of both schemes justified the necessity of developing local schemes by arguing how the adoption of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) would fail to satisfy local needs (Mori, 1929;Liu, 1929). Feinberg (2007) suggests taking one step further from this pluralistic understanding. Instead of passively viewing value judgments as inevitable, she argues that classification can be arguments for interpretations.…”

Antiviolence and Marginalized Communities: Knowledge Creation, Community Mobilization, and Social Justice through a Participatory Archiving Approach

“…While it goes without saying that these are invaluable skills, this project illustrates how these tools and technologies might be employed in more diverse, creative, and flexible ways. For example, Melanie Feinberg (2007) contends that the role classification schemes might play in information organizations has been limited by thinking of such schemes as an objective reflection of reality, specifically designed only for the purposes of information retrieval. She suggests that information professionals consider how and in what contexts they might extend their information toolbox for alternative ends.…”

Fringe Types and KOS Systematics: Examining the Limits of the Population Perspective of Knowledge Organization Systems

“…Both are important, in our view. Design is an inherently creative process, and if we are to understand the contemporary landscape of KO research as a design space (c.f., Feinberg, 2007), then we must look for creativity in the phenomenon of KOS. In order to create this rubric, we can take extant research on the topic (partially reviewed above), and lay against it, individual works that seem to occupy the borderlands (at best) of KOS.…”