Functionality and flexibility of traditional classification schemes applied to a Content Management System (CMS): facets, DDC, JITA

Abstract(s)

Paper presented at the 2nd ISKO Italy-UniMIB meeting, Milan, June 9 2006: http://www.iskoi.org/doc/milano06.htm Different classification schemes may be used for web indexing. The authors analyze three weblogs (Biblioatipici, Letture and Andrea Marchitelli’s blog) to demonstrate that different contents may be classified using the appropriate scheme. Biblioatipici is a weblog about temporary workers in libraries and Italian documentation centres, indexed with a faceted scheme, home made by authors. Letture, a diary about reading and books, is indexed by DDC; finally, Andrea Marchitelli’s blog, a weblog about digital libraries and open access, is indexed by JITA, the scheme used for indexing e-prints in some different open archives. The three applications are presented starting from the most complex scheme (i.e. the faceted one) to the simple but least functional (JITA), passing through a traditional bibliographic classification scheme, the Dewey Decimal Classification. The analysis demonstrates that different web contents can efficiently be classified with different schemes. In particular, with the facets one (Biblioatipici) the indexer is able to generate the needed classes in the indexing phase. Moreover with a small number of facets and foci one can obtain an exponential number of classes. Finally, one of the advantages for the user is that the faceted scheme allows multiple accesses on the basis of different information requirements, in addition to being coherent and intuitive. DDC scheme can be more suitable than the first web pages or blogs performing a sort of digital library. In this case in fact the DDC scheme constitutes a consolidated classification standard, widespread in a huge quantity of libraries and the use of a different scheme might get confusion. JITA scheme, finally, can find a huge applicability in web pages (or blogs) in LIS field showing several advantages: it’s very simple and essentialy pragmatic, intuitive and coherent. It’s a conservative scheme because structurally closed, in fact it does not allow the classifier to insert new LCS’s categories. If, from a certain point of view, this is a disadvantage, vice versa this feature is really useful because get a complete matching between classes of all the web pages implemented with it.

Questo articolo è una rielaborazione della relazione presentata al 2. Incontro ISKO Italia UniMib, 9 giugno 2006: http://www.iskoi.org/doc/milano06.htm L’impiego di schemi di classificazione bibliografica nel web si è fatto via via più ricorrente; in particolare tali schemi, con i necessari adattamenti, sono impiegati nel web per l’organizzazione della conoscenza, cioè per dare una struttura coerente e organica ai contenuti presenti nel web. Molti miglioramenti devono ancora essere apportati a questi schemi affinché diventino degli strumenti validi e flessibili per la gestione della conoscenza. Questo intervento si pone come obiettivo quello di illustrare tre schemi di classificazione diversi così come sono stati applicati a tre weblog diversi, evidenziandone le funzionalità e le caratteristiche nonché i limiti e spiegando per quale motivo sia stato scelto uno schema piuttosto che un altro.