IFLA Classification and indexing satellite pre-conferenceFlorence, August 20-21, 2009

Animals belonging to the emperor:enabling viewpoint warrant in classification

Claudio Gnoli

(University of Pavia. Library Service)

Knowledge organization

• Classification schemes• Thesauri• Subject heading lists• Taxonomies• Ontologie• ...

KOS

KO dimensions

Ontological (real world)

Epistemological (our knowledge)

Sociological (milieu, purpose)

Bias

Let’s make it explicit !

ISKO 11, Rome, February 2010:

“Paradigms and conceptual systems in KO”

Bias

• influence of classification on search and on everyday life [Bowker & Star 1999; Ridi in press]

• prejudices in LCSH [Olson 2002; Kublik et al. 2004]

• development in thesauri [Severino 2005]

• main classes in LC, Soviet, Chinese classifications...

Bias

[Angelini 2005]

Eastern vs. Western KO

• calligraphy as a major art in Korean DC 700 [Kwasnik & Rubin 2004]

• philosophy in BC2: different facets [Biagetti 2009]

• philosophy ? religion

“Buddhist “Buddhist ethics” worship”

“Chinese encyclopedia”

a animals that belong to the Emperorb embalmed animalsc animals that are trained d suckling pigs e mermaids f fabulous animals g stray dogs h animals included in the present classification i animals that tremble as if they were mad j innumerable animals k animals drawn with a very fine camelhair brush l other animals m animals that have just broken a flower vase n animals that from a long way off look like flies

[Borges 1964]

Folk taxonomies

?

=

New Guinea native Western zoologist

Folk taxonomies

• 93% same bird species identification 7% strictly-related species [Diamond 1966]

• almost all same species of birds but no distinction between ants [Mayr in Wilson 1992]

• plant species in Chiapas: 82 underdifferentiated 68 exactly corresponding (including 40 introduced) 50 overdifferentiated

[Berlin et al. 1966]

All dimensions are needed

• Ontological (real world)

• Epistemological (our knowledge)

• Sociological (milieu, purpose)

viewpoint warrant [Beghtol 1998; 2002]

Representing viewpoints

As many KOSs as viewpoints(domain analysis)

but

the global information society needs interoperability...

...... ...

......

...

...

A neutral reference KOS

R

AA

AA

AA

AA

AA

AA

[Wåhlin 1974; Parsons 1996; Beghtol 1998; Boteram 2009]

Integrative Level Classification

Experimentation with a• general• interdisciplinary• freely-facetedKOS

www.iskoi.org/ilc

ILC reference classes

m organismsmq animalsmqm molluscsmqr arthropodsmqrd arachnidsmqrh crustaceansmqri insectsmqt echinodermsmqv chordatesmqvj amphibiansmqvl reptilesmqvo birdsmqvt mammals

ILC deictic classes

A as defined

AA as defined

AB as defined

B as defined

C as defined

...

A - Z express local viewpoints

a - z express standard viewpoint

ASCII sorting

“Chinese” classes in ILC reference notation

tp55a2mo empires, with emperor, in China

u8(mq)6i economies, of animals, by private owner

mq98u(6i(955(a)tp(2mo)))

animals, being a good, by private owner, being emperor, of empire, in China

“Chinese” classes in ILC deictic notation

mqA [mq98u(6i(955(a)tp(2mo)))] animals belonging to the emperor

mqB [...] embalmed animals

mqC [...] animals that are trained

...

Special ILC deictics

mqU the typical animals

mqX some animals

mqXA the actual animals (i.e. there are animals)

mqXX what animals?

mqY the individual animal (e.g. Laika)

mqZ the mentioned animal (anaphoric or cataphoric)

Anthropocentric favoured host classes

–U-

hk stars... (many subclasses)hkxxxxx Sun

hkU Sun

Test applications

• bibliography on traditional culture in Northern Apennines

• bibliography on bioacoustics

• bibliography on facet analysis

• Web directory on chemistry

Development

• basic idea for viewpoint representation

• more complex, real cases to be considered

• parallel development of standard schedule and local schedules

• can any local concept be translated into facet combinations?

No KOS is perfect......but useful KOSs are feasible

Thank you

gnoli@aib.it

for representingall viewpoints