DDC number for knowledge organization

[Claudio Gnoli]

Dear colleagues,

in the ISKO Encyclopedia of Knowledge Organization [https://www.isko.org/cyclo/], edited by prof. Birger Hjorland, we index each new article with Dublin Core metadata, including DDC numbers. Although every article can get different numbers, e.g. the article on Physical Subject Headings is also classed with #530 for physics  [view-source:https://www.isko.org/cyclo/physh], most articles need common numbers to express the notion of knowledge organization (KO) in general. 

When KO is applied in the context of library and information science, it is often classed under #025.4 "subject analysis and control [of bibliographic material]". However, the very notion of KO is more general than library science, as it can also be applied e.g. to the philosophical classification of all the sciences or to the development of scientific taxonomies as in the Linnean system (see Hjorland's article on KO itself: https://www.isko.org/cyclo/knowledge_organization ). We are thus expressing this general sense by the compound number #001.012 meaning something as "knowledge considered in a systematic  form, classification of knowledge".

I also suggest this DDC number to represent the KO field in my book "Introduction to knowledge organization" just issued by Facet Publishing [http://www.facetpublishing.co.uk/title.php?id=304653].

The compound number #001.012 is already listed in WebDewey. I propose that an additional label "knowledge organization" is added to it, in order to reflect the growing development of this scholarly field. In case there is interest, I am available to act as a medium to the International Society of Knowledge Organization, which would probably be interested in this.

Many thanks for your attention,

Claudio Gnoli

co-editor and web editor, ISKO Encyclopedia of Knowledge Organization

[Alex Kyrios]

Hi Claudio,

Thanks for your comments, and it's wonderful to hear of article-level DDC classification! I agree that 001.012 seems like the best place for general works on KO (i.e., not within library and information science). We'll add "Knowledge organization" as a Relative Index term there, as well as a "Knowledge organization--information science" at 025.4.

Best,

Alex Kyrios

Editor, DDC