IFLA Classification and indexing satellite pre-conference Florence, 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 Emperor b embalmed animals c 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 A A A A A A A A A A A A [Wåhlin 1974; Parsons 1996; Beghtol 1998; Boteram 2009]

Integrative Level Classification Experimentation with a general interdisciplinary freely-faceted KOS

ILC reference classes m organisms mq animals mqm molluscs mqr arthropods mqrd arachnids mqrh crustaceans mqri insects mqt echinoderms mqv chordates mqvj amphibians mqvl reptiles mqvo birds mqvt 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 for representing all viewpoints