[sigCR] More from the CR files!

[Kathryn La Barre]

As promised, I'm sending you some more nuggets from the CR files -
this one comes  from the files of Marcia Bates (soon to be deposited
at the U Mich archives as part of the ASIST records). It seems the
members of CR were contemplating some of the same questions we hope to
revisit at the upcoming CR workshop -- details forthcoming!

>From the April 1973 Newsletter of the Special Interest Group on
Classification Research. p. 4.

What is Classification Research

Do you sometimes stop and think what is "Classification" and
"Classification Research." If so you are in good company. The
following are some of the definitions presented and discussed at the
last meeting of FID/CR:

Molgaard-Hansen - 1962 (Elsinore Proc. p. 544)
By "Classification" is meant any method creating relations, generic or
other, between individual semantic units, regardless of the degree in
hierarchy contained in the systems and of whether those systems would
be applied in connection with traditional or more or less mechanized
methods of document searching.

Dahlberg-1972
Classification research comprises: (a) the study of the conceptual
oasis for the organization of knowledge, (b) the search for the
principles for the construction of classification systems, (c) the
study (also comparative) of existing classification systems, and (d)
the study of the application of classification system components in
the description or arrangement.

de Grolier - 1973
Classification research, as understood for the purpose of defining
FID/CR tasks, includes the following topics, or subfields: (a)
research in the principles of ordering (systematizing) human knowledge
and activities, (b) application of logical, mathematical and/or
statistical methods to this systematic organization of knowledge and
activities, (c) comparative study of the structures of existing
classification systems in science, technology, history, arts, etc.,
(d) application of scientific methods to classification of disciplines
and fields of research for statistical and policy purposes, and (e)
comparative study of methods for the classification of documents and
subject analysis of their content, especially in view of better
organizing information networks, data banks, archives, libraries and
museums.

Which definition do you agree with? Molgaard-Hansen? Dahlberg? de
Grolier? Or would you rather have your own? You have an opportunity to
express yourself --

Here - the article concludes with directions to complete a survey,
enclosed in the newsletter. I'd like to invite you to share your
opinions on this list. One thing that strikes me about the
communications among CR members in our early days - is that despite
the distance and temporal delays imposed by snail mail - this group
had semi-frequent  and spirited conversation.

Keep cool out there today!

Kathryn