[Sigia-l] Marcia Bates on Web-era information retrieval

[christina wodtke]

> A fresh must read:  "After the Dot-Bomb:  Getting Web Information
Retrieval
> Right this Time" by UCLA's Marcia Bates (of berry-picking fame).


"Using old-fashioned hierarchical classifications.
When classifications are used in Internet databases, it is hierarchical
classifications that are almost invariably used. These are in the
conventional "tree" shape, a broad area subdivided, then subdivided again
and again, with each possible category contained within the one above.
Librarians invented a better kind of classification decades ago, that is
called faceted classification. It is too involved to explain in this brief
article, but a good analogy is to say that faceted classification is to
hierarchical classification as relational databases are to hierarchical
databases. Most system designers would not dream of using hierarchical files
these days, so why are hierarchical classifications of information content
still being used? "
gosh faceted classification is easy and better! why doesn't everyone doing
it?

I'm getting a weird sense of deja vu. What do folks think about this?