Facet analysis in UDC: questions of structure, functionality and data formality.

Slavic, A.; Davies, S.

Abstract

The paper will look into different patterns of facet analysis used in the UDC schedules and how these affect the scheme presentation, the underlying data structure and the management of the classification scheme. From the very beginning, UDC was designed to represent the universe of knowledge as an integral whole allowing for subjects/concepts from all fields of knowledge to be combined, linked and the nature of their relationships made explicit. In Otlet's original design, the emphasis for his new type of classification was on the coordination of classmarks at the point of searching, i.e., post-coordination, which he firmly rooted in an expressive notational system. While some UDC classes exhibit various patterns of facet analytical theory proper, others, although used in an analytico-synthetic fashion, follow less canonical structural patterns. The authors highlight the lack of connection made throughout the various stages of UDC restructuring between: a) theoretical requirements of an overarching facet analytical theory as a founding principle guiding the construction of schedules; and, b) practical requirements for an analytico-synthetic classification in terms of notational presentation and data structure that enables its use in indexing and retrieval, as well as its management online.

Citation

SLAVIC, A. and DAVIES, S. 2017. Facet analysis in UDC: questions of structure, functionality and data formality. Knowledge organization [online], 44(6): selected papers from the proceedings of the 2017 International UDC seminar: faceted classification today: theory, technology and end users, 14-15 September 2017, London, UK, pages 425-435. Available from: https://www.ergon-verlag.de/isko_ko/downloads/ko_44_2017_6_e.pdf

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: 2017 International UDC seminar
• Start Date: Sep 14, 2017
• End Date: Sep 15, 2017
• Acceptance Date: Aug 7, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Nov 30, 2017
• Publication Date: Nov 30, 2017
• Deposit Date: Apr 20, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 1, 2020
• Journal: Knowledge organization
• Print ISSN: 0943-7444
• Publisher: Ergon Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 44
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 425-435
• Keywords: UDC; Facet analysis; Facets; Faceted classification
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/2879
• Publisher URL: http://www.ergon-verlag.de/en/bibliotheks--informationswissenschaft/knowledge-organization-journal/knowledge-organization-single-issue-2017-6.php
• Contract Date: Apr 20, 2018