[1207] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: Subject Headings for Gopher Virtual Library
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (KINGH%SNYSYRV1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.e)
Mon Sep 14 12:30:42 1992
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 11:17:39 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: KINGH%SNYSYRV1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Questions that need asking and, if possible, answering in developing a new
classification system or adapting an extant system are:
1. Who will be using the system?
2. What is the purpose of the system (convenience, speed,
comprehensiveness in retrieval or storage; to identify; to type; to
locate; to describe; to exclude or include)?
3. What characteristics of the things-to-be-classified are
important (format, file size, fonts, codes, languages, target audience,
subjects or contents, authors, editors, distributors, sponsors, designers,
dates of creation and revision, retraction, etc.) to what users and why?
4. Will groups of likes be stable over time?
5. Will differences between things inside groups be less than differenc
es between things in different groups or will it be very hard to separate
like things into groups?
6. What will be excluded?
7. How much time have you got to design a system?
8. Can another system already in existence be used with or
without adaptation?
9. Who will use the classification system to classify items?
10. Who will keep the system up-to-date and accomodate user
suggestions and complaints?
Of course, there are many more questions (why hierarchial for instance?), but
anybody who has serious intentions of developing a classification system or
modifying one for a new use, needs to address these kinds of issues.
Hannah King
SUNY HSC Library at Syracuse
kingh@snysyrv1
kingh@vax.cs.hscsyr.edu
