July 20, 2010 (New York, NY)— From sorting Lego blocks by color when we’re two to arranging files on our office computer networks, organization is a fundamental part of life and crucial to avoiding chaos. What organizational techniques – like color – are innate? Which are learned? How do we organize objects so that they make sense and are useful? What role do categories, classifications, taxonomies, and other structures play in the process of organizing? What do information professionals need to know about organizing behaviors in order to design useful structures for organizing knowledge?  Structures for Organizing Knowledge: Exploring Taxonomies, Ontologies, and Other Schema, to be published by Neal-Schuman on August 30, 2010, answers these key questions and provides both theoretical background and practical guidance on ways to arrange and classify information.

June Abbas, an expert in the field of information science and technology, has compiled her extensive research into this thorough three-part guide. Part I, Traditional Structures for Organizing Knowledge, explores structures libraries use, like MARC records, subject headings, and classification schemes, as well as less familiar structures, such as those devised from natural science. She also discusses national and international standards for organizing knowledge, and lists the best practices in a variety of disciplines. Part II, Personal Structures for Organizing Knowledge, distinguishes systems in people’s personal and professional lives. Abbas overviews systems in library and information science and explains how computers facilitate research. She describes categories, taxonomies, and other important systems that allow people to access information in their daily lives. Part III, Socially Constructed Structures for Organizing Knowledge, identifies Web 2.0 tools that facilitate the classification of knowledge, using examples like LibraryThing, Delicious, and Flickr. Abbas outlines a wealth of research and perspectives on these socially-constructed organizing tools. Finally, Abbas looks at the future of organizing systems. Every chapter includes a box of focus points and illustrations that provide a “snapshot” of the structure in the text.

Structures for Organizing Knowledge is an essential guide for understanding and arranging concepts in manageable ways. It will appeal to any LIS professional, student, or researcher who wants to design a useful structure for organizing knowledge.

Structures for Organizing Knowledge: Exploring Taxonomies, Ontologies, and Other Schemas

ISBN 978-1-55570-699-9.
2010. 6 x 9. 275 pp.   $85.00.

About the Author

June Abbas is an Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) at the University of Oklahoma. Her research focuses on the intersection of users, technology, and structures for organizing knowledge.

About Neal-Schuman Publishers

Neal-Schuman Publishers is a leading publisher of professional books for librarians, archivists and knowledge managers. Founded in 1976, Neal-Schuman Publishers is based in New York City, with offices in London, UK.

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