ISKO Theme: Social Tagging

Clipmarked by RJB

clipped from www.ioct.dmu.ac.uk Tags Networks Narrative, an "Interdisciplinary application of experimental social software to the study of narrative in digital contexts" is a unique speculative project exploring the potential for collaborative keyword tagging (folksonomy) in narrative research. We want to know: What kinds of collaborative social network tools are available for the gathering and classification of information? Which researchers are making online narratives the focus of study, and how are those projects categorised by discipline? How can these researchers make effective use of social network tools to share knowledge and develop interdisciplinary collaborations? The project is based in the Institute of Creative Technologies (IOCT) at De Montfort University and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Board from October 2006-September 2007. The Project Team comprises Professor Sue Thomas, Simon Mills and Bruce Mason.

10th International Symposium on Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 13-16 June, Uppsala

From jisc-repositories mailing list:

Call for participation at: 10th International Symposium on Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD2007): "Added Value for E-theses", Uppsala, Sweden, June 13-16, 2007


This meeting offers scope for an exchange of experience and consolidation of cooperation in the field of electronic theses and dissertations at local, national and international levels.

Under the general theme "Added Value for E-theses", ETD 2007 is organised around two main themes: "Integrating ETDs with institutional processes and practices" and "Value added services". The themes of the conference call for reflection on opportunities for joint effort amongst various players in the production and information chain, both inside and outside our universities.

To allow the specific developments relating to ETDs to be considered in context, we are delighted to welcome a number of excellent speakers including: Gregory Crane, Tufts University, USA; Clifford Lynch, Coalition for Networked Information, USA and Peter Murray-Rust, Cambridge University, UK.

For more information about the speakers and the conference in general, please see the programme.

The reduced fee for early registration is available until 3rd May.

Records Management Society Conference, Brighton, 29 April - 1 May 2007

ISKO UK members may be interested to know that I am participating in an experimental collaborative session at the Records Management Society Conference in Brighton on Monday 30 April. I am one of four presenters who will present, in turn, to four groups of 15 people on the topic: Is Classification necessary? If you follow the link above, you will see that each of the presenters is taking a quite different approach to the topic. When all four groups have heard what each of the four presenters have to say, a plenary session will be held to report and discuss the responses.

This is an interesting experiment by the RMS-GB to get their members more actively involved in debate about current issues in knowledge and information management. I will report in this Blog on how the experiment goes in due course.

Report from the 8th ISKO Spain conference and proposal of the "León manifesto"

Courtesy of Claudio Gnoli.

The 8th Conference of the ISKO Spain , held on 18-20 April 2007 in León was devoted to "Interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity in the organization of scientific knowledge".
Some relevant proposals regarding the future of knowledge organization emerged during the conference and were summarised by Claudio Gnoli and Rick Szostak as "León manifesto":

• the current trend towards an increasingly interdisciplinarity of knowledge calls for essentially new knowledge organization systems (KOS), based on a substantive revision of the principles underlying the traditional discipline-based KOS;


• this innovation is not only desirable, but also feasible, and should be implemented by actually developing some new KOS;


• instead of disciplines, the basic unity of the new KOS should be phenomena of the real world as it is represented in human knowledge;


• the new KOS should allow users to shift from one perspective or viewpoint to another, thus reflecting the multidimensional nature of complex thought. In particular, it should allow them to search independently for particular phenomena, for particular theories about phenomena (and about relations between phenomena), and for particular methods of investigation;


• the connections between phenomena, those between phenomena and the theories studying them, and those between phenomena and the methods to investigate them, can be expressed and managed by analytico-synthetic techniques already developed in faceted classification.

To comment and discuss on this manifesto, to subscribe to it, or to propose collaboration, please write to Claudio Gnoli and Rick Szostak.

A full illustration of the issues discussed in León is available here.

Facet analysis and Semantic Web: Musing of a student of Ranganathan

From Jan Wyllie clipmarks

clipped from www.geocities.com Librarians knew well that to be successful, at least three important tools are needed for an information system of the type they were handling. They are: Data element directory (Cataloging Manual) Classification Scheme (unfortunately in the West only monolithic, enumerative, voluminous variety was known, unlike in India where classification scheme was almost synonymous with faceted classification scheme) for categorization of the documents; and Thesaurus (vocabulary control tool) for consistent indexing (assigning index terms) that complemented the pitfalls of the enumerative classification scheme in not being capable of representing the subject of the document coextensively and completely, and brought in the faceted model as it was a compilation of uni-terms standing for uni-concepts. [Prof. Fugmann has cautioned about the pitfalls of using thesaurus alone for information retrieval

CFP - 1st Symposium on Knowledge Organization, 27-29 August 2007, Ciudad de Mexico

From ISKO Italy mailing list:

The University Centre for Library Science Research at the University of Mexico invites contributions for the

1st International Symposium on knowledge organization: Library science and terminology

27-29 August 2007
CUIB UNAM, Ciudad de Mexico

(see complete text of invitation)

OBJECTIVE
To exchange experiences, points of view and results of studies conducted
by scholars specialized in either of these subjects on any aspect of
scientific communication, understanding that this has direct relevance to knowledge organization within information systems.


CONTRIBUTIONS
If you’d like to make a presentation, please read the complete call for papers in PDF format at http://cuib.unam.mx/Convocatoria_1er_Simposio.pdf
All proposals will be submitted to an academic evaluation committee.
Deadline for submission of the proposals: 15 May 2007.

Summaries of the paper proposals should be sent to simposio2007@cuib.unam.mx

We urge you again to read the full call for papers, and also to pass it on to friends and colleagues in your own community of interest.

On behalf of the organizing committee
Dr Catalina Naumis Pena
Dr Filiberto Felipe Martinez Arellano

Approaches to Knowledge Organization by Birger Hjørland

Courtesy of Maria Teresa Biagetti:

Presentation of the talk by Birger Hjørland on "Approaches to Knowledge Organization (KO)" at the School for Archivists and Librarians, University of Rome "La Sapienza", on 20 April 2007 is available at http://w3.uniroma1.it/ssab/new/ApproachesToKO.zip

"I believe the best way to prepare students for the future in KO is to provide a critical review of approaches available and cooperate in the discipline to establish the best possible theoretical ground for evaluating existing technologies and providing excellent KO.

I have tried to demonstrate that approaches are associated with theories of knowledge such as positivism, rationalism, empiricism, pragmatism and post-modernism. I believe that debate and further study of the approaches mentioned (as well as new ones) is urgent." [from the presentation conclusion]

CFP - Special issue of Library Review

Submissions are sought for a special issue of Library Review on the topic of 'Digital libraries and the Semantic Web: context, applications and
research'.

This special themed issue of Library Review consolidates similarly themed conferences (e.g. the International Conference on Semantic Web and Digital Libraries - ICSD-2007) and aims to demonstrate the relevance and application of Semantic Web technologies to digital libraries, repositories, and the LIS community generally.

Submissions may comprise research papers, evaluation, case studies, and descriptions of innovative projects, theoretical expositions, or reviews.
For further submission details see: http://cdlr.strath.ac.uk/LibraryReview/

Presentations on Dublin Core from Metadata and Digital Repository SIG

Sent to CETIS-METADATA mailing list by Neil Fegen.
The most recent meeting (16 May 2007) of the JISC Metadata and Digital Repository SIG focused on Dublin Core work. Most presentation files (slides and audio where available) are available from this page, alongside a summary of each presentation.
Speakers were Pete Johnston (on DC abstract model and DC-LOM mapping), Julie Allinson (on DC application profile for scholarly work), Rosemary Russell (on UK DCMI affiliate work), Sarah Currier (on DC-Ed and Rob Tice (on Becta Vocabulary Management Services).

KM/IM Conferences Back-to-back

I notice that two premium events are happening back-to-back in London this year. The first - Knowledge & Content UK 2007, 26-27 June - is largely concerned perhaps with what some regard as more 'touchy-feely' issues like promoting a knowledge sharing culture and organizational learning, although the Content Management stream does sail fairly close to our territory with themes like Navigation vs. search: addressing the entire scope of information access needs.

If you've not had enough of listening and networking at KC-UK, then you can spend the next two days, 28-29 June at the HENRY STEWART XVIII Conference, (formerly known as the Digital Asset Management & Marketing Operations Management Symposium). Don't be put off by either the old or new title though - there are some nuggets of real interest to ISKO members.

One such is What you Need to Know About Taxonomies & Metadata, Madi Solomon (formerly of Disney), 14:20 - 15:00 on 29 June. Another is the Executive Roundtable: Professional Media Managers vs. Social Networking & Tagging, 11:00 - 12:20 on June 29. I'd really have liked to attend that last one, if only because one of the panel members is the Managing Director of my local media centre in Bristol, The Watershed (I was there last night!). But at GBP 599 for the two days and no day visitor tariff, I'm afraid I'll have to give it a miss this time round.

Architecture of Conversation - presentation at IA Summit

Andrew Hinton's presentation "Architecture of Conversation" at the Information Architecture Summit 2007, addresses some very relevant issues in knowledge organization. Here is the description from the author's blog inkblurt:

“Conversation is king. Content is just something to talk about.” – Cory Doctorow

How can Information Architecture address the increasing demand for collaborative work, meaningful conversation and social connection? We’ll explore how “Community of Practice” is more than just a 90s knowledge-management buzz-phrase. It’s an important model for understanding group behavior – and one that’s becoming crucial to designing in the age of Wikipedia, MySpace and YouTube.

Understanding communities of practice as a phenomenon can lend a great deal of clarity to designing frameworks for participation: creating the right conditions for particular kinds of collective effort.

We’ll gain an essential understanding of “communities of practice,” looking at “IA” as a handy example. We’ll then examine how the concept helps us design for a variety of collaborative environments – from intranets and medical forums to multiplayer games.

CERN Workshop on Innovations in Scholarly Communication - broadcast

From Joanne Yeomans on behalf of the OAI5 Organising Committee:

"The main proceedings of the OAI5 - CERN Workshop on Innovations
in Scholarly Communication will be broadcast on the web as video file
attachments in the programme.

A file for each session in the main auditorium should appear approximately 10 minutes after the end of the presentation. The first such session takes place on Wednesday afternoon (tomorrow) and then on Thursday during most of the day and Friday morning.

We hope that many of you will join us virtually to watch. Already many participants have arrived ready for the start of events tonight. Messages to participants can be sent to oaiworkshop-organisation@cern.ch."

Functional Requirements for Authority Data - draft now available for review

From the IFLA CLASS list:
The IFLA Working Group on Functional Requirements and Numbering of Authority Records (FRANAR) is pleased to announce that a 2nd draft of "Functional Requirements for Authority Data" (previously titled "Functional Requirements for Authority Records") is now available for worldwide review.
This draft, updated in response to comments received during the previous review, is on the IFLA web site at http://www.ifla.org/VII/d4/wg-franar.htm. Comments should be sent by July 15, 2007 to:

Glenn Patton
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.
6565 Kilgour Place
Dublin OH 43017-3395
Phone: +1.800.848.5878, ext. 6371 or +1.614.764.6371
Fax: +1.614.718.7187
Email: pattong@oclc.org

CFP - First International Workshop on "Digital Libraries Foundations"

Call for Papers:
First International Workshop on "Digital Libraries Foundations", Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, June 23, 2007.
In conjunction with ACM IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL 2007).
The workshop will bring together researchers involved in laying the foundations for the digital library research field. In particular, it will make it possible for them to discuss and explore their solutions in the context of a Reference Model for Digital Libraries. The workshop will engage the international digital library community in producing a reference framework wherein new results can be integrated, compared, and discussed - leveraging prior work on the definition of a Reference Model for Digital Libraries launched by the EU DELOS Network of Excellence on Digital Libraries.

The future of subject analysis - discussion list

From the IFLA CLASS list:

The ALCTS Cataloging and Classification Section Subject Analysis Committee would like to invite you to subscribe to the list http://lists.ala.org/wws/info/headings to discuss the future of subject analysis.

The ALCTS Subject Analysis Committee established a new SAC Subcommittee on the Future of Subject Headings at ALA Annual 2006. Its charge:

"To analyze the future of subject cataloging, with emphasis on Library of Congress subject Headings (LCSH), through the use of SWOT (Strengths,Weaknesses, opportunities, and Threats) analysis, taking into consideration both internal forces within the library community and the external environment. A preliminary report will be made at Midwinter 2008 with the final report and program made at Annual 2008. "

Your participation in this discussion would be most welcome.

Teleconference "Taxonomy & Metadata Jumpstart - 2007"

A series of free webinars on Thursdays, April 5 - 26th 1:00-2:30pm EST (18:00-19:30 BST) via teleconference.
"Taxonomy & Metadata Jumpstart - 2007"

"Get up to speed quickly on what you need to know about taxonomies and learn how to get started on a taxonomy project in your organization in this free 4-week webinar series. The Taxonomy & Metadata JumpStart will tackle some of the issues and challenges in deriving taxonomies and metadata standards. During these calls, you will hear from experts at leading Fortune 500 companies and be exposed to tools from select vendors."

Attendees receive a Powerpoint file in advance of each call, and will have the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers and interact with others in the audience.

Ontology Summit 2007

Ontology Summit 2007 - Ontology, Taxonomy, Folksonomy: Understanding the Distinctions. This event doesn't seem to be listed on the Links page on the ISKO UK web site. The survey contained on this page is now closed, but a glance through the introductory text tells me that the Knowledge Engineering community is looking to expand its horizons and maybe talk to others involved in related fields. An aim, it seems, not dissimilar to our own.

I for one, look forward to seeing the results of this survey, if indeed it is published outside the conference itself. Do any ISKO UK members have connections with this community?

Bob