Knowl. Org. 35(2008)No.2/No.3 KO KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION Official Quarterly Journal of the International Society for Knowledge Organization ISSN 0943 – 7444 International Journal devoted to Concept Theory, Classification, Indexing and Knowledge Representation Contents Preface to Special Issue María J. López-Huertas. Some Current Research Questions “What is Knowledge Organization” in the Field of Knowledge Organization ........................113 Guest Editors: Ia C. McIlwaine and Joan S. Mitchell............................... 79 Claudio Gnoli. Ten Long-Term Research Questions Feature in Knowledge Organization ............................................137 Interview with Ingetraut Dahlberg Rebecca Green. December 2007.................................................................. 82 Relationships in Knowledge Organization.....................150 Articles Marcia Lei Zeng. Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS)......................160 Birger Hjørland. What is Knowledge Organization (KO)?........................ 86 Joseph T. Tennis. Epistemology, Theory, and Methodology in Knowledge Organization: Toward a Classification, Metatheory, and Research Framework................................................ 102 Knowl. Org. 35(2008)No.2/No.3 KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION KO Official Quarterly Journal of the International Society for Knowledge Organization ISSN 0943 – 7444 International Journal devoted to Concept Theory, Classification, Indexing and Knowledge Representation KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION Dr. Jens-Erik MAI, Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto, 140 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G6, This journal is the organ of the INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY Canada. Email: [email protected] FOR KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION (General Secretariat: H. Peter OHLY, Social Science Information Center, Lennestr. 30, Ms. Joan S. MITCHELL, Editor in Chief, Dewey Decimal Classi- D-53113 Bonn, Germany. fication, OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., 6565 Frantz Road, Dublin, OH 43017-3395 USA. Editors Email: [email protected] Dr. Richard P. SMIRAGLIA (Editor-in-Chief), Palmer School of Dr. Widad MUSTAFA el HADI, URF IDIST, Université Charles Library and Information Science, Long Island University, 720 de Gaulle Lille 3, BP 149, 59653 Villeneuve D’Ascq, France Northern Blvd., Brookville NY 11548 USA. H. Peter OHLY, IZ Sozialwissenschaften, Lennestr. 30, 53113 Email: [email protected] Bonn Germany. Email: [email protected] Dr. Clément ARSENAULT (Book Review Editor), École de bi- Dr. Hope A. OLSON, School of Information Studies, 522 Bolton bliothéconomie et des sciences de l’information, Université de Hall, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201 Montréal, C.P. 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal (QC) H3C 3J7, USA. Email: [email protected] Canada. Email: [email protected] Ms. Annelise Mark PEJTERSEN, Systems Analysis Dept., Risoe Dr. Ia MCILWAINE (Literature Editor), Research Fellow. School National Laboratory, P.O. Box 49, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark of Library, Archive & Information Studies, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT U.K. Email: Dr. M. P. SATIJA, Guru Nanak Dev University, School of Library [email protected] and Information Science, Amritsar-143 005, India Dr. Nancy WILLIAMSON (Classification Research News Edi- Dr. Otto SECHSER, In der Ey 37, CH-8047 Zürich, Switzerland tor), Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto, 140 Dr. Winfried SCHMITZ-ESSER, Salvatorgasse 23, 6060 Hall, Ti- St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G6 Canada. rol, Austria. Email: [email protected] Dr. Dagobert SOERGEL, College of Information Studies, Horn- Hanne ALBRECHTSEN, Institute of Knowledge Sharing, Bu- bake Bldg. (So. Wing), Room 4105, University of Maryland, Col- reauet, Slotsgade 2, 2nd floor DK-2200 Copenhagen N Denmark. lege Park, MD 20742. Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Dr. Eduard R. SUKIASYAN, Vozdvizhenka 3, RU-101000, Mos- Gabriel MCKEE (Editorial Assistant), Palmer School of Library cow, Russia. and Information Science, Long Island University. Dr. Joseph T. TENNIS, The Information School of the University Consulting Editors of Washington, Box 352840, Mary Gates Hall Ste 370, Seattle WA 98195-2840 USA. E-mail: [email protected]. Prof. Clare BEGHTOL, Faculty of Information Studies, Univer- sity of Toronto, 140 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S Dr. Martin van der WALT, Department of Information Science, 3G6, Canada. Email: [email protected] University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa. Email: [email protected] Dr. Gerhard BUDIN, Dept. of Philosophy of Science, University of Vienna, Sensengasse 8, A-1090 Wien, Austria. Prof. Dr. Harald ZIMMERMANN, Softex, Schmollerstrasse 31, Email: [email protected] D-66111 Saarbrücken, Germany Prof. Jesús GASCÓN GARCÍA, Facultat de Biblioteconomia i Documentació, Universitat de Barcelona, C. Melcior de Palau, 140, 08014 Barcelona, Spain. Email: [email protected] Claudio GNOLI, University of Pavia, Mathematics Department Library, via Ferrata 1, I-27100 Pavia, Italy. Email: [email protected] Dr. Rebecca GREEN, Assistant Editor, Dewey Decimal Classifi- cation, Dewey Editorial Office, Library of Congress, Decimal Classification Division , 101 Independence Ave., S.E., Washington, DC 20540-4330, USA. Email: [email protected] Dr. Birger HJØRLAND, Royal School of Library and Informa- tion Science, Copenhagen Denmark. Email: [email protected] Founded under the title International Classification in 1974 by Dr. Dr. Barbara H. KWASNIK, Professor, School of Information Ingetraut Dahlberg, the founding president of ISKO. Dr. Dahl- Studies, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244 USA, (315) 443- berg served as the journal's editor from 1974 to 1997, and as its 4547 voice, (315) 443-4506 fax. Email: [email protected] publisher (Indeks Verlag of Frankfurt) from 1981 to 1997. Knowl. Org. 35(2008)No.2/No.3 79 I. C. McIlwaine and J. S. Mitchell. Preface to Special Issue. “What is Knowledge Organization” Preface to Special Issue “What is Knowledge Organization” Guest Editors: Ia C. McIlwaine* and Joan S. Mitchell** *University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT <[email protected]]>; **OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., 6565 Kilgour Place, Dublin, OH 43017-3395 <[email protected]> / <[email protected]> Ia McIlwaine is Professor Emeritus of Library & Information Studies in the University of London. She was formerly Director of the School of Library, Archive & Information Studies at University Col- lege London and Editor in Chief of the UDC. She was Chair of the IFLA Professional Committee, 2003-2005 and is Past President of ISKO. Joan S. Mitchell is editor in chief of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system at OCLC Onli- ne Computer Library Center, Inc. Prior to joining OCLC in 1993, Mitchell was director of educa- tional technology at Carnegie Mellon University and an adjunct professor in the School of Informa- tion Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. She has also held various positions in academic and spe- cial libraries. Mitchell has written and spoken extensively in the area of knowledge organization, and has a special interest in localization and interoperability in classification systems. In 2005, she was awarded the Melvil Dewey Medal by the American Library Association. Mitchell serves on the edito- rial board of Knowledge Organization, and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of ISKO. She received her bachelor's degree in economics from Newton College of the Sacred Heart and her master of library science degree from the University of California, Berkeley. McIlwaine, Ia C. and Mitchell, Joan S. Preface to Special Issue. “What is Knowledge Organization”. Knowledge Organization, 35(3/2), 79-81. The aim of this special issue of Knowledge Organiza- tion science (LIS), interest in knowledge organization tion is to explore the definition of the interdiscipli- is not limited to the LIS field. Indeed, contributors to nary field of “knowledge organization” through his- Knowledge Organization (the society’s journal) and torical and contemporary perspectives. The goal is to to ISKO conferences represent areas of interdiscipli- provide a shared framework of terminology, theories, nary research and application well beyond LIS itself. methodologies, and approaches to stimulate research. The excitement engendered by wide interest from The International Society for Knowledge Organi- many disciplines in the field of knowledge organiza- zation (ISKO) is the premier international scholarly tion has also caused some confusion about the mean- society devoted to the theory and practice of knowl- ing of “knowledge organization” and its relationship edge organization. At the Ninth International ISKO to other fields such as “knowledge management.” Conference in Vienna in July 2006, it became clear We have invited a group of authors drawn widely during informal conversations and discussions within from the ISKO community and who among them the Scientific Advisory Council that there was a need span a half century of research in the field to address to present a shared definition of the field of knowl- such questions as: edge organization. While a majority of ISKO mem- bers are drawn from the field of library and informa- – What is knowledge organization? 80 Knowl. Org. 35(2008)No.2/No.3 I. C. McIlwaine and J. S. Mitchell. Preface to Special Issue. “What is Knowledge Organization” – What are the meanings of “document,” “informa- He also explores the definitions