Taxonomy

IWMW2004
Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

- using the library as a metaphor to demystify the process of portal taxonomy development.
Slide 1 Taxonomy: The Science of Classification
Why A Taxonomy?: Oracle

University Portal ~ Oracle10g AS
Taxonomy: Oracle portal requirement
Perhaps most crucial component of the portal project
Taxonomy not understood: perception highly specialised technical mechanism

Initial reaction buy in consultancy?
Misconception: Taxonomy silo

Taxonomy only required for portal
Why A Taxonomy?: Issues

Taxonomy concepts not understood by colleagues We need one, how to we design and build?. The late realisation that a taxonomy was required to service other institutional requirements like the FOI publication scheme and Records Management. Folly to build taxonomy focusing on Oracle portal requirements What happens if we change our portal platform?.
Our Backgrounds
Chris Milne, Academic Librarian
Information Retrieval / Classic texts
Sayers, W. C. B. 1975. Sayers manual of classification for librarians. 5th ed. London: Deutsch Rowley, J. E. 1987. Organising knowledge: an introduction to information retrieval. Aldershot: Gower. Hunter, E. J. and Bakewell, K. G. B. 1983. Cataloguing. 2nd ed. London: Bingley.
Slide 4
Our Backgrounds
Dave MacCabe, IT Specialist
User requirements analysis Business analysis Software development Web development Database design
Slide 5
Blended Approach
Taxonomy development at UAD will
Use combination of Librarianship & IT skills sets
Librarianship skills sets

Information retrieval: designed to support users information seeking behaviour
IT skills sets
What can be achieved with technology?
Workshop Outline
Generate a more rounded view, clearer perspective of taxonomy development Looking to share our experiences and gather the experiences of others We dont have all the answers!
Slide 7
Workshop Elements (1)

x 2 Surveys to ascertain:
Range of skills sets available to portal / taxonomy teams Business drivers for developing / deploying taxonomies
x 2 Presentations
Taxonomy: theoretical background Information retrieval techniques related to taxonomy development
Workshop Elements (2)

x 3 Activities
Discussion of survey results (x 2) Applying a taxonomy and meta-data to fixed-term contract example materials General / concluding discussion on project team skills sets and the use of Library staff
Slide 9
IWMW2004
Skill Sets:
Ourselves, our teams and our institutions.
Slide 10
Useful Questions?
What skills to we have? Do we think they are appropriate? What are the institutional perceptions of the skills required? Is it a converged service project? Will the team be supplemented by external consultancy?
IWMW2004
Presentation:
The theoretical background to taxonomies and metadata
Slide 12
Aim
To set the scene for the key activity, Im going to try to sprint down the road from basic theoretical constructs to a concrete portal example.
Slide 13
What is a Taxonomy ?
A systematic way of classifying knowledge A structure of concepts (hierarchical?) A common language for sharing knowledge An artificial, formal construct acting as a symbolic model of an information domain Examples Linnaeus plant taxonomy Organic compounds
Dictionary Break
TAXONOMY [Taxonomy is] the science of classification according to a predetermined system used to provide a conceptual framework for discussion, analysis or information retrieval. Ravid, Y. (2002)
Dictionary Break
ONTOLOGIES Descriptions of the meaning and nature of things, a superset of taxonomies a formal explicit specification of a shared conceptualization KNOWLEDGE MAPS Used for knowledge representation both visual and conceptual
Why have a Taxonomy ?

Essential for knowledge management Coping with infoglut Faster information retrieval and improved productivity Sharing of knowledge and comparison of knowledge bases
and, of course, for us

Content management for institutional portals
In fact
A good taxonomy helps to inject order into the chaos and anarchy of a typical intranet or website.
Slide 18
Organisational Drivers
The costs, both financial and organizational, of poor access to information The requirement for regulatory compliance (for example Freedom of Information, Records Management) The requirement to manage the organization effectively. Higher levels of productivity in knowledge workers
Slide 19
In fact
[taxonomies are] a strategic imperative for any organization looking to manage and exploit its knowledge more effectively
Slide 20
Taxonomic Issues
Hierarchical Key concepts
Slide 21
The FOI Scheme: A Hierarchy

Class Groups 1. GOVERNANCE 2. FINANCIAL RESOURCES 3. HUMAN RESOURCES 4. PHYSICAL RESOURCES 5. STUDENT ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT 6. INFORMATION SERVICES 7. TEACHING AND LEARNING 8. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 9. EXTERNAL RELATIONS Class Group 1. GOVERNANCE Class 1.1 Legal Framework 1.2 Governance Structure 1.3 How the institution is organized 1.4 Information on the Institutional Context 1.5 Management Structure
Slide 22
Issues with Hierarchies

Hierarchy classification limitations
Enforced Classification Scattering Matches information seeking behaviour?
Implicit navigation
Drives development (e.g. Oracle pages, tabs) Matches information seeking behaviour?
Width .v. depth

Seeking behaviour Dont forget publishing behaviour!
General Issues
Push .v Pull. Google thinking. Management by exception Role-specific delivery
Slide 24
Dictionary Break
METADATA meta-data (or "meta data") Data about data. In data processing, meta-data is definitional data that provides information about, or documentation of, other data managed within an application or environment.
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, 1993-2004 Denis Howe
Metadata & Key Words
Slide 26
Dictionary Break
THESAURUS Labelling and relating objects and groups of objects with appropriate words and concepts as an aid to knowledge indexing and retrieval
Slide 27
Student Coursework (1)
Slide 28
Student Coursework (2)
Slide 29
Key References ?
Many texts very few offer any practical advice just theoretical perspectives on the knowledge management area. Obtain practical advice from portal development environment documentation. MUST READ Wyllie, J and Skyrme, D. J. Taxonomies: Frameworks for Corporate Knowledge, London: Ark Group, 2003.
IWMW2004
Taxonomy Project Drivers:

Or, What are we trying to achieve, and why?
Slide 31
Useful Questions?
Why do commercial organizations develop taxonomies, and are there similarities are there with HE? Who are the information consumers (students, staff, local business, general public, special interest bodies)? What are the real information needs and how do they arise? What technical infrastructure is being considered and/or used: does this place limitations on, or help the process of taxonomy development?
IWMW2004
Presentation:
Applying classification, cataloguing and indexing techniques to organise and retrieve information within portals
Aim
Provide a clearer perspective on the processes surrounding the development of a portal taxonomy, using the analogy of classification, cataloguing and indexing techniques as deployed in libraries to manage information
The Problem
Taxonomy concepts initially not understood by colleagues
We need one, how to we design and build?
Reference document outlining rules for taxonomy development

Use Oracle9iAS Portal as Your Knowledge Exchange
Core Themes Identified

Primary Taxonomy: concerned with
Visual presentation of information and services to users Navigation Logical arrangement, two primary concerns
How do we expect users to find, and retrieve information? How can the organisation of information, be designed in such a way to support institutional objectives? e.g. developing deeper engagement with the University
Supermarket Taxonomy: designed to create zones, and protect goods
Slide 36

Virtual Taxonomy: concerned with
Development of meta-data to support retrieval via search-engine
Building indexes, describing information and services
Creation of an alternative approach to finding and retrieving information, not supported by any natural limitations within the Primary Taxonomy

Imperative: develop an understanding of users information requirements and information seeking behaviour How will people look for content?
How will people use content to support their jobs? How to people expect content to be organised and described? What is the structure of the organisation?
Slide 38
Role of Organising Content?

Organising on-line information attributed to IT solutions
Parallels with the role of a Web Master i.e. technical skills set
Role of Librarianship incorporating established Information Retrieval techniques used for hundreds of years to organise the complexities of library collections worldwide frequently overlooked
Classic Information Retrieval

Faceted / Non-faceted Classification Pre-coordinate & Post-coordinate Indexing Citation Order Principle of Inversion Cataloguing Thesauri / Subject Headings Automatic Indexing
A Taster: Principle of Inversion

In an analytico-synthetic classification, the implementation of the Principle of Increasing Concreteness requires that the facets in the facet formula of a basic class should be in the decreasing sequence of concreteness. If the scheme has rounds of facets, the facets in each round should be in the decreasing sequence of concreteness
S.R. Ranganathan's Prolegomena to Library Classification (2e) (1957).
Taxonomy & Information Retrieval Equivalents

Primary Taxonomy (equivalent to)
Pre coordinated indexing Example: Dewey Decimal Classification
Within portal: Predefined grouping of content and services, users have a predefined path to follow to find and retrieve information by virtue of what clicks they have to make and [hypertext] links to follow
Slide 42
Taxonomy & Information Retrieval Equivalents

Virtual Taxonomy (equivalent to)
Post coordinated indexing Example: Library Catalogue (OPAC not card)
Within portal: User decides how to find and retrieve information via the selection of keywords and index terms, applied to a search engine
Slide 43
Example: Library Taxonomy

Primary Taxonomy (i.e. How users see / approach the physical library stock)
Users approach Library stock via collection
Level 1 Short Loans Level 2 Reference Materials / Law Lending stock Level 3 Lending Stock Level 4 Journals
Each collection organised by subject, using Dewey Decimal Classification Anticipates that users need to find materials based on subject, with related items being found together Supports information retrieval by browsing
Characteristics: Primary Taxonomy

Supports users, logical subject approach to retrieving information
Organisation by Dewey Decimal Classification stable framework, adaptable for new subject areas
e.g. Computer Games
Limitations: Primary Taxonomy

Scattering Classified works can only appear in one place within a library
Works organised by citation order
i.e. order in which the various facets are presented in a compound subject Medium Period Style - Country
Leads to scattering works of related subject

In this example items on Country will be scattered throughout the collection
Primary Taxonomy Will

Influence the physical design of the Portal
Pages / Sub Pages, Regions and Tabs are the tools available in Oracle 10G to underpin a Primary Taxonomy Virtual Taxonomies can be implemented to support user requirements not provided for in the Primary Taxonomy
Slide 47
More than One Taxonomy?

Library restricted to a single Primary Taxonomy due to nature of physical stock Electronic environment, Portal will support multiple taxonomies
This could depend on the user entering the Portal e.g. different view for member of academic staff, student, support staff
Slide 48
Example: Library Taxonomy

Library Catalogue (OPAC) (Virtual Taxonomy)
Supports alternative means of accessing materials in an attempt to overcome the limitations of the Primary Taxonomy i.e. search by:
Author(s) Subject heading(s)
Various facets that each item represents can be included, whereas the Primary Taxonomy (Dewey classification) centres on primary subject area
Title Series
Catalogue Search Indexes

Randle, Kevin D. UFO crash at Roswell / -- New York : Avon 1998. 328p. ; 19cm ISBN 03807-619-6-3 (pbk) : 6.99 : CIP entry (Jun.)
Unidentified flying objects.Unidentified flying objects - Sighting and encounters - New Mexico Roswell.Unidentified flying objects - Censorship United States. I. Schmitt, Donald R. II. Title.
Virtual Taxonomy ~ Catalogue

Meta-data equates to the Subject, Author, Title, Series entries used within a library catalogues Controlled search terms (vocabulary) to improve recall
E-commerce see Electronic Commerce
Alternative retrieval mechanism aiming to overcome limitations of classification scheme employed e.g. Author search
Virtual Taxonomy
Meta-data
Describing portal content via:
Attributes Categories Perspectives
Creating indexes for search engines in Oracle 10G, providing an alternative virtual taxonomy to supplement the primary taxonomy
Again, similar concept to the Library catalogue

Taxonomy Design / Content Analysis

Anticipated user behaviour i.e. who will use the Portal and how will people expect to find and use the Portals information and services This can be identified via content analysis e.g. how will students expect to find a past paper? If students cannot click their way to a past paper, how can the Virtual taxonomy be used to quickly, efficiently, intuitively provide the desired information?
Taxonomy Design / Content Analysis

Is your Taxonomy required to support other institutional objectives e.g. FOI, Records Management?
How will this effect index design & construction i.e. selection of meta-data?
Index under document type related to FOI publication scheme?
Suggested Steps: Designing UAD Portal Taxonomy

What do we need to organise?
What is going into the Portal
Content / Document Analysis FOI / Records Management functionality!
Decide how best to organise material

Organisation will support design objective i.e. deepening student engagement with the University Efficient information retrieval(Logical groupings)
Suggested Steps: Designing UAD Portal Taxonomy

Identify gaps in the Primary Taxonomy
Starting point to think about best approach to designing the Virtual Taxonomy to support alternative paths for our users
Primary Taxonomy will scatter documents and services, how will your meta-data / search engine approach bridge these problems
External examiners reports may be organised in the Primary Taxonomy by School Other users may wish to see all these reports as a single group Meta-data element document type to support retrieval of all external examiner reports
Slide 56
Conclusions
Information retrieval techniques developed to organise complexities of human knowledge Techniques applied to libraries and specialised collections remain valid and can be successfully applied to organise knowledge within portals
Taxonomy: the Science of Classification

Opportunity to bring together the combined skills sets of Information Professionals and Web developers to develop a relatively inexpensive inhouse solution to taxonomy development, minimising the requirement to draw upon external consultancy.
IWMW2004
Skill Sets:
Can traditional information retrieval skills-sets be usefully applied to support taxonomy creation?
Useful Questions?
Have you previously considered using librarians to support portal / taxonomy development? If not, would you now consider using librarians to support portal / taxonomy? Do todays librarians retain these classic information retrieval skills?
Slide 60
IWMW2004
Key Activity:
- Applying meta-data and recognising relevant information consumers
Slide 61
Activity Topic
Deliberately left field so we can focus on the process rather than the information itself.
The use of fixed-term employment contracts in higher education institutions.
Slide 62
Activity Organization
Part 1 Technical Briefing
Part 2 Background Information Part 3 Applying a taxonomy and meta-data
Slide 63
Slide 64

Following on from the mini-talks already delivered, I want to pose a series of questions that we need to address in Part 3 of this activity. Useful to have these questions in mind during the background details that follow. Actually a good, real world example but only because youll need to get involved in minutiae across the institution.
Regulatory Compliance
How do we manage compliance with : the Freedom of Information Act the Data Protection Act
the Disability Discrimination Act ?

Internal Information Consumers

Who needs this content? How will they use it? How should it be delivered (push .v.pull)? How do these information consumers look for information? How should you best organize content to meet user requirements and institutional objectives?
Slide 67
External Information Consumers

Who will search for this content? How will they use it? How do these information seekers look for information? What will be the context of the search and what constitutes related content?
Slide 68
Information Lifecycle
How frequently do you anticipate it will change? How can we ensure appropriate classification of updates? How should the updated information be delivered to internal and external seekers?
Slide 69
Finally, the content

Our example is the use of fixed-term employment contracts. Chris will now provide the relevant background on this topic.
Slide 70
IWMW2004
Key Activity:
Slide 71
Activity Topic
Slide 72
Slide 73
Slide 74
Background
Significant concern as to the high degree of use of FTCs within HE (40%)
Sector Reviews of HE (Dearing, Bett) Funding Councils Trade Unions
HEIs instructed to reduce reliance of FTCs
Slide 75
Legislation / Guidance
EC Fixed-term Work Directive
1999/70/EC
UK SI: 2002 no 2034 JNCHES Guidance

Agreed standard between University employers association and recognised trade unions as to use and management of FTCs within HE
Issues
Clear evidence to suggest that HEIs remain heavily reliant on use of FTCs Introduction of legislation, JNCHES guidelines and pressure from funding councils has not led to any significant reduction in use Culture of over dependence
Contract research funding Blunt tool to avoid performance management
Slide 77
Information
Typically HEIs require to improve information flow re FTCs to improve
Awareness of obligations as employers / managers Ensure employees aware of the protection now afforded to them under law Remove culture of dependence Monitor use Demonstrate ethical HR policies to funding council
Slide 78
IWMW2004
Key Activity:
Slide 79
Activity Topic
Slide 80
Slide 81
Slide 82
Part 3 Applying a Taxonomy
Group discussion.
Slide 83
IWMW2004
Final Discussion:
Project team skill sets and the use of library staff.
Slide 84
Learning Outcomes
A clearer perspective on the processes surrounding the development of a portal taxonomy, using the analogy of classification, cataloguing and indexing techniques as deployed in libraries to manage information A realisation that the combined skills sets of 'information professionals' and 'Web developers' can be brought together to develop a relatively inexpensive 'in-house' solution to taxonomy development minimising the requirement to draw upon external consultancy
Useful Questions?
Are we happy with the vocabulary surrounding taxonomies and portals? Are there key references? Do we have the appropriate skill sets available already in the information management professions in our institution?
Slide 86

Taxonomy

Enviado por

Dados do documento

Descrição original:

Direitos autorais

Formatos disponíveis

Compartilhar este documento

Compartilhar ou incorporar documento

Opções de compartilhamento

Você considera este documento útil?

Este conteúdo é inapropriado?

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

Taxonomy

Enviado por

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

IWMW2004

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Why A Taxonomy?: Oracle

Taxonomy not understood: perception highly specialised technical mechanism

Misconception: Taxonomy silo

Why A Taxonomy?: Issues

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Librarianship skills sets

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Workshop Elements (1)

Workshop Elements (2)

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Why have a Taxonomy ?

and, of course, for us

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Hierarchical Key concepts

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

The FOI Scheme: A Hierarchy

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Issues with Hierarchies

Width .v. depth

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Metadata & Key Words

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Student Coursework (1)

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Student Coursework (2)

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Taxonomy Project Drivers:

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Reference document outlining rules for taxonomy development

Core Themes Identified

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Core Themes Identified

Core Themes Identified

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Role of Organising Content?

Classic Information Retrieval

A Taster: Principle of Inversion

Taxonomy & Information Retrieval Equivalents

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Taxonomy & Information Retrieval Equivalents

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Example: Library Taxonomy

Characteristics: Primary Taxonomy

Limitations: Primary Taxonomy

Leads to scattering works of related subject

Primary Taxonomy Will

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

More than One Taxonomy?

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Example: Library Taxonomy

Catalogue Search Indexes

Virtual Taxonomy ~ Catalogue

Again, similar concept to the Library catalogue

Taxonomy Design / Content Analysis

Taxonomy Design / Content Analysis