Faceted Classifications as a Model for Universal Classifications

Abstract

The pervasive power of digitization causes scientific, educational, economic and cultural communities to change modes of accessing, sharing and disseminating knowledge and leads to a convergence between our cultural heritage, classic culture and technical culture. It is no surprise that some researchers have called for a - digital humanism, pointing out at the force by which new technologies are becoming a sort of culture since they drive us into a new global cultural destiny. Such reflections concern the society as a whole. This paper will examine how knowledge organization meets the growing need to organize digital information. Faceted Classifications will be examined as one of the most adapted knowledge Organization Systems (KOS) for the global information access. One of our objectives will be to understand the reasons underlying its indisputable capacity as a popular tool for global access to information. Thus the main focus of this paper will be to look at the ways in which universal classifications, as language independent concept schemes, can assist humans and computers in structuring and presenting information and formulating queries. We will try through this work to outline some directions for future work and a better understanding of the realm of faceted classification and how its universality is rooted in human cognition.