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Faceted classification and logical division in information retrieval

Library Trends, Wntr, 2004 by Jack Mills

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8.2. Citation order of facets

The primary facet in a subject represents a summum genus and the other categories at the facet level clearly reflect the different relationships that concepts may have to it. For example, in the class Building technology, the primary facet is that of Buildings. Terms in the other facets always imply the relationship of the concept represented to buildings, e.g., weather resistance in the Properties facet means weather resistance in buildings; sill in the Parts facet means a sill in a building (usually in some kind of opening). These relationships provide a clear and powerful basis for the citation order. Agents serve the operations that may act on the processes or parts or kinds of the defining entity; the processes are inherent in the parts or kinds; the parts belong to the kinds; properties may belong to any of the foregoing and therefore constitute a sort of floating facet, qualifying whichever category they belong to.

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The problem of citation order was first tackled by Ranganathan in his Colon Classification (see Section 6.1). His five fundamental categories (PMEST) represented a citation order of decreasing concreteness. While the practical demonstration of the categories and their order in Colon made them reasonably clear, the CRG sought to develop a more detailed set of categories, entirely consistent with PMEST in outcome, but more explicit, particularly in its interpretation of the concepts Personality and Energy; like PMEST, they were presented in a citation order that may be summarized as Defining system or entity, its Kinds, its Parts, its Materials, its Properties, its Processes, Operations on it, Agents of the Processes and Operations, Place, Time, Forms of presentation. In seeking to explain the relations more fully, the defining system came to be seen as reflecting the end-product of the subject in that the other categories are all seen to be features of it or actions directed at producing or sustaining it. The production of this end-product, whether by natural forces or by human actions, is seen as reflecting the purpose of the subject and the overall sequence reflecting the general principle of the subordination of means to ends. Like "only connect," this principle (which may be seen as a species of the first principle), reflects a quite fundamental element in the perception of relationships.

Several other systems have been developed, primarily for specific alphabetical indexes, which incorporate comprehensive rules for citation order, articulated by the relations between the terms in the heading. These are considered in Section 12.3.

8.3. Citation order between the arrays in a facet

The powerful rules for citation order described above operate only to a limited degree when deciding citation order between arrays. This is usually thought to be a weak element in the theory of faceted classification, seen as the essential basis of a fully predictable linear order. But this criticism needs to be qualified by a number of factors, and notably it has not proved to be a serious problem in the comprehensive testing ground provided by BC2. The nature of the compound classes demanding a ruling varies greatly with the subject concerned and would in any case rule out consideration of an immutable rule for arrays in all subjects. The principle of purpose or end-product in the facet formula continues to operate, e.g., in the Buildings facet of Building technology, the array (By function) is cited first; in any Materials facet, the array (By constitution) will cite before arrays reflecting other facets (e.g., By property). The principle of decreasing concreteness leads to the array defined by membership rather than class being cited first (e.g., in many social sciences--politics, law, etc., where the nation state defines the first characteristic of division).

Faceted classification and logical division in information retrieval

Library Trends, Wntr, 2004 by Jack Mills

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