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Faceted classification and logical division in information retrieval

Library Trends, Wntr, 2004 by Jack Mills

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The absence of a comprehensive general formula for citation order between arrays can, however, present special problems on some occasions; a prominent example is found in the classification of the Arts; in analyzing the literature to determine what categories and arrays to recognize, a document might be found entitled "The Romantic Landscape in 19th-Century British Painting." Assume that a working definition of the arts has already been made: that branch of creative activity concerned with the production of works characterized by imaginative design and expression and in which aesthetic considerations predominate.

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The concepts in the title, taken in turn, might then be defined in terms such as Romantic designates a movement in art that reflects a commitment to feeling rather than intellectual discipline (and so on); Landscape refers to an art (most often in painting) defined by its subject matter; nineteenth century defines the art of a cultural period; British defines a society or culture in which the art was produced; Painting defines a particular medium. The trouble is that all these reflect the primary facet of Kinds of art. Romantic is a Kind of art defined by a style, movement, or school; style reflects concepts from the Properties and Elements facets (e.g., didactic, eclectic, realistic, symbolic, fantastic); Movement and School both imply concepts from Place and Period. These three concepts overlap so seriously that they cannot bear the burden of being separate arrays, although provision is made for general works on each of them. The concepts of Landscape art, Nineteenth-century art, British art, and Painting are clearly all legitimate claimants to the status of kinds of art. When it comes to deciding the citation order of the four arrays, several considerations arise. The working definition clearly implies that the work of art produced gives us the entity we start with. Also, the properties characterizing the work clearly imply a human creator and this facet, the artist, could be construed as the primary one. But consideration of the role of the division of labor in the classification of knowledge (see Section 7) combined with the fact that the vast majority of artists operate in a special medium suggest that the medium should be treated as the primary facet. This is reinforced by pragmatic considerations of helpful order. It is inconceivable, for example, that music should be cited after any of the other arrays. This would mean citing La Mer or the Enigma variations, say, under Subjects of art (landscape, portraiture). But the citation order of the others is less clear. If the artist is seen to define the obvious second array, the importance of the culture in which the artist produced his or her work suggests that place and time also may be serious contenders. Here, the decision that a general classification must make may not meet the demands of all its users, and the provision of alternative citation orders becomes desirable.

Faceted classification and logical division in information retrieval

Library Trends, Wntr, 2004 by Jack Mills

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