- From: Carolyn Pearson <carolynp@alki.com>
- Date: Thu, 13 Jul 1995 08:53:24 -0700
- To: www-html@www10.w3.org
>>There's been a discussion on html-wg on keyword tags (for building >>indices or keyword-to-URL references). Does anybody know what the >>final word is? > >Why not have a DDC or UDC (dewey or universal decimal classification) tag, >so that authors can self-classify documents - keywords are only a half-way >house to sorting out indexing/classification. As someone who spent two years getting a master's in Library Science, I can tell you that these sort of classification numbers are very complicated. The result of such a tag would likely be tons of things lumped into very general categories, because few people will want to take a 3-month cataloging class to learn how to assign the numbers that go after the decimal point [in the Dewey system]. Classification numbers are useful in libraries because you are mostly dealing with physical items that have to be put at one particular place on a shelf. Since electronic documents can be retrieved from multiple points, it makes more sense -- and is much easier for the person searching for a document -- to provide a keyword-type system that allows multiple, easy-for-humans-to-understand access points. (Libraries do this also, by using subject headings to provide multiple access points in their catalogs.) _________________________________ Carolyn Pearson, Managing Editor Alki Software Corporation email: carolynp@alki.com phone: (206) 286-2600 fax: (206) 286-2785
Received on Thursday, 13 July 1995 11:59:18 UTC