Tags and Dewey

We’re sure many blogs in library and information science land will be buzzing about Kevin Kelly’s piece in yesterday’s New York Times Magazine, “Scan This Book!” (pp. 42-49, 64, 71 in the print version).  We’ll comment on Kelly’s observation about Dewey: “Because tags are user-generated, when they move to the realm of books, they will be assigned faster, range wider and serve better than out-of-date schemes like the Dewey Decimal System, particularly in frontier or fringe areas like nanotechnology or body modification” (p. 45).

Kevin Kelly, it’s not an either/or thing—tags and classification systems complement each other similar to the way subject headings and classification numbers have complemented each other for years. Categories in a classification system represent concepts—the number associated with each category is a language-independent representation of those concepts.  We update Dewey continuously and regularly associate additional terminology with categories explicitly and through mappings. The win for tags and classification systems is to encourage associations between the two—aren’t tags just another set of vocabularies that could enrich Dewey and for which a language-independent standard such as the DDC might provide a useful underlying switching language?

By the way, there are a few Dewey numbers related to those “frontier or fringe areas” named by Kelly. Nanotechnology has a category of its own in engineering, 620.5 Nanotechnology (in French, 620.5 Nanotechnologie; in German, 620.5 Nanotechnologie; in Italian, 620.5 Nanotecnologia; in Russian, 620.5 Нанотехнология; in Spanish, 620.5 Nanotecnología—starting to see the “language-independent” picture?).  There are explicit index entries for nanotechnology in economics (338.476205) and commerce (381.456205).  There’s also a general instruction in the record for 620.5 concerning the classification of applied nanotechnology: “Class a specific application of nanotechnology with the technology, e.g., nanotechnology used in manufacturing thin-film circuits 621.3815.  If you are into body modification, we have you covered at 391.65 Tattooing and scarification (with a reference to 391.7 for body piercing).

Comments

[pinch]

great site, I learn a lot about nanotechnologie

[North Shore Funding]

I was wondering when we were going to overhaul the dewey decimal system.. With the advances in technology it is about time.. Thje tags system seems like a great start..

[realestateglendaleca]

nice blog... i really don't have idea of tag system but its very interesting quotes...

[Online Casino]

Oh man, I remember the dewey decimal system..it was during my early years in life. It really needs to be overhauled now.

[online degree]

i study the system recently in my course. Thank god i see this blog to have some info.

[Gary From Think-CreditCards.com]

Very interesting blog. Can't say i really knew much about it before, but keep it up!

[Terry (thecar finder) Bolton]

great post,

number systems like dewey are made to implement independante and unique way to identify stuff.

but langual ways like tags will have other problems than the landuage differances

if you have seen the internet lately most tags are sometimes mixed between objects and cant be specific.

if Kevin Kelly is so happy about tags maybe we can change his social security number with his nick name

:)

thanks ........

[Nic (accredited online degrees master) Haffner]

more on the last comment

number systems has proven to be sucessful around ages in identification like he following.

1- we write dates in numbers (we dont name centuries and years)

2- historical events are only identified in sequence because of using numbers

3- world wide web uses numbers in the background (IP adresses) for example yahoo.com is not an object its just an alias for a set of ip number for servers

thanks alot

[Gary from Think-Creditcards.com]

interesting point though nic!

[Don - Needs Slot Machine Tips]

There is a correction:

Correction: May 14, 2006

An article on Page 42 of The Times Magazine today about the future of book publishing misstates the number and type of libraries in China from which a Chinese company, Superstar, has made digital copies of books. It is 200 libraries of all kinds, not 900 university libraries.

[Bad Credit Loans]

it will be more effecient for researchers to find books in library if it is tagged.

[car man]

the number system has worked for years. unless mankind come up with some new tech way of doing this. amazon is moving in that direction

[Kyla Reed]

Beautiful post (as usual). I have been reading this blog for a while and I always learn something new.

Thanks for sharing!!!

Can I add something about Nanotechnology? I think it's important.

Nanotechnology refers to a field of applied science and technology whose theme is the control of matter on the atomic and molecular scale, generally 100 nanometers or smaller, and the fabrication of devices or materials that lie within that size range.

Nanotechnology is a highly multidisciplinary field, drawing from fields such as applied physics, materials science, interface and colloid science, device physics, supramolecular chemistry (which refers to the area of chemistry that focuses on the noncovalent bonding interactions of molecules), self-replicating machines and robotics, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, biological engineering, and electrical engineering. Grouping of the sciences under the umbrella of "nanotechnology" has been questioned on the basis that there is little actual boundary-crossing between the sciences that operate on the nano-scale. Instrumentation is the only area of technology common to all disciplines; on the contrary, for example pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries do not "talk with each other". Corporations that call their products "nanotechnology" typically market them only to a certain industrial cluster.

Two main approaches are used in nanotechnology. In the "bottom-up" approach, materials and devices are built from molecular components which assemble themselves chemically by principles of molecular recognition. In the "top-down" approach, nano-objects are constructed from larger entities without atomic-level control. The impetus for nanotechnology comes from a renewed interest in Interface and Colloid Science, coupled with a new generation of analytical tools such as the atomic force microscope (AFM), and the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Combined with refined processes such as electron beam lithography and molecular beam epitaxy, these instruments allow the deliberate manipulation of nanostructures, and lead to the observation of novel phenomena.

Examples of nanotechnology are the manufacture of polymers based on molecular structure, and the design of computer chip layouts based on surface science. Despite the promise of nanotechnologies such as quantum dots and nanotubes, real commercial applications have mainly used the advantages of colloidal nanoparticles in bulk form, such as suntan lotion, cosmetics, protective coatings, drug delivery, and stain resistant clothing.

[Alexander Osorio C.]

I found this post very useful. I was wondering about how the nanotechnology books should be classified. Thank you very much.