Classification of the Web

1
Classification of the Web
LIBR 517 Subject Analysis School of Library,
Archival and Information Studies,
UBC Instructors Carol Elder Penny Swanson

• Presented by
• Huibin (Heather) Cai
• Henian E
• Daphne Hamilton-Nagorsen
• Todd Rowlatt
• March 30, 2005

2
Introduction

• Classification of the Web
• A Brief History
• Dewey Decimal Classification
• Library of Congress Classification
• Current Trends

3
Brief History

• Issues with the Web and Information Retrieval
• Volume of information
• Lack of order and rules
• Lack of comprehensive record of documents
• Lack of classification and description framework

4
Brief History (contd)

• A Brief History of Web Classification Indexing
• Subject Directories
• Human based
• Concept indexing
• Search Engines
• Machine based
• Word indexing

5
Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) and the Web

• Organizing web resources by DDC

6
Why DDC is preferred

• Universal in scope
• Multilingual
• Numerical notation, easy to understand by users
  of all languages
• Documents never arranged by alphabetical order
• When indexes are translated to another language,
  the arrangement still makes sense
• Schedules available in multiple languages

7
Why DDC is preferred (contd)

• Well-known
• Most widely used in the world
• Both user and cataloguer familiar with it
• Good Interoperability
• OCLC linking DDC notation to other subject-based
  finding aids such as the LCSH
• Programs and standards being developed to
  transcribe other classification numbers into DDC
  numbers

8
Why DDC is preferred (contd)

• Hierarchy structure
• A decimal system that always expands into sets of
  ten ten choices per page for web users easy
  to handle
• From broad to specific, easy for browsing with
  hyperlink technology

9
Common practices with DDC
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Examples

• BUBL LINK Catalogue of Internet Resources
  http//bubl.ac.uk/link/
• An online catalogue created and managed by BUBL
  Information Service, Centre for Digital Library
  Research, Strathclyde University, Glasgow
• Uses DDC as the primary organization structure
  for its catalogue of Internet resources

11
Examples (contd)

• Browse by Dewey Classification Number
  http//www.bcpl.gov.bc.ca/VRD/dewey.php
• An online catalogue created and managed by The BC
  Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) that is designed to
  provide quick access to a virtual library of Web
  sites

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What improvements can be made?

• More DDC levels can be used
• Captions need to be revised to make them more
  understandable
• Websites should offer searching option along with
  browsing
• Enhanced features of DDC (21st and 22nd editions)
  should be applied

13
Library of Congress Classification (LCC) and the
Web

• Organizing web resources by LCC

14
Benefits of Using LCC

• A General Classification Scheme
• Supported by an existing organization
• Stood test of time
• Relationship to LCSH

15
The Chief Benefit

• Widespread Use in Academic Institutions
• Familiarity and Comfort
• Support for Digitization Projects
• Inter-operability and a bridge between 2 worlds

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Problems with Using LCC

• Literary Warrant
• Designed for a specific national collection
• Reflects the biases of that collection
• Not dynamic or quick to respond to change
• Not concerned for needs of the Internet users,
  but for the users of the Library of Congress

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Hierarchy

• The Hierarchy is demonstrated visually in the
  print schedules, not through the notation
• An crucial problem in the electronic realm

18
An example

• QA76.27 Study and Teaching
• QA76.33 Computer Camps
• QA76.38 Hybrid Computers
• QA76.4 Analog Computers
• QA76.5 Digital Computers

• QA76.27 Study and Teaching
• QA76.33 Computer Camps
• QA76.38 Hybrid Computers
• QA76.4 Analog Computers
• QA76.5 Digital Computers

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Other Issues with LCC

• Multilingual
• Language of the content
• Cutter numbers

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Current Projects Using LCC

• Not many creative projects exist
• Most are associated with a university or academic
  institution
• 2 Examples
• ICRC The Internet Collegiate Reference
  Collection (Bloomsburg University)
• Online Books Page (University of Pennsylvania

21
ICRC (Internet Collegiate Reference Collection)
22
ICRC (contd)
23
Online Books Page
24
Online Books Page (contd)
25
LCC and the Web

• Benefits of Integration and Inter-operability
  suggest the value of LCC for classifying the
  Internet
• Need more creative and extensive testing and
  research

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Current Trends

• Approaches and practices

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Brief Review (DDC LCC)

• Manual classification using DDC and LCC
• Advantages
• Authority control
• Organized
• Disadvantages
• Costly
• Slow in process

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Current Issues

• Fixed number of categories vs. the growing,
  nature of the Internet
• Local practices vs. data integrity and
  interoperability in higher level standard
  development
• Individual judgment to Web resources vs. precise
  search and retrieval demand

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Solutions?
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Example 1

• Specialized directory system by automatically
• classifying Web documents
• - Dept. of Lib. Info. Sci., Yonsei University,
  Korea
• Automates the collecting, indexing and
  classification processes of Web documents
• Specialized directory system based on DDC scheme
• Classification using subject term dictionary
• Experiments on Economics (class 300 in DDC)

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Fig.1 Overview of the specialized directory system
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Example 1 (contd)

• Weaknesses
• Still requires human expert verification
• The classification scheme and term dictionary
  need to be updated periodically
• Search through all existing categories to make
  any classification

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Example 2

• Dynamic and hierarchical classification system
• - College of Eng. Sci., Louisiana Tech Univ.
• Organize the Web pages into a tree structure
• Capable of adding new categories as required
• Classify Web pages by searching through single
  path of the tree

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Analysis

• Similarities approach
• Comparing the similarities between a
  classification structure and a Web document
• Assigning the document to the correct category
  automatically

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Analysis (contd)

• Remarkable improvements made in E.g. 2
• Reduces computational complexity by searching
  through single path of the category tree
• Accommodates the ever growing number of Web pages
  on the Internet by adding new categories as
  required
• Increase the accuracy by 6 in comparison to
  related system

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Summary

• A Brief History
• Dewey Decimal Classification
• Library of Congress Classification
• Current Trends

37
References

• Ahronheim, Judith R. ed. High-level Subject
  Access Tools and Techniques in Internet
• Cataloging. Bringhamton, N.Y. Haworth
  Information Press, 2002.
•  
• Choi, Ben, and Xiaogang Peng. Dynamic and
  Hierarchical Classification of Web
• Pages. Online Information Review 28, no. 2
  (2004) 139-147.
•  
• Chung, Young Mee, and Noh Young-Hee. Developing
  a Specialized Directory System
• by Automatically Classifying Web Documents.
  Journal of Information Science
• 29, no. 2 (2003) 117-126.
•  
• Digital Libraries Project. Columbia University,
  August 2004.
• lthttp//www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/digital/gt
  (16 March 2005).
•  
• Ellis, David, and Ana Vascondelos. Ranganathan
  and the Net Using Facet Analysis to
• Search and Organize the World Wide Web. In
  ASLIB Proceedings Bradford Jan.
• 1999. vol. 51, no. 1 3-10.

38
References (contd)

• Franklin, Rosemary Aud. Re-inventing subject
  access for the semantic Web. Online Information
  Review 27, no. 2 (2003) 94.
• Godby, Jean, and Jay Stuler. "The Library of
  Congress Classification as a knowledge
• base for automatic subject categorization."
  Presented at the IFLA Preconference
• "Subject Retrieval in a Networked Environment,"
  Dublin, Ohio, August 2001
• lthttp//staff.oclc.org/godby/auto_class/godby-i
  fla.html_edn5gt (14 March
• 2005).
• Koch, Traugott et al. The role of classification
  schemes in Internet resource description
• and discovery. (February 1997)
• lthttp//www.ukoln.ac.uk/metadata/desire/classifi
  cation/gt (18 March 2005).
• Larson, Ray (1992). Experiments in Automatic
  Library of Congress Classification.
• Journal of the American Society for Information
  Science 43(2) 130-148.
• McKiernan, Gerry, ed., CyberStacks(sm). Iowa
  State University, 1998.
• lthttp//www.public.iastate.edu/CYBERSTACKS/home
  page.htmlgt (16 March
• 2005).

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References (contd)

• Ockerbloom, John Mark, ed. The Online Books Page.
  University of Pennsylvania, 2005.
• lthttp//digital.library.upenn.edu/books/subjects
  .htmlgt (16 March 2005).
• OCLC. About DDC. lthttp//www.oclc.org/dewey/about/
  gt (18 March 2005).
• Saeed, Hamid and Abudus Sattar Chaudery.
  Potential of Bibliographic Tools to
• Organize Knowledge on the Internet. Knowledge
  Organization 28, no.1 (2001) 17-26.
• Thomas, Alan R. and James R. Shearer (eds).
  Internet Searching and Indexing The Subject
  Approach. New York The Haworth Information
  Press, 2000.
•  
• Vizine-Goetz, Diane. Using Library
  Classification Schemes for Internet Resources.
• OCLC Internet Cataloging Project Colloquium,
  November 1999.
• lthttp//staff.oclc.org/vizine/Intercat/vizine-g
  oetz.htmgt (13 March 2005).
•  
• Weyant, Nancy, ed. ICRC The Internet Collegiate
  Reference Collection. Bloomsburg
• University's Harvey A. Andruss Library,
  November 2004.
• lthttp//icrc.bloomu.edu/icrc/lc.phpgt (16 March
  2005).