Abstract
The goal of this paper is to explore the empirical aptness of a conceptual framework for the study of an international standard classification system by considering epistemological assumptions underlying its use in classification research to date. I survey reviews and empirical inquiry in LIS that feature the concept boundary object, (Star & Griesemer, 1989) and discuss some implications for classification research. I discuss the problems posed when predominant discourses concerning classification research inhibit our understanding of classification practices as socially, historically and culturally constructed. I conclude with proposing inquiry into international standard occupational classification as away of exploring the limits of the boundary object concept within the context of globalized standards and localpractices.
Highlights
Knowledge organization and classification in international information retrieval is a topic of concern in classification research
The goal of this paper is to explore the empirical aptness of a conceptual framework for the study of an international standard classification system by considering epistemological assumptions underlying its use in classification research to date
I discuss the problems posed when predominant discourses concerning classification research inhibit our understanding of classification practices as socially, historically and culturally constructed
Summary
Knowledge organization and classification in international information retrieval is a topic of concern in classification research. Mai (2003), considering the context of bibliographic classification, has argued for the use of general classifications to provide access to collections nationally and internationally. Campbell (2003), comparing bibliographic and statistical classification schemes, observed that the abstraction required for harmonized data diminished the context that contributed to meaning of the data used to construct the scheme. The proposal of general or standard classifications and the importance of context are not new concepts in information science. We know little about the role of standard classifications as they are enacted among different contexts and across expanding levels of scale. This is the space reserved for copyright notices
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