[WEB4LIB] Candidates for _Beyond Bookmarks: Schemes for Organ zing the

[Minkel, Walter (Cahners -NYC)]

I have a devil's advocate question in response to the request below: why is
it a good thing to sort Web collections by Dewey or LC? Dewey or LC are
useful for items that cannot be searched by keywords, but why is it
necessary, other than the fact that the books have call numbers, to sort Web
sites that way? Yeah, I know that Web sites are being assigned call numbers
in many library catalogs, but is it necessary if keywording & assigning
subject headings is done carefully? In a public library situation (where my
experience lies) call numbers were a way to arrange things together on the
shelf & that was about it. But Web sites have no "shelf" to sit on.

This question may be so basic that it seems dumb, but I've watched students
struggle with catalogs & call numbers for years, & when the Web came along,
I was pleased with not having to assign Web sites a "location on the shelf."
I'd love to see non-3D materials without call numbers & searchable by
keywords/subject headings only. Just curious what Gerry & others have to
say. Thanks, W

------------------------------
Walter Minkel
wminkel at cahners.com * (212) 463-6721
Technology Editor, _School Library Journal_

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Gerry Mckiernan [SMTP:GMCKIERN at gwgate.lib.iastate.edu]
> Sent:	Saturday, May 01, 1999 8:54 PM
> To:	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject:	[WEB4LIB] Candidates for _Beyond Bookmarks: Schemes for
> Organzing the
> 
>    I am greatly interested in identifying additional Web collections
> that have adopted/adapted Library classification schemes or controlled
> vocabularies for organizing Web resources for potential inclusion in my
> Web clearinghouse _Beyond Bookmarks: Schemes for Organizing the Web_.
> 
>    _Beyond Bookmarks_ is available at:
> 
>   http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/CTW.htm
> 
>      I am not only interested in the application of international
> schemes such as Dewey and Library of Congress, but national and
> local library schemes as well. Of particular interest is the application
> of a *controlled vocabulary* for organizing or augmenting access to a Web
> collection.
> 
>    In addition to library schemes, I am also interested in the application
> of non-library standard schemes of organization to Web resources.
> 
>   As Always, Any and All contributions, queries, critiques, comments,
> questions, concerns, etc., etc. are Most Welcome.
> 
>   Regards,
> 
> /Gerry McKiernan
> Theoretical Librarian
> Iowa State University 
> Ames IA 50011
> 
> gerrymck at iastate.edu 
> 
>    "The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Invent It!"
>                               Alan Kay 
>      http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/GASCH.KAY.HTML