CALL FOR PAPERS
The impact of knowledge organization on society,
scholarship and progress
The systematic and structured organization of
knowledge and information has far-reaching applications, best
known in the search, browsing, navigation and exploration of
collections and networks. But despite this capability, "“what
use is classification nowadays?"” some people ask. “The era of
the physical library is fading, and Google will find whatever we
want.” This widely held view threatens our budgets as well as
the reputation of our profession and our ability to attract
thought leaders into the field. As well as forgetting the way
organized collections of scientific and cultural literature have
underpinned study and development throughout the last 2-3
millennia, it neglects our current and future reliance on
knowledge organization (KO). For example, KO techniques are used
behind the scenes in Google and other search engines, and much
more explicitly in intranets, records management systems and
other in-house applications where Google simply fails.
This conference is an opportunity for all of us to
show what impact KO has had, is having and could have on
economic and social development (at macro and/or micro levels).
If academic courses are to attract students, if research bids
are to attract funding, if KO techniques are to be applied on
the internet and in corporate environments, and if trained KO
professionals are to find plenty of good jobs, the subject
should be widely respected as contributing to the general good.
Collectively, ISKO members need to make the case.
This conference aims to explore, justify and
proclaim the continuing demand for KO. It will be a showcase for
R & D that offers benefits for cultural activities and
economic development. Practitioners as well as theoreticians are
invited to contribute, along with consultants, researchers,
teachers and students. Knowledge Organization can be useful to
systems designers as well as information managers, with
applications in areas as diverse as web design, records
management, digital asset management, network management, etc.
So we hope for a wide spread of perspectives on the KO theme.
Conference scope and topics
Any aspect, application or subdiscipline of
knowledge organization is in scope, provided the submission
casts light on the potential benefit - past, present or future -
for society, scholarship and progress. R&D reports that can
be applied in today'’s mobile, networked environment are
especially welcome. While forward-looking presentations are
preferred, submissions demonstrating that KO offers no future
benefit could also be within scope, and will be considered on
their merits. Examples of relevant topics include:
Presentation format, submissions and acceptance
criteria
The conference will include a mix of brief
(20-minute) and long (40-minute) presentations, as well as a
display of posters. Speakers will be asked to provide a paper as
well as presenting the material in person. Together with slides
and audio recordings, all the papers submitted will be published
electronically on the conference website. After peer review the
four best papers will be selected for publication in ISKO'’s
journal, Knowledge Organization.
Proposals should be submitted in English via <https://www.conftool.net/iskouk2015/>by
December 7th 2014 at latest. (To make the submission you will be
asked to set up a user account with Conftool, our service
provider.) The extent to which they demonstrate the benefits
and/or impact of Knowledge Organization will be the first
criterion for acceptance; other important factors include
originality, clarity of expression and a sound basis on theory
or current practice. Please provide an abstract of 300-500
words, and indicate whether you plan a Brief or Long
presentation, or a Poster. You will be informed by the first
week of February 2015 whether your proposal has been accepted.
Full papers should be submitted by 1 May 2015. Editorial
guidelines will be available from February 2015, via the
conference website. Presentation slides too should be submitted
by 8 July 2015. They will be pre-loaded on the conference PC,
and released on the conference website immediately after the
event.
More background