Classification systems on the web : Traditional and new

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the opportunities of classification of web pages. Two classification systems are compared; a library classification system traditional and a system that is developed for use on the web new. UDC is chosen to represent the traditional systems, and Yahoo! represents a so called new system. UDC is used by NISS Directory of networked resources, which is a directory that uses the system for organisation of electronic resources. Both systems are analysed from two different perspectives, a multidisciplinary and a timeperspective. The method used for this is a case study, which here includes interviews and literature studies. For the analysis, five different areas of knowledge are chosen; religion, education, recreation and entertainment, literature and history. The terms chosen to represent a subject are analysed to illuminate differences and similarities between the systems. This is done to decide which system is the most suitable for a computerised environment. One of several differences is that a new system, in contrast to a traditional, lacks notation. This means that the hierarchical structure in a new system is much less formal and new words and subjects easily can be added to the system. To add new words or subjects to a traditional system can be very time-consuming and it is sometimes hard to find an appropriate place for new areas of knowledge. Still, both new and traditional systems are suitable for the organisation of electronic material.Uppsatsnivå: