Interpretation of Information Organization in the New Information Environment
On the basis of introducing the traditional world information organization model, starting from the defects of the traditional world information organization, this paper compares and analyzes the changes and advantages of the digital world information organization in retrieval language, metadata, classification and organization concept. This paper demonstrates the inevitability of the existence of information organizations in the traditional world from different angles, and then discusses the development trend of information organizations in the new information environment, pointing out that information organizations should develop along the direction of the integration of the traditional world and the digital world and the association of social networks and knowledge.
[Keywords:] information organization, traditional world, digital world, development trend
【 Classification number 】 G203
1 Information Organization in Traditional World
Information organization in the traditional world refers to the organization of physical resources composed of atoms, including the simple arrangement of how tableware and other items are placed in cabinets and how goods are discharged in shelves. But its most important organizational object is the information attached to various carriers, that is, the organization of document information. Is a linear mode, as shown in figure 1:
Among them, information indexing, information description and information sequencing are three key stages. Information indexing refers to the process of identifying and describing the content attributes of information according to certain rules on the basis of analyzing the content of information; Information description refers to the activity of analyzing, selecting and recording the subject content, situational characteristics and material form of information resources according to the needs of information organization and retrieval; Information sorting is to organize all information description records into an orderly whole according to certain rules and methods after information indexing. In the traditional world, the complex and disorderly literature information group is well ordered after selection, indexing, description and sorting, which ensures the uniqueness of each entity in the atomic world in a certain space. This mechanism plays an irreplaceable role in the development and utilization of information resources and users' information retrieval.
However, because the information organization object in the traditional world is a substance composed of atoms, the operation of atoms follows certain laws: ① The substance composed of atoms will become more and more unstable with the passage of time, the paper will yellow and decompose, and the photo negative will melt, so some measures must be taken to make the role of nature deviate from its orbit; (2) Substances composed of atoms need to occupy space. In order to save space, it is necessary to arrange a unique location for the material, and at the same time, it is necessary to establish retrieval tools such as directories and indexes to indicate the location of the material. However, it is impossible for these retrieval tools to record all the information of an entity's information resources. When the information resources of an entity are large to a certain extent, it is difficult to find and use information efficiently and accurately even if computer and network technology are used. In the traditional world, no matter what information organization method is adopted, it is limited by the information organization object itself and the environment. After all, in the library, it is difficult to put a book on multiple shelves to which it belongs, because it wastes too much space.
2 information organization in the digital world
Compared with the traditional world, the information organization in the digital world has undergone great changes. Information content is digitized into bits; The scope of information organization is wider, no longer staying in the description of document characteristics, but going deep into knowledge units; The space of information organization is broader, and it is no longer necessary to reach an agreement on a single information organization framework system like the traditional world. With the in-depth development of Web2.0, information organizations are developing vigorously in retrieval language, metadata, classification methods and organizational concepts, showing brand-new characteristics, which is not only a technological change, but also a subversion of ideas.
2. 1 Search Language Development Label Language
Tag language is a pure natural language, and its words come from a flat namespace, which is not limited by any pre-established relationship between words. Traditional classification and subject method based on controlled language are mainly used in the literature information organization of libraries. In a sense, such information resources are homogeneous, that is, composed of atoms. Due to the limitation of physical space, they are generally distributed centrally, with limited scale and controllable growth rate. At the same time, users generally have a certain knowledge base, which requires high recall and precision of information retrieval. In this case, the classification and topic method of controlled language can meet the needs of users through strict mechanisms. However, for the massive, dynamic and heterogeneous information resources generated by users in the digital world, it is more difficult and costly to centrally control and organize by a system using controlled language, and the advantages of markup language can just solve these difficulties.
2. 1. 1 The labels of multi-dimensional disclosure information resources are different in terms of classification categories and keywords of subject method. It is generated on the basis of summarizing and understanding information, and it is a private label based on personal understanding of information content, which can be aimed at the theme of the article or words unrelated to the theme. Therefore, the setting of labels is more free and convenient than the setting of subject words, and the information content can be revealed from multiple dimensions. The Great Wall? 、? Sunny? 、? Travel? 、? Fear of heights? Wait for the label.
2. 1.2 The popular information organization in the traditional world needs professionals or computers to complete information indexing and description, while the tag language does not use predefined taxonomy and thesaurus, and users do not need to have knowledge related to taxonomy or ontology. In this way, users can label and classify information independently and easily without any learning and use costs.
2.2 Development of Metadata Any information is metadata.
Metadata is considered to be? Data about data (date a? Approximate date)? It is formulated by experts, with strict standardization and information content as the starting point. In fact, it is not a brand-new concept. It has been widely used in the information organization in the traditional world, such as the description of copyright pages in books and catalog cards in libraries, all of which are metadata. With the development of 10 years, the standard of metadata has become more and more complex. With the rapid growth of network information, the types of information are more and more diversified, and any standard is facing? Lagging? At the same time, its strict standardization also limits the use of users.
In the digital world, metadata is breaking those strict restrictions and challenging the traditional concept of metadata. If you can't remember the name of one of Luo Guanzhong's works, you can turn to the search box of Google Books and type? Luo Guanzhong? , you can see a list of Luo Guanzhong's works. As long as you click on the link of the romance of the Three Kingdoms, you can find the full text, including the classic words: Rolling the Yangtze River eastward? . On the contrary, if you want to know? Rolling the Yangtze River eastward? The source of this sentence, as long as you enter this sentence in the search box of Google Books, you can see the Romance of the Three Kingdoms listed. In the first example, Luo Guanzhong's name is used as metadata to find the contents of the book, while in the second example, part of the contents of the book is used as metadata to find the author and title. It can be said that in the diversified digital world, not only every word of a book can be regarded as metadata, but also every information linked to the book can be regarded as metadata. The only difference between metadata and data is that metadata is the information you already know, while data is the information you are trying to find out.
2.3 Classification Method Development of Popular Classification
Classification plays an important role in the information organization of the traditional world, which mainly adopts hierarchical classification. Hierarchical classification organizes the category system into a tree structure, which is intuitive in structure display and balanced in category setting, and is very suitable for document classification and shelving. However, this tree structure must be universal at the expense of richness and depth. The basis of its construction is to repeatedly use the subordinate relationship. B is a kind of a? , or? B should report to a? , or? B is a's child? . No matter what the relationship of each branch system is, this relationship is too simplistic and can't reflect the complexity of the thing itself and its relationship at all.
In the digital world, the information space is broader, and the bottom-up Folksonomy is emerging. Compared with the traditional tree classification structure, Folksonomy has a three-dimensional and non-hierarchical classification system. If the grading is likened to a tree, then Folksonomy can be regarded as a pile of leaves scattered in three-dimensional space. Here, the popular classification is used, right? Sony camera? This category has been grouped.
Weaving to clarify its organizational principles. First, right? Sony camera this kind of analysis, the user is right? Sony camera? With all kinds of labels, labels are completely unrestricted, including cameras, Sony products, birthday gifts, travel goods and so on. Like this? Sony camera? It is scattered in multiple categories, and a leaf hangs on its branches, which makes it easier for users to find it. In addition, this label perspective reveals more colorful relationships, such as? Sony notebook? 、? Sony mobile phone? These two categories may also be labeled? Sony products? What about this label? Sony notebook? 、? Sony mobile phone? 、? Sony camera? That's it? Sony products? This tag forms a cluster, and again, through? Camera? 、? A birthday present? 、? Travel supplies? These tags can be linked with other categories and things, thus forming a dense information network, just like leaves flying all over the sky. Moreover, these floating leaves are intelligent and can connect multiple leaves through one leaf, but the connection between leaves is potential, waiting for users to explore and create, as shown in Figure 2:
2.4 the development of information organization concept user-centered theory
Information is ubiquitous, it is as extensive as the real world, and no individual can fully understand it. Therefore, people need to use their accumulated knowledge and experience to exercise the function of information filter. These people are called experts. In the traditional world, they are responsible for selecting and screening information, formulating metadata standards, and completing information indexing and description. From this perspective, what users can see and find is decided by experts, and the control of information is firmly in their hands. At the same time, experts invisibly put? User-centered? With what? Focus on literature information? That is to say, as long as the ordering of literature information resources is realized, the information needs of users will be met. As we all know, although the procedure of selecting, analyzing and sorting information is beneficial to the ranking of literature information, this ranking depends on the meaning of literature information itself and their own judgment. Although it is beneficial to the information organization itself, it cannot fully meet the information needs of users. After all, experts can't predict what everyone is interested in, and every piece of information will interest users.
The information organization in the digital world is guided by constructivism and liberalism. According to the philosophy of constructivism, information is subjective in nature. Neither the recorded information (information 1) nor the information in the human brain (information 2) can truly and objectively reflect the real world, and they can only be a one-sided reflection of the outside world forever. This incompleteness of cognition determines that specific users need to seek specific information to fill the cognitive gap in a specific background. To meet such information needs, information organizations should pay attention not to the information itself, but to the personality of users and their specific background. Because each user and his background are unique, his information needs are also unique. Liberal philosophy holds that all people have the right to arrange their own lives according to their own will and have the ability to make appropriate choices according to their own needs (including the choice of information). Therefore, information organizations should not choose information for users, and should not restrict users with various rights. The owner of information should take the initiative to hand over the control of information organization to users, and provide an open framework for users to choose and organize information by themselves.
3 the development trend of information organization in the new information environment
3. 1 Information organizations in the traditional world will not die out.
First of all, from a philosophical point of view, in the traditional world, our organization of physical information resources is actually guided by Aristotle's rationalism. Aristotle believes that to understand a thing, we must see through its essence and not be confused or misled by the appearance that just conforms to its characteristics. What about these? Essence? The definition of "A" determines which things belong to one category and explains why these things belong to this category and others don't, so the result of convergence and division is a classification tree, in which all branches and leaves are aggregated with some things and separated from others. This tree structure is very helpful for understanding things. For example, if someone tells you that an animal belongs to a bird, you will understand that it is an animal, has a spine, can reproduce, will die, and is a real thing. More importantly, you don't need to consider all this information every time you see a bird. You can call these types of information at any time.
In daily life, Aristotle's rationalism and tree structure are reflected in various organizational systems again and again, such as various traditional classifications, the division of a book into chapters and subheadings, increasingly specialized institutional departments, and the arrangement of dishes on the menu. All this stems from the fact that atomic matter is inseparable from our information environment. This material form is bound to produce a suitable ideology, rationalism is one of its products, and the traditional information organization guided by rationalism is bound to be an information organization form that matches the traditional world.
Secondly, from the perspective of the entities on which information organizations in the traditional world depend. Paper literature is its main object, and the library is its main supporting institution. The debate about whether paper documents and libraries will be replaced has been going on for decades. However, under the challenge of electronic documents and libraries, paper documents and libraries are rising rather than dying out. Obviously, the extinction of paper documents and libraries can not be determined only by technological progress and economic development, and its social and political significance can not be ignored. For example, what has the digital age caused us? Anyone can browse the information all over the world in time and freely? In fact, it has deepened the digital divide, and the potential and great role of libraries in ensuring information freedom and fairness are more conducive to eliminating the digital divide.
It can be seen that in the current information environment, the information organization in the traditional world has many defects, but it will not die out.
3.2 the development trend of information organizations in the new information environment
3.2. 1 Integration of traditional world information organizations and digital world information organizations. The information organization in the digital world also has some defects such as vague labels and too many labels, which need to be corrected by the information organization in the traditional world. Therefore, the development of information organization should not be a simple substitution relationship, but a fusion relationship between the two. This integration can be realized through the connection between the personalized service provided by the website and the library. For example, by embedding library bibliographic data into Douban, users can find out which libraries have this book while browsing the relevant comments of a book; Conversely, personalized information organization can also be introduced into the library to improve the richness and availability of bibliographic data information. In addition to the above two simple connection methods, it is worth studying to use the principles and concepts of web2.0 to build a library information network and realize real integration, as shown in Figure 3:
3.2.2 Information organization based on social networks Social networks generally exist in the traditional world and the digital world, but in the traditional world, due to the limitations of time and space, individuals form groups, and the communities formed by groups face many difficulties. In the digital world, individuals break the time and space restrictions through social networking software and establish closer social ties, and all kinds of related information generated from this are connected and organized through various interactive relationships, thus forming close and loose online communities of different sizes. This social network is based on interaction, including small-scale interaction between individuals, large-scale interaction between groups and communities, and what will the relevant information generated in the process of interaction be based on? Topic? The formation of polymerization with certain directionality is the standard. At the same time, the information organization based on social network is accompanied by the multi-directional movement of information flow, which is a real-time moving information organization, not a static information organization in the past, and it is deeply influenced and controlled by social relations. It can be seen that the information organization based on social network is facing a more complicated situation, and how to establish a stable and effective information organization mechanism still needs to be explored.
3.2.3 Knowledge Relevance Any form of information organization exists based on some correlation between information elements, but the information organization in the traditional world is based on the correlation of document entities, while the information organization in the digital world is based on the correlation of knowledge. Studying and revealing the correlation law between knowledge is the basis for effectively organizing, retrieving and managing knowledge. At present, all kinds of knowledge organization methods, whether oral or symbolic, are mostly organized and stored based on the correlation between concepts that summarize knowledge content, which embodies a conceptual logic. However, the correlation between knowledge is varied, and conceptual logic is only one of them. Obviously, it is necessary to strengthen the research on the potential and implied knowledge correlation.
In addition, with the rapid development and wide application of modern information technology, the development direction of information organization should not simply realize the sorting and storage of information and knowledge, but should realize knowledge creation, knowledge mining and knowledge discovery through fusion analysis, induction and reasoning according to the correlation between knowledge.
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