Systems of Knowledge Organization for Digital Libraries: Beyond Traditional Authority Files

This report examines the use of knowledge organization systems — schemes for organizing information and facilitating knowledge management — in a digital environment. Knowledge organization systems serve as bridges between a user's information needs and the material in a collection. Examples of such systems include term lists, such as dictionaries; classification schemes, such as Library of Congress Subject Headings; and relationship lists, such as thesauri. These and other types of knowledge organization systems, which vary in complexity, structure, and function, can improve the organization of digital libraries and facilitate access to their content.