Resources

Here's where you'll find a shortlist of organisations providing support, resources and community conversation for taxonomists, ontologists and knowledge managers.

Knowledge and information management approaches are different but must be recognised as needing to be closely intertwined if organisations are to reap the full benefit from their data, information and knowledge assets. This is the stimulus for CILIP’s Knowledge and Information Management Special Interest Group (K&IM) which is for anyone who is working in, or interested in, Knowledge Management and/or Information Management. 

NetIKX is an independent Community of Interest. Our principal arena is the management of information and knowledge as resources (and/or assets) in order to provide benefit and value within any organisation whether large, medium or small, operating in the private, public or voluntary sectors. Our focus is on the practical issues of managing knowledge and information in the workplace and the relationship and space that exists between Information Management and Knowledge Management. www.netikx.org/

SLA Taxonomy is a community of information professionals with an interest in taxonomies, ontologies, thesauri, authority files, and other controlled vocabularies, cultivating shared interest by pooling expertise, providing challenging and relevant year-round learning opportunities, and nurturing a vibrant, responsive and sustainable unit within the Special Libraries Association. connect.sla.org/taxonomy/home

Further Reading

The Accidental Taxonomist
by Heather Hedden 
Now in its 3rd edition,The Accidental Taxonomist is a comprehensive guide to the art and science of building information taxonomies. Leading taxonomy expert and instructor Heather Hedden walks us through the process in straightforward, comprehensive English. In this fully revised third edition, Heather adds an entirely new chapter on ontologies, emphasises the SKOS model of concepts over the traditional thesaurus model of terms, and provides new insights into taxonomy development techniques. Includes fresh survey data, screenshots and examples, and updated information on software, career opportunities, and resources for taxonomists.

Taxonomies: Practical Approaches to Developing and Managing Vocabularies for Digital Information
by Helen Lippell
A comprehensive guide to building, implementing and using taxonomies. Featuring contributions and case examples from some of the world's leading experts, the book supports professional development through practical advice and real-world case studies. Readers learn best practice for working with stakeholders, sponsors and systems to ensure that taxonomies remain useful and relevant. Addressing all the key stages of the process of building and implementing a taxonomy, including scoping, user testing and validation, and the creation of governance processes.