Synopsis
Classification systems and their role in shaping philosophy and social interactions are explored in this unique analysis of human infrastructures.
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About the Author
Geoffrey C. Bowker is Regis and Dianne McKenna Professor and Executive Director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Society at Santa Clara University.
Reviews
Classification theory is tough reading, but this is an important book that expounds the basics in a new fashion. Bowker and Star, both professors in the department of communication at the University of California, San Diego, emphasize (and show how) classification becomes invisible as it gains acceptance and exerts ever greater influence over our daily lives. They explore three issues: the role of classification in large infrastructures; classification and biography; and classification and work practice. The authors analyze the International Classification of Diseases, the Nursing Interventions Classification, the South African race classification under apartheid, and other working systems to illustrate their points about the inevitable social, political, and economic impacts of classification on people, mainly because we take them for granted, assume they represent the "natural" way of the world, and therefore that we must conform to them. The closing chapter, "Why Classifications Matter," should be required reading for every librarian. It sums up what has gone before and sensitizes us to the power of classificationAa power we wield as organizers of information. Highly recommended for library and information science educators, students, and practicing classifiers; this book is a must for all professional bookshelves, not just for those of library schools and research institutions.ASheila S. Intner, GSLIS, Simmons Coll., Boston
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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SORTING THINGS OUT: Classification And Its Consequences
Published by
The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1999
ISBN 10: 0262024616
ISBN 13: 9780262024617
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Hardcover
Seller: Alta-Glamour Inc., Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
1st Printing. 8vo. xii + 377pp. Hardcover in dust jacket. Light shelfwear; underlining to the text in places. Good. Seller Inventory # 100128
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Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences (Inside Technology)
Seller: Bay State Book Company, North Smithfield, RI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. The book is in good condition with all pages and cover intact, including the dust jacket if originally issued. The spine may show light wear. Pages may contain some notes or highlighting, and there might be a "From the library of" label. Boxed set packaging, shrink wrap, or included media like CDs may be missing. Seller Inventory # BSM.OSWB
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Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences (Inside Technology)
Seller: GoldBooks, Denver, CO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 76D39_91_0262024616