Taxonomy and thesauri

From Regional Knowledge Resource Kit

A thesaurus is a guide to use of terms, showing relationships between them, for the purpose of providing standardized, controlled vocabulary for information storage and retrieval. An example of a thesaurus is list of subject headings assigned in a particular database, index, or online catalogue.

For example, AANRO uses the CABI thesaurus.

A taxonomy is either an hierarchical classification of things, or the principles underlying the classification. Almost anything may be classified according to some taxonomic scheme. In the context of record keeping, a thesaurus is a controlled vocabulary used to classify, identify and locate records. The Australian Government has developed The Keyword AAA: A Thesaurus of General Terms as a consistent business classification scheme to title and index the records that document the common administrative functions of an agency.

A useful resource for information on taxonomies is Organizing Knowledge: Taxonomies, Knowledge and Organisational Effectiveness by Patrick Lambe, published February 2007, ISBN: 1843342278.