# knowledge organization

> field of study dealing with the conceptual structure of public knowledge

**Wikidata**: [Q1929761](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1929761)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_organization)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/knowledge-organization

## Summary
Knowledge organization is an academic discipline that studies the conceptual structure of public knowledge. It is treated as a subclass of library and information science and appears under many controlled vocabularies, classification schemes, and subject authority files.

## Key Facts
- Knowledge organization is an academic discipline (instance_of: academic discipline) and a subclass of library and information science.
- Common aliases include: KO; information organisation; organisation of information and knowledge resources; organización de la información; 信息组织.
- Wikipedia title: "Knowledge organization" with sitelink_count: 15 and articles in at least these languages: ar, az, da, de, en, es, eu, fa, hr, it.
- Dewey Decimal classifications associated: 001.01 and 020 (references show these assignments in authority records).
- Library of Congress authority ID: sh99001059 (authority record referenced 2019-04-03).
- GND (Integrated Authority File) ID: 4205605-6, with the German label "Wissensorganisation" recorded in the GND record.
- BNCF thesaurus (BNCF) term ID: 36208, with Italian labels "Organizzazione della conoscenza", "Organizzazione dell'informazione", and "Organizzazione delle conoscenze".
- ANZSRC FOR codes: ANZSRC 2008 FOR 080707 ("Organisation of information and knowledge resources"); ANZSRC 2020 FOR 461008.
- ISKO Encyclopedia of Knowledge Organization entry ID: knowledge_organization.

## FAQs
### Q: What is knowledge organization?
A: Knowledge organization is the field of study concerned with the conceptual structure and organization of public knowledge. It is studied as part of, and classified under, library and information science.

### Q: How is knowledge organization related to library and information science?
A: Knowledge organization is explicitly listed as a subclass of library and information science, meaning it is treated as a specialized area within that broader academic and professional field.

### Q: Under what classification systems is knowledge organization recorded?
A: Knowledge organization appears in major authority and classification systems, including Dewey Decimal (001.01 and 020), the Library of Congress authority file (sh99001059), the German GND (4205605-6), and the BNCF thesaurus (ID 36208).

### Q: What other disciplines is knowledge organization connected to?
A: It is related to fields such as computer science, linguistics, education, and philosophy (listed as related categories).

## Why It Matters
Knowledge organization provides the conceptual foundations and controlled vocabularies that make public knowledge findable, interoperable, and manageable across libraries, databases, and information systems. As an academic discipline within library and information science, it appears in major authority files and classification schemes (Dewey, Library of Congress, GND, BNCF), which enables consistent subject description, resource discovery, and data exchange across institutions and languages. Its multilingual presence in reference works and Wikipedia indicates international relevance. Research and standards produced under the domain of knowledge organization support cataloging, indexing, thesaurus construction, subject access, and the design of metadata schemas used in libraries, archives, publishing, and digital repositories. That practical role helps users and systems locate, interpret, and reuse knowledge in education, research, and information services.

## Notable For
- Being explicitly classified as an academic discipline and a subclass of library and information science.
- Presence across multiple authority and classification systems (GND 4205605-6; Dewey 001.01 and 020; LCC sh99001059; BNCF 36208).
- Wide multilingual and international representation (Wikipedia articles in at least ten languages; multilingual labels in authority files and thesauri).
- Inclusion in domain reference works such as the ISKO Encyclopedia of Knowledge Organization.
- Standardized research classification entries (ANZSRC FOR codes for both 2008 and 2020).

## Body

### Definition
- Knowledge organization studies the conceptual structure of public knowledge.
- It focuses on how information and knowledge resources are named, classified, indexed, and arranged for retrieval and use.
- It is treated as part of the broader discipline of library and information science.

### Classification and identifiers
- Instance of: academic discipline.
- Subclass of: library and information science.
- GND ID: 4205605-6 (German label: Wissensorganisation).
- Library of Congress authority ID: sh99001059 (authority record referenced 2019-04-03).
- ISKO Encyclopedia of Knowledge Organization ID: knowledge_organization.
- Freebase ID (historical): /m/02phxc9.
- Yale Lux ID: concept/02d0331d-ad98-4698-909d-422439a715ca.
- BNCF thesaurus ID: 36208 (Italian labels include "Organizzazione della conoscenza", "Organizzazione dell'informazione", "Organizzazione delle conoscenze").

### Library classifications
- Dewey Decimal classifications associated with the topic: 001.01 and 020 (authority records list these values).
- These Dewey entries and other classification assignments appear in library authority metadata for the topic.

### Names and aliases
- Known by multiple synonyms and translations used in professional contexts and authority files: KO; information organisation; organisation of information and knowledge resources; organización de la información; 信息组织.
- Lexical and subject identifiers: lex_id "vidensorganisation"; nl_cr_aut_id values recorded with localized labels such as "organizace informací", "pořádání informací", "organizace znalostí", and "organizace informací a znalostí".

### Related subjects and scope
- Related categories listed: computer science, linguistics, education, philosophy.
- The field overlaps with subject indexing, thesaurus construction, metadata design, and the conceptual organization of knowledge for public access.

### International presence and languages
- Wikipedia entries exist in at least these languages: Arabic (ar), Azerbaijani (az), Danish (da), German (de), English (en), Spanish (es), Basque (eu), Persian (fa), Croatian (hr), Italian (it).
- Authority and thesaurus records provide labels and identifiers in multiple languages, indicating international cataloging and scholarly engagement.

### Related entities (examples from provided sources)
- Neya Global — listed as a related organization (independent knowledge ecosystem; inception 2020; industries: education, philanthropy, publishing).
- Dagobert Soergel — listed under related people (information scientist; birth date 1940-01-07; occupation entries include documentalist and computer scientist).

### Metadata and research classification
- ANZSRC 2008 FOR ID: 080707 ("Organisation of information and knowledge resources").
- ANZSRC 2020 FOR ID: 461008.
- TDKIV term ID and TDKIV Wikibase ID values are recorded in the provided metadata.
- Microsoft Academic ID (discontinued): 2779810430.

### Topic main category
- Topic's main category recorded as Category:Knowledge organization in the provided metadata.

(End of entry)

## References

1. [Nuovo soggettario](https://thes.bncf.firenze.sbn.it/termine.php?id=36208)
2. [Source](https://github.com/JohnMarkOckerbloom/ftl/blob/master/data/wikimap)
3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
4. Integrated Authority File
5. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File
6. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)
7. Wikibase TDKIV