Color by Numbers: An Exploration of the Use of Color as Classification Notation

Author(s)/Creator(s)

Rachel I. Clarke, Syracuse UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Date

2013

Keywords

color in visual communication, bibliographic classification, notation

Language

English

Disciplines

Cataloging and Metadata | Library and Information Science

Description/Abstract

Notation is a fundamental component of a classification scheme, especially library and bibliographic classification. However, notation is often considered an afterthought or auxiliary to classification itself. With the advances in technology, classification systems, including their notation, must evolve. What, if any, possibilities lie beyond alphanumeric characters and symbols? The author explores the possible use of color as classificatory notation by looking at the traditional qualities of notation and the classificatory needs it must accommodate, various theories and standards of color, and their possible applications to classification notation. Theoretical and practical implications are considered and discussed, as well as larger implications for notation and classification overall.

Additional Information

© 2013 by The University of Chicago Press and Art Libraries Society of North America

Article first apeared in Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Fall 2013), pp. 222-238. Available online at: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/673514

Recommended Citation

Clarke, Rachel I., "Color by Numbers: An Exploration of the Use of Color as Classification Notation" (2013). School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship. 168.
https://surface.syr.edu/istpub/168

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.