Knowledge Organization System (KOS): An Introductory Critical Account

This contribution discusses the notion of knowledge organization system (KOS), introducing both its broad and narrow meanings. It focuses more in-depth on KOSs as semantic tools, by critically analyzing a number of KOS typologies that have been proposed so far. Theoretical and practical issues are investigated too, focusing on the importance of epistemology and theory of concepts for KOS development. Besides, some remarks are made on how new trends in information organization (e.g., towards an increase of formalization and the employment of data-driven means) could affect the design of future KOSs, pondering whether "interpretation" and context-based evaluations still have a role to play in such an undertaking. A theoretical coda is finally provided, which scrutinizes the notion of "classificatory perspectivism," and whether pluralism in KO research could take a (pragmatically based) integrative fashion.