ISKO '97 in Berlin
ISKO '97 in Berlin
International Society for Knowledge Organization (ISKO)
General Secretariat: Woogstr. 36a, D-60341 Frankfurt/Main, GermanyISKO is conceived of as an international circle of all colleagues - mainly from the information science fields - who work on problems related to the conceptual organization of knowledge. Its scientific bases are seen to lie in the methodological knowledge from the fields of logic, system theory, organization science, psychology, science theory, informatics, semiotics, linguistics and philosophy, particularly epistemology. Accordingly, ISKO membership is sought by and offered to representatives of these fields of knowledge as well as of their application fields.
In its statutes ISKO has set itself the following tasks: "Promotion of research, development and application of all methods for the organization of knowledge in general or of particular fields by integrating especially the conceptual approaches of classification research and artificial intelligence. ISKO stresses philosophical, psychological and semantic approaches for a conceptual order of objects. In particular, ISKO will (1) awaken and support an understanding for the practical and heuristic usefulness of such an organization of knowledge. (2) promote on a national and international level the exchange of information and experience of scientists and practitioners in this area, especially by giving advice in the construction, perfection and application of such organization tools as classification systems, thesauri, terminologies, nomenclatures as well as the syntactical tools going with them; (3) observe internationally the progress made in this work; (4) concentrate on major points of this knowledge field in special working groups; (5) hold regular meetings in order to support these activities.
ISKO Members
By the end of 1994, five years after its founding, ISKO has more than 500 members in 48 countries.
ISKO Activities
International Conferences are held by ISKO every two years, each time in a different country: 1990 in Darmstadt, Germany; 1992 in Madras, India,; 1994 in Copenhagen, Denmark; 1996 planned to be in Washington at the Library of Congress. A first European ISKO Conference in a subject area was held Sept. 1994 in Bratislava (Environmental Sciences) Regional Conferences are held by the national chapters in the intermediate years. Such conferences were held in Slovakia (NISKO '91), in Bulgaria (KOTA '91), in Germany ("Wissensorganisation '91 and '93) in Russia 1993, in Spain 1993, and in India 1994. Basic and advanced training courses are held and offered as needed. The establishment of working groups on an international or national level to cope with urgent problems of knowledge organization is desirable.
ISKO Knowledge Organization and Change
Fourth International Conference International Society for Knowledge Organization July 15-18 1996 Washington, DC, USA
ISKO 96 Publications
ISKO publishes: A scientific journal: KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION. International Journal for Concept Theory, Classification, Indexing, and Knowledge Representation, formerly INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION founded 1974. A Newsletter, called ISKO NEWS, within the journal. The series ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE ORGANISATION (AKO-) The series FORTSCHRITTE IN DER WISSENSORGANISATION of the German ISKO Chapter (1992-) The series KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION in SUBJECT AREAS (KOSA-), (1994- ). A WHO's WHO IN KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION (1995). Lehrhefte zur Wissensorganisation (Pocket Manuals for Knowledge Organisation)(foreseen to start Spring 1995).
ISKO Advantages of ISKO membership
Free subscription to ISKO's journal Knowledge Organisation. Reduced attendance fees for conferences and seminars. Participation in working groups. Exchange of information with national and international partners. Subscription to or purchase of ISKO publications at reduced rates Annual Membership rates - as of 1994 (until 1996) Personal members: DM 60.-/US$ 40.- Institutional members: DM 120.-/US$ 80.- Sponsoring members: DM 300.-/US$ 200.-
ISKO Cooperation
Good co-operation with relevant international and national organizations such as UNESCO, UAI (Union des Assoc. Int.), the CEC (Comm. of European Communities), ISO (Int. Standardization Org.) exists. Also, through the ISKO-Executive Board and the ISKO Scientific Advisory Council a number of close contacts have been established with such organizations as FID (Fed. Int. d'Inform. et de Doc.) - in particular with FID/CR, IFLA (Int. Fed. of Libr. Assoc. & Inst.) - in particular with the Classif. & Indexing Sect., and Infoterm. All institutions of large universal classification systems such as the UDC, DDC, LCC, BBC, CC, LBC are represented on ISKO's Scientific Advisory Council.
1.1 Welcomed into being by a thoroughly approving and greatly interested professional world, the International Society for Knowledge Organization (ISKO) was founded in 1989 with the purpose of functioning both on a national and international level as the connecting link between any and all institutions concerned with conceptual questions pertaining to the organization and processing of knowledge. It wishes to contribute to an intensified and accelerated exchange of experience, thereby helping to fill a widespread need for clarification and expansion of existing knowledge in this field.
1.2 ISKO is conceived of as an international circle of all colleagues - mainly from the information science fields - who work on problems related to the conceptual organization of knowledge. Its scientific bases is seen to lie in the methodological knowledge from the fields of logic, system theory, organization science, psychology, science theory, informatics, semiotics, linguistics and philosophy, particularly epistemology. Accordingly, ISKO membershiop is sought by and offered to representatives of these fields of knowledge as well as of their application fields.
1.3 In its statutes, ISKO has set itself the following tasks:
Promotion of research, development and application of all methods for the organization of knowledge in general or of particular fields by integrating especially the conceptual approaches of classification research and artificial intelligence.ISKO stresses philosophical, psychological and semantic approaches for a cenceptual order of objects.
In particular, ISKO will
- (1)
- awaken and support an understanding for the practical and heuristic usefulness of such an organization of knowledge.
- (2)
- prompote on a national and international level the exchange of information and experience of scientists and practitioners in this area, especially by giving advice in the construction, perfection and application of such organization tools as classification systems, thesauri, terminologies, nomenclatures as well as the syntactical tools going with them;
- (3)
- observe internationally the progress made in this work;
- (4)
- concentrate on major points of this knowledge field in special working groups;
- (5)
- hold regular meetings in order to support these activities.
(Charter, Art. 4,1)
The Scientific Advisory Council has the followingmembers:
Since membership keeps growing steadily, this list is by no means final.
3.1 International Conferences are held by ISKO every two years, each time in a different country: 1990 in Darmstadt, Germany; 1992 in Madras, India; 1994 in Copenhagen, Denmark; 1996 planned to be in Washington at the Library of Congress.
3.2 A first European ISKO Conference in a subject area was held Sept. 1994 in Bratislava (Environmental Sciences)
3.3 Regional Conferences are held by the national chapters in the intermediate years. Such conferences were held in Slovakia (NISKO'91), in Bulgaria (KOTA'91), in Germany (Wissensorganisation '91 and '93), in Russia 1993, in Spain 1993, and in India 1994.
3.4. Basic and advanced training courses are held and offered as needed.
3.5. The establishment of working groups on an international or national level to cope with urgent problems of knowledge organization is desirable. The German ISKO Chapter has formed the following ones:
ISKO publishes (see also point 7):
Free subscription to ISKO's journal Knowledge Organization.
Reduced attendance feed for conferences and seminars.
Participation in working groups.
Exchange of information with national and international partners.
Subscription to or purchase of ISKO publications at reduced rates.
ISKO's publishing company, INDEKS Verlag, Frankfurt, offers all ISKO members to buy at greatly reduced rates:
Annual Membership rates - as of 1994 (until 1996)
Personal members: DM 60.-/ US$ 40.- Institutional members: DM 120.-/ US$ 80.- Sponsoring members: DM 300.-/ US$ 200.-
Good cooperation with relevant international and national organizations such as UNESCO, UAI (Union des Assoc. Int.), the CEC (Comm. of European Communities), ISO (Int. Standardization Org.) exists. Also, through the ISKO-Executive Board and the ISKO Scientific Advisory Council a number of close contacts have been established with such organizations as FID (Féd. Int. d'Inform. et de Doc.) - in particular with FID/CR, IFLA (Int. Fed. of Libr. Assoc. & Inst.) - in particular with the Classif. & Indexing Sect., and Infoterm. All institutions of large universal classification systems such as UDC, DDC, LCC, BBC, CC, LBC are represented on ISKO's Scientific Advisory Council.
Knowledge Organization, formerly International Classification 1(1974) No. 1 - (Contains also ISKO News as well as a current bibliography). Frankfurt: INDEKS Verlag. 4x/ann. 64p. each. Annual subscription rate: DM 128.- + postage. Free for members.
Advances in Knowledge Organization
Fortschritte in der Wissensorganisation
Knowledge Organization in Subject Areas.
For Membership Application Forms write to the General Secretariat, Woogstr. 36a, D-60431 Frankfurt, Germany, Tel: +49-69-52 36 90, Fax: 52 05 66.