YOUR GO-TO INTELLIGENCE RESOURCE FOR THE SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING INDUSTRY

Modern taxonomy in digital asset management systems (DAM) follow the concept of scientific classification. The concept is still relevant even though it evolved from the methodology developed by Aristotle to classify animals. The fact that a system developed in 1876 by Melville Dewey, is still the standard 140 years later is a testimony to how relevant the concept is even today. Therefore, a well-designed, comprehensive taxonomy can serve digital assets in the future.

The overarching goal of a taxonomy is to simplify navigation. This goal can be achieved by following any one of the two approaches to taxonomy—hierarchical or distributed. A hierarchical approach is useful when there is only one way to get to a specific keyword, tag or category. Hence, hierarchical controlled vocabulary can be employed for simpler, clearly defined aspects of an asset library. In fact, hierarchies work best in metadata groups where there is not much ambiguity. For example, authors, places, etc.

Sometimes, there is ambiguity in the categories and hence there is a need for a robust and flexible approach. In these types of instances, a distributed taxonomy might be the solution. This approach involves distributing facets across small organizational units. Hence, a distributed taxonomy can approach a specific keyword, tag or a category using different starting points. For example, the asset library of a department store will have broad and hierarchical categories where some classes apply across branches of that hierarchy. In short, whatever be the approach, a functional taxonomy will enhance navigation, improve user adoption and enrich the user experience.

However, while developing a taxonomy, it is essential to adhere to the following:

• It is vital to know who is using your digital assets because users have to discover the content in a way that makes sense to them. Therefore, let end-users drive the process and the controlled vocabulary that is going to be used in the taxonomy. An approach you can follow for identifying user needs would be to talk to the users and run tests. This will ensure the taxonomy will fulfill their needs.
• Building a taxonomy that is broad and shallow will ensure a balance between it being accessible and informative and not just a complex authority. Briefly, a complex taxonomy, with nested level upon nested level would be a complicated one to navigate. Hence, it might not be useful and reflect a high abandonment rate.
• Factor in the need for regular revisions and maintenance. Business objectives evolve over time. New products and services may be launched that require the addition of more categories and tags in the taxonomy. Therefore, there might be a need to revise and modify the existing structure as and when it is needed.

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