Practical Ontologies for Information Professionals

摘要

Stuart's Practical Ontologies for Information Professionals is a timely work; a point the author agrees with when stating that the book comes at 'a pivotal point in the history of ontologies' (p. 21). Introducing the now-familiar background of a scenario of information overload, the author suggests that an understanding, and appropriate application of, semantic ontology is a way to address the collapse in meaning that is threatened by this situation. The audience for this practical primer is a broad-sounding 'information professionals', which appear on further investigation to be limited by the author to library and cultural heritage institutions. The rationale behind this limitation is not clear to this reviewer since the benefits outlined in the text are as applicable to the work of government archivists and records managers as to those involved more explicitly in cultural heritage organisations or libraries. It is an odd note in a work that is effectively advocating crossing the streams of the information profession(s) - but it does not significantly detract from its effectiveness.