Indexing Systems

The Evolution of Knowledge Organisation in Modern Society
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-3-032-13812-5
Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buch, Englisch, 220 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 416 g

This book analyses search engines as indexing systems: structures of social memory, designed to organise information access when knowledge is stored in archives. It views indexing systems as a highly improbable outcome of socio-cultural evolution, and charts the main stages of this social process through the impact of printing on knowledge organisation, the rise of mechanical memory, the practice of tagging, and contemporary strategies of de-indexing. In the process, the book sheds new light on the underexplored sociological question “Where do search engines come from?”

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Cevolini, Alberto

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Kommunikationswissenschaften
• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Professionelle Anwendung
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Medienwissenschaften

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Indexing Systems as an Evolutionary Advance.- Chapter 3: The Organisation of Knowledge.- Chapter 4: The Cybernetic Library.- Chapter 5: The Relevance of Relevance.- Chapter 6: The Memory of Tags.- Chapter 7: De-Indexing.- Chapter 8: Conclusion.

Über Autor(innen)

Alberto Cevolini is Associate Professor at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy. His research focuses on sociological theory and intellectual history, with particular attention to social system theory, the development of note-taking practices, and the invention of filing cabinets in early modern Europe. He is the author of (Florence, 2006) and editor of (Leiden and Boston, 2016). He also edited the English translation of Thomas Harrison’s (Turnhout, 2017).