Classification on the Web: an analysis of Dewey Linked Data

With the availability of information in the World Wide Web its access and retrieval by the users is facilitated, and the Library and Information Science (LIS) field’s knowledge and techniques can be applied to this environment in order to help with the process. The present study is descriptive, qualitative and exploratory, based on bibliographical sources, in which it was explored how the Classification discipline interacts with Linked Data, focusing on the analysis of Dewey Linked Data. From four catalogs analyzed, referred to in the literature as adhering to Dewey Linked Data, only two actually has links in their records redirecting to the system. Despite this, its presence in The Linked Open Data Cloud appears as a positive factor in its dissemination, since it boosts its visibility. It is concluded that the Classification discipline allows the thematic standardization of information resources, so that there is uniformity in the Web environment and quality retrieval of information, while promoting interoperability between data in the Linked Data context. The standardization of metadata values using classifications optimizes the representation of information and its retrieval in the Web, while also providing the reuse of data. In addition, studies that align the area of Library and Information Science with the Semantic Web and its technologies can provide new perspectives for the area, as well as contemplate the users’ always changing needs, thus, fulfilling the objective of the field.