Internal cohesion and external separation

A 1962 ASLIB Symposium titled "Classification: an Interdisciplinary Problem, " led to the foundation of a new society intended to "promote co-operation and interchange of views between those interested in the principles and practice of classification in a wide range of disciplines. " A great deal of valuable classification research has been conducted during the 50 years since that symposium, but in 2012 classification research communities are isolated from each other, despite the interdisciplinary connections that were recognized in 1962. In the absence of dialogue across different research traditions, we miss opportunities for progress on some foundational research questions.