Bowker, G. C., & Star, S. L. (1999). Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences. The MIT Press. doi:10.7551/mitpress/6352.001.0001.
Not read: no lawful full text was reached on 2026-10-27 (see the status note). The summary is drawn from what the work is standardly cited for and from the exchange’s description of it. A reading should check it first.
Why this is here
A11 drew from it the question CLAIM-472 turns on: “Which distinctions become easier to make because the apparatus recognizes them, and which distinctions become harder to make because the apparatus has no place for them?”, with the point that “Extensibility allows a category to be added. It does not guarantee that someone notices the missing category”, which is CLAIM-419’s limit. It bears on QUESTION-072.