I S K O

In memoriam Hanne Albrechtsen

We are saddened to announce the passing of Hanne Albrechtsen, former president of ISKO (International Society for Knowledge Organization), on October 5, 2024.

Hanne was an inspiring figure in knowledge organization and information science. Birger Hjørland, one of her teachers at the Royal School of Library and Information Science (RSLIS), recalls, "I first met Hanne when she was a student in the inaugural class of the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program, introduced in 1990. Her intellectual curiosity and dedication to the field were immediately apparent". Hanne's Domain Analysis for Classification of Software thesis reflected her keen interest in the domain-analytic approach to information science, which would later shape her career.

"Hanne became a staunch supporter of domain analysis and co-author of the seminal 1997 article, 'Toward a New Horizon in Information Science: Domain-Analysis', says Hjørland. After completing her degree in 1992, Hanne continued her academic journey focusing on knowledge organization (KO) and served as president of ISKO from 1996 to 1998, succeeding ISKO's founder, Ingetraut Dahlberg. "Dahlberg saw in Hanne a capable leader who could continue promoting KO and ISKO's vision", Hjørland notes.

However, Hanne eventually pursued a PhD at Aalborg University, which she completed in 2003 with her dissertation Classification Schemes for Collection Mediation: Work Centered Design and Cognitive Work Analysis. During this time, she worked closely with Annelise Mark Pejtersen on innovative approaches for classification and indexing, particularly with the Bookhouse system.

Hanne's career later took her to Risø National Laboratory, where she joined the Cognitive Systems Engineering Center. "She motivates this change by expressing a desire for a more hands-on, work-bench approach to KO", Hjørland explains. When the center was unexpectedly closed, Hanne founded the Institute of Knowledge Sharing (IKS) in Copenhagen and took on a role as an external lecturer at the University of Copenhagen in 2011. She eventually retired to Faaborg, Funen, where she lived for the remainder of her life.

Hanne was a woman of many passions outside her academic and professional work. "Her interests ranged widely, from singing to evolutionary astrology to genealogy", Hjørland shares. "She remained intellectually engaged throughout her life, continuing to explore fields such as knowledge management, domain analysis, and human-computer interaction".

Her commitment to KO remained strong throughout her life. Her final article, 'This is Not Domain Analysis', was published in 2015. "Within the last year, Hanne had expressed an interest in writing a biographical article about Susan Leigh Star for the ISKO Encyclopedia of Knowledge Organization, Hjørland recalls, though her declining health prevented her from completing this project.

Hanne passed away after a prolonged battle with Type 1 diabetes, exacerbated by complications from COVID-19 and dialysis treatments. "Hanne was a dedicated scholar, a pioneer in the field of knowledge organization, and a kind and curious person", Hjørland reflects.

Her contributions to the field and her warm presence will be deeply missed by all who knew her.