Information about the software in a repository should be systematically organized into a catalog that may be efficiently browsed and searched. Having a software librarian put some effort into manually classifying and cataloging the software will enable more precise searching by end users.
Software is classified by labelling it with one or more descriptors from a classification scheme.
A faceted thesaurus organizes its collection of terms into characteristic groups called facets. Some repository developers will be fortunate enough to find existing classification schemes for their domains which they can use as is or easily adapt. Others will be faced with the task of creating a new scheme or carrying out non-trivial extension of an existing one. Classification schemes also require ongoing maintenance, because new terms must be added when new items do not fit existing categories or vocabulary. Expertise of end users of the software catalog Inexpert users can be assisted by including explanatory notes for categories and vocabulary terms and by providing automatic translation of natural language to controlled language.