It seems to me to be up there with being a chicken sexer.

I'm not entirely sure I follow your reasoning. Why wouldn't a company like Nielsen need a large number of information processing personnel? How could they function without them?

Oh, I think I follow your reasoning now.

Part of my own work involves dealing with web-based resources for the Higher Education Academy, and subject classification is a tricky business. In many ways, the publisher of a resource (and this would hold for a book too) is the last person whose word should be excepted on classification. The class might be multiple, for a start, and then Nielsen might be using a different classification system. It does sound, though, like re-classifying fiction titles wouldn't be as necessary as reclassifying nonfiction (a medical volume might be classed under psychology too, for example, if it covers elements of psychiatric medicine).

I wouldn't mind so much if they spent their time reclassifying other people's books - but they keep screwing up our very carefully considered classifications.

M

MINE TOO, Matthew. Grrr, it incenses me. I've told you the one about the AA Milne book we published, The Sunny Side? A collection of his articles and stories from Punch magazine? The monkeys at Nielsen reclassified it into Children's without us knowing. Lost us at least a months' sales until I figured out what was going on.

Well, maybe they've had lots of complaints which is why they want someone who can do the job properly! The job was also advertised with CILIP.
AliB
(Librarians rule!)