Demonstrate understanding of basic principles and standards involved in organizing information such as classification and controlled vocabulary systems, cataloging systems, metadata schemas or other systems for making information accessible to a particular clientele.
Statement of Competence
Information organization is a crucial element of a successful career as an information professional. The argument that it is more important in some libraries than others does not hold true; proper classification and organization of whatever information sources or materials the library holds is a foremost consideration. This brings the information to the patrons more quickly and easily, and makes it possible for the library staff to become familiar with everything their facility has to offer so they can provide great service.
Depending on the type of library, the organization system itself changes. Public libraries organize by the Dewey Decimal System often with an emphasis on fiction books and film DVDs. Invented by Melvil Dewey in 1873, the system breaks nonfiction topics into ten headings from the 000’s to the 900’s. Nonfiction is classified in numerical order, and fiction is classified alphabetically by author’s last name. Academic libraries use the same basic set-up as public libraries, but focus on their nonfiction collection because the majority of their patrons are students and researchers. Special collections repositories might loosely adhere to Dewey, but usually have their own organizational system based on where their rare materials are stored.
The Dewey Decimal System is one of the most popular and widely used cataloguing systems, but it is not the only one available. Controlled vocabulary systems are used in online databases that help patrons determine what materials a library has available. A controlled vocabulary is “an organized arrangement of words and phrases used to index content and/or to retrieve content through browsing or searching” (Harping, 2010, p. 12). In modern libraries, controlled vocabularies are predominantly used in the digital catalogue to help patrons search for materials. The most important function of a controlled vocabulary used for this purpose is to link synonyms and like concepts and sort them into categories. For example, if someone is looking for information on carbonated beverages, they might search the database for “soda” and recover results for “soda,” “pop,” “Coke,” “fizzy drink,” and many of the other colloquialisms used in the United States and abroad. The controlled vocabulary system has been programmed to connect “soda” to it’s like terms, and deliver results for all of them in order to get the patron the most useful information possible on the subject. The most important part of maintaining a digital controlled vocabulary system is making sure the organization and connections between terms stay up to date.
The Library of Congress in Washington D. C. is catalogued based on its own classification system called Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). This system is “the only subject headings list accepted as a worldwide standard” (Thesauri & Controlled Vocabulary). Because it is so prevalent in the field, the Library of Congress offers a free multi-part webinar here that teaches the listener everything they need to know about LCSH. The main benefit of using LCSH is its universality and the fact that it is updated daily in order to provide users with the most current information. The LCSH method of classification is also printed into a volume yearly.
The definition of the word “metadata” is essentially data that describes or summarizes information about other data. In library and information science terms, metadata refers to “data produced as part of the process of cataloging of materials in libraries and other information agencies” (Wyllys, 2000). This type of data is considered metadata because it is data about books, movies, and other information sources. These sources are, in themselves, considered data. In a Machine Readable Cataloguing (MARC) record, metadata descriptions include a main entry about the source including its main creator, added entries for any other creators like a co-author or editor, and subject headings that are based on the Library of Congress LCSH. These elements in an item’s MARC record make metadata accessible to the average patron in a public, academic, or even special collections library by streamlining the search process. Classifying the data that classifies data seems like a daunting and complicated task, but at its core metadata classification is a regimented organizational system that ultimately makes the systematization of catalogued materials more succinct and user-friendly.
In a physical environment, the shelves of the library, the best information organization practice is the Dewey Decimal System. The system accounts for an exact place for each individual material. In nonfiction, if there is not currently a place for the item, it can easily be added with the addition of one or two digits on the end of its call number. Dewey makes information accessible to all types of patrons, because information is organized by subject. If someone is looking for cookbooks they do not need to know the author’s last name. They only need to be pointed in the direction of the 641’s and they can browse until they find what they are looking for. Additionally, call numbers can quickly be located if someone does know the exact title and author; 641.011 is right after 641.01. In a virtual environment such as a library’s online database, metadata classification in MARC records coupled with a controlled vocabulary system is the best practice. This makes it accessible to patrons in need of research information by anticipating their interest in a synonym to the search term they used. It also gives information about the specific items the patron may want to access, so they can decide before looking for the physical item or downloading the PDF whether it will be helpful. On the whole, these three information organization processes can be combined in order to run a successful library that houses accessible physical and digital information for all patrons.
Harping, P. (2010). Introduction to controlled vocabularies: Terminology for art, architecture, and other cultural works. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Research Institute. Retrieved from http://www.getty.edu/research/publications/electronic_publications/intro_controlled_vocab/what.pdf
Thesauri & Controlled Vocabulary. (n. d.). Library of Congress. Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/library/libarch-thesauri.html
Wyllys, R. E. (2000). Overview of metadata. Graduate School of Library and Information Science: The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved from https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~l38613dw/readings/Metadata.html
Evidence
Image Indexing
View Here (opens in new window)
Description
My first piece of evidence for Competency G was completed in the Spring 2015 semester for the class LIBR 247: Vocabulary Design. The assignment compares two sites that are used for searching an image index: the IBM Multimedia Analysis and Retrieval System (IMARS) and the Prints & Photographs Online Catalogue (PPOC). IMARS is considered content-based indexing because the search engine computer decides how to catalogue its images based on characteristics such as shapes and colors. PPOC uses context-based image indexing, which takes into account more about the image than the image itself, such as the environment in which the image was created. To compare the two websites, and therefore the type types of image indexing, I used three search terms: “tap dancing girl,” “Christmas penguin,” and “double rainbow.” My findings revealed that IMARS was a very difficult website to navigate, with the search function and several other aspects leaving much to be desired. My search terms yielded thousands of results from IMARS, with a very small number of the results being related to my actual terms. PPOC, on the other hand, proved user-friendly and provided several relevant pictures to each of my search terms. The only undesirable result was “double rainbow,” which only provided pictures of bridges and tourist attractions with the work “double” or “rainbow” in their names. Even so, this was much more relevant than the thousands of unrelated results provided by IMARS. Because of my findings that PPOC was much easier and more efficient to use than PPOC, the paper concludes that context-based image indexing is superior to content-based because humans can classify an image more effectively than computers.
Argument
This assignment demonstrates my mastery of Competency G because it demonstrates my knowledge of basic principles and best practices for organizing information in the virtual environment of image indexing. The assignment compares and contrasts two specific websites, with the broader goal of comparing and contrasting two opposing image indexing styles. I detail the process I went through to test both sites, a process which solidified my knowledge of both the basic principles and best practices of image indexing. I demonstrate the basic principles of image indexing by recognizing that a computerized classification system is much less effective than one run by humans when it comes to organizing images by keywords and search terms. From this concept, the comparison helped me understand the best practices for image indexing, which are context-based. I can now apply these standards and principles to my future career as an information services specialist by pointing patrons toward context-based image indexing rather than content-based when they seek a certain type of image. I can support my reasoning for this recommendation with the information brought forth in this assignment, namely that a context-based database like PPOC will yield the most relevant results. Because I have demonstrated my understanding of standards involved in organizing information in the form of context- and content-based image indexing, I feel this assignment is an satisfactory representation of my mastery of Competency G.
Final Term Selection
View Here (opens in new window)
Description
My second piece of evidence for Competency G is also from LIBR 247: Vocabulary Design in the Spring 2015 semester. Throughout the class, students completed six assignments on specific aspects of indexing. The Image Indexing assignment above was the class’ Assignment 4. Other indexing subjects we studied in detail were abstract writing, journal indexing, book indexing, facet analysis, and relationship analysis. The main project for this class was a group project in which we worked as a team to develop an original thesaurus, but the Final Term Selection assignment was a culmination of all the individual work we completed throughout the semester. The aim of the assignment was to apply the concepts learned in the first six individual exercises to a list of terms, and organize them in both an Index with Faceted Structure and an Alphabetical Index. The Index with Faceted Structure organizes terms in numerical order under subject headings, similar to the way nonfiction items are organized under the Dewey Decimal System. For example, section 2 is “Actions or activities,” 2.1 is “Processes or functions,” and 2.1.2 is “Catalogue card ordering.” The index is set up this way because “Processes or functions” is a subcategory of “Actions or activities,” and “Catalogue card ordering” is in turn a subcategory of “Processes or functions.” The Alphabetical Index includes the same search terms organized alphabetically instead of by subject. Under each entry are Broader, Narrower, or Related Terms, SN meaning scope note or definition, USE meaning “use instead,” and UF meaning “use for.” These are indexing terms that would assist the user in navigating the digital database or physical book index. The assignment concludes with a reflection on methods I used to organize the terms and my overall feeling that creating these indexes was eye-opening in terms of the amount of work it takes to organize one set of terms into a comprehensive database.
Argument
The Final Term Selection assignment shows my mastery of Competency G because it demonstrates my understanding of the standards involved in organizing information in a controlled vocabulary system. I show my competence in the concept well enough to organize a set of terms in two different ways, both of which are used frequently in library indexing and classification. The Index with Faceted Structure bears a resemblance to the Dewey Decimal System, which is used many times daily in any job as an information professional. Organization by alphabetization is also used almost constantly by any library staff member. This assignment has shown my proficiency in both of these methods of classification, as a representation of the larger category of official standards for organizing a particular kind of information. In the case of Final Term Selection that particular kind of information is a set of search terms, but the knowledge applies to countless types of information one encounters as an information professional.
This assignment demonstrates knowledge of best practices for organizing information in both a physical and virtual environment, as the methods could apply to a printed index in the back of a book or a digital materials catalogue. Finally, this assignment applies the technical standards and principles of indexing in order to make the information presented as accessible as possible. It does this because the search terms have been organized in two different ways, which will benefit researchers who subscribe to certain learning theories more than others. In these ways I believe Final Term Selection is an excellent example of my knowledge of all characteristics of Competency G.
Conclusion
This subject and competency were admittedly the most difficult one for me to grasp. It takes an information professional with a very special brain to succeed in the field of cataloguing and classification, and an even more unique one to love the work that field entails. Luckily I have encountered several such individuals who don’t mind explaining the finer points to me until I almost understand. I do plan to use the knowledge gained in this program to incorporate the broad strokes of cataloguing and classification into my future career as a public services librarian, like understanding of the Dewey Decimal System and how a MARC record works. I will even open myself up to the possibility of working in the field of cataloguing some day and would consider it a great learning experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment