Technology and Organizing Information

SLO 3: Graduates will be competent in information organization and lifecycle activities techniques of organization of information and with using and evaluating technologies of the information profession

It is very hard to visit a library today without using some sort of technology. I remember using card catalogs and microfilm machines, so it has been very interesting to learn about new library technology during this program. I had no idea how essential technology is to modern librarians. They need to be familiar with integrated library systems, databases, metadata, online searching, and e-books, to name a few. One of the areas enhanced by improvements in technology is the organization of information. This makes sense as information is the crux of the profession, but the information needs to be organized or it is useless. The assignments below show what I have learned about organizing information and library technology.

Assignment 1 is a LibGuide I created to compile resources about Australia for my Reference Sources and Services class. My guide include links to books and online resources about Australia’s tourist sites, history, animals, people, and culture. It also includes an introductory video about how to use the LibGuide and photos I took on my trip. I included this assignment for two reasons. First, it shows that I know how to use library technology like LibGuides and photo and video software. I am currently, and coincidently, expanding my skills by working on a LibGuide in my practicum. Secondly, it shows that I understand the value in having a bunch of related information organized and in one place. I know that my future library patrons will appreciate easily accessible information.

Assignment 2 is a thesaurus of baseball terms that I created for my Organization of Information class. It is a controlled vocabulary that shows the relationships between certain baseball terms in the categories of equipment, food and beverage, game play, and positions. This would be helpful for someone researching baseball who is overwhelmed by the variety of baseball terms. I chose this assignment because I had never done anything like it. I am very familiar with baseball, and this assignment forced me to stop and think about how my baseball words may be different from someone else’s baseball words. It hammered home the importance of organizing information so everyone is on the same page. Understanding controlled vocabularies, and information organization in general, will help me provide better research help to future patrons.

Assignment 3 is a review I wrote about the CQ Researcher database for my Introduction to Information Technology class. CQ Researcher contains in-depth reports on important topics of the day researched and written by veteran journalists. I chose this assignment because online databases are a very popular library reference source that did not exist in my undergrad days. I have used databases in this program, but I was not familiar with the behind-the-scenes work that goes into selecting a database. Not all databases are created equally, so it is imperative to evaluate them to ensure the database is up-to-date, easy to use, accurate, and appropriate for the intended users. This is a valuable skill as databases are important in all types of libraries. In addition, this assignment also made me think about information literacy. One aspect of information literacy is helping patrons identify high-quality information sources. After completing this assignment, I know that I can pick out high-quality databases and help promote this important topic.

As mentioned above, learning library technology has been one of the most interesting parts of this program. Databases and integrated library systems are a far cry from card catalogs and microfilm. While I feel up to date on library technology now, I also know that technology is continually changing. I am prepared for this continuing education about future technological changes because I know how far I have come.

The LibGuide I created for my Reference Sources and Services class. (Click in the box to open in a new window)

A thesaurus of baseball terms

A database review of the CQ Researcher database