LIS 5043 - Organization of Information

This course aimed to equip us with knowledge about organizing both internal and external sources of information. The assignment that stood out to me the most was creating an organizational system for a specific collection. I collaborated with two partners, Nat Blackburn and Sara Webb, throughout the entire semester to develop the final project, drawing upon the information and skills we acquired along the way. This project serves as a comprehensive representation of the course as a whole. Together, my partners and I devised an organizational system for a sizable collection consisting of physical and digital recordings of a radio show. Throughout the project duration, we gathered and generated information concerning the collection's description, user demographics and their familiarity with the collection, attributes best suited to represent the collection, and finally, an overarching summary of the collection along with our reflections on the collaborative process. While creating this project presented significant challenges, it provided us with an opportunity to apply our learning in a real-world context and solidify our understanding of semantics and attributes commonly encountered in the library field (OU SLO 1 - Core Knowledge).

Analysis

The main takeaway from this project emphasizes the paramount importance of ensuring that all work conducted serves the best interests of its users. Collaborating with two other individuals on such a significant amount of work posed its challenges, particularly considering our diverse backgrounds and educational/professional experiences. Initially, disagreements arose regarding what constituted essential information. However, through our coursework on user needs and subsequent research into the needs of our collection's users, those disagreements ended. We recognized that the significance of information should never be affected by our subjective opinions but based solely on what was pertinent to our users. This prompted us to adopt a user-centric approach, where we quickly were able to put ourselves in the eyes of the users and decided on what attributes, semantics, and technology (Personal Goal 3.1) (OU SLO 4 - Technology) would most effectively represent the collection and cater to the user's comprehension. Being able to step into the user's shoes in the creation process of this project ultimately helped us see how the organization of information (ALA Competency 3 - Organization of Recorded Knowledge and Information) is never a one-size-fits-all type of scenario. All aspects of the organization of information should be fluid and decided on by what the information is truly for and how users will interact with it.  

Reflection

This assignment was the first time I ever continuously developed a project throughout a semester while I was actively learning the information. In the beginning, I was very overwhelmed by the thought of that. As the weeks went on though I quickly changed that way of thinking. It was such an interesting concept to me that I was able to use key pieces of information I had learned and in the end, we would produce such a large - but very rewarding - assignment. I know I will continue to look back on the experiences I encountered during this project for years to come. I worked with two people who are the complete opposite of me and instead of letting it tear us down, we learned to use each other's strengths. I also learned how crucial it can be to make sure you are representing the users of your library in any decisions you make.