Description:

Introduction to issues in organization of information and documents including:

analysis of intellectual and physical characteristics of documents; principles and practice in surrogate creation, including standards and selection of metadata elements; theory of classification, including semantic relationships and facet analysis; creation of controlled vocabularies; and display and arrangement.

Description:

Exploration of issues in subject representation. Survey of different

approaches, techniques, and methods for representing the subject matter of documents, including an evaluation of the role of users and context in subject representation. Formulation of policies for indexing and abstracting services.

Rationale and Description:

As more and more taggers use social tagging systems, LIS has to ask how this development relates to its body of knowledge on design and evaluation of systems. Systems like Delicious, Connotea, and Flickr are built around tags others, like Amazon.com and LibraryThing have incorporated social tagging. The questions that surface are: (1) what is the relationship between tagging and indexing as we currently conceptualize it? (2) What is the relationship between tagging and the expression of one's identity, story-telling, and public self; and (3) is social tagging a form of critique of indexing systems specifically and knowledge organization systems in general?

Using contemporary scholarship on social tagging, indexing theory, new bibliography, and information criticism, this class will address these questions and ask students to offer their clearly articulated and well substantiated views on how LIS can interface  with this emergent ubiquitous phenomenon. Students will participate in discussions and write three response essays to the above questions. In order to do this students will have to understand how social tagging works and how it relates to our base of knowledge in Library and Information Science. From this experience we will cultivate skills that allow future thinkers in the field to respond creatively and thoughtfully on innovations in information systems development.

Description:

Seminar on information organization, focusing on any area of information organization, including, classification theory, metadata, document theory, information organization in information systems; social and political aspects of classification, controlled vocabularies, and cataloging history.

2007:

This seminar looks at types of information organization frameworks (e.g., bibliographic classification, ontology engineering, social tagging, and the like) in order to identify what makes these similar and distinct.  Each functions as a type of access and description structure, expert regimes of practice, and discourse, but what characteristics of each are unique and which among them are common?  In order to make this comparison, students will look at literature and examples of frameworks, dissect, analyze, and construct statements that constitute the basis for a typology of these frameworks and the similarities and differences that obtain between them.

2009:

With advances in social and mobile computing, linked data, and the increased interest in describing information with ontologies, indexing, and folksonomies, the time is right to approach classification theory with a playful and experimental perspective.  Following that ethos, this seminar asks the question: what kind of richer and thicker description can we create that will exploit place-based classification with advances in technological social and semantically interoperable computing.  In order to explore this question we will combine

research on classification and indexing theory, textual editing, and linked data with two resources: the narrative found in environmental history and the ethnographic monograph and metaphors from geo-caching and place-based description.  Students will explore a topic at the intersection of these spheres, engage in collaborative and interdisciplinary conversations, and produce an idea-piece that breaks new ground.

Description:

Survey of classificatory principles from bibliographic, philosophical, socio-cognitive, and

linguistic perspectives. Overview of history of bibliographic classification and exploration of some existing bibliographic classification systems. Ramification of theoretical approach for classification practice.

Description:

The San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) has generously provided 3 spots for an LIS 600 Independent Study opportunity for the Summer of 2010.

Three students, supervised by Joe Tennis, will design and execute a manuscript, record, and documentation project for the San Francisco Zen Center. This unique opportunity is a chance for students to gain hands-on experience with project management and application of principles of Library and Information Science to a working not-for-profit organization, and experience urban Zen Buddhist community life. Students will be expected to keep the SFZC schedule [see 2 below], and work with Tennis during work periods.

Other opportunities available to LIS students in the Bay area include, but are not limited to, visits to the Prelinger Library, Asian Art Museum, UC Berkley’s collections, and the History of Computing Museum to see the newly created replica of the Babbage Differential Engine.

At this time (December 2009), we are planning for a one-month stay at the Zen Center, tentatively scheduled for the month of August 2010. However, this is subject to change. We are currently working out the schedule. It will be finalized during UW’s Winter Term 2010.

Students interested in experiencing Zen Buddhist community life, project management, and an interest in manuscripts and records are encouraged to apply.

To apply, send a 1 page cover letter addressing: (1) your acknowledgement of the time commitment and expressing a commitment to participate in the Zen Buddhist community schedule, (2) qualifications and interest in manuscripts, documents, and records in a not-for-profit setting, (3) any relevant coursework.

[1] http://www.sfzc.org/cc

[2] http://www.sfzc.org/cc/display.asp?catid=2,71&pageid=15

Description:

Exploration of the design, construction, evaluation, and maintenance of controlled indexing

languages, including studies of how users are integrated into the design process. Through completion of thesaurus construction project, prepares students to design index languages, plan and implement a design project, and evaluate indexing languages.

Description:

Variable topics which deal with the application of metadata design

theory to real world applications, or the intersection of metadata design methods with various traditions of description, like museums, scientist-programmer collaboration, and others.

Fall 2011: Video Game Metadata

Winter 2012a: Museum Information Systems
Winter 2012b: Wikipedia Category System

Description:

In-depth exploration of the philosophical, theoretical, methodological, and historical foundation of information science and the study of information.