Information Studies 260 - Description and Access taught by Dr. Gregory Leazer
In this course we explored concepts relating to systems of knowledge, organization, classification, retrieval and use. In the context of library and information science we specifically sought to better understand how ideas and concepts can be represented in GLAM (gallery, library, archive and museum) institutions. We also set out to better understand how this information, once extant, becomes searchable and accessible to users or attendees at these institutions. When viewed through a digital humanist perspective it elevates the importance of what it means to be recognizable both from the system point of view and from the user point of view.
Key concepts:
Knowledge organization
Information retrieval
Introduction to classification schema
Element set relationships
Controlled vocabularies
Metadata Systems and description
Library of Congress/Subject headings
Relevance Search
Below is a research project I continued to work on based on the course work for IS 260 and I presented as a poster at the 2021 Critical Pedagogy Symposium. This project focused on how the use of ‘LGBT’ as a tag in youth collections either makes materials more or less accessible. I collected data from the American Library Association’s banned book list and compared reasons given for challenges year to year. The methods section explores this more fully.
