[Sigia-l] card sorting: dealing with multiple placements

[Steven L. MacCall, Ph.D.]

Derek, your description of librarianship is bankrupt ...

<SNIP>
> IAs are much better situated and experienced at creating *deliverables*
> -- which is a 'systematized' thing -- like the library 'Dewey Decimal'
> system [sic]. These 'systematized' things are *implemented onto* to users,
NOT
> the other way around (i.e. 'users informing' thru testing/research).
>
At least the public library that you are purportedly describing did not use
the Library of Congress Classification or the National Library of Medicine
Classification for its patrons. Your statement is only true if there were
only *one* classification used in *all* types of libraries.

> For instance, when you go into a library and ask for direction, the
> librarian 'instructs/helps' you to alter *yourself* to adapt to the
> existing system. They NEVER inquire (and are never taught) how to alter
> *their* system to adaptability thru user-input.
>
The Dewey Decimal Classification is *highly* adaptable to meet needs of
local users. And guess what, these adaptations are actually shared with
other librarians through the network of library professionals so that
similar approaches are used for like populations distributed around the
world ... professional information and knowledge architects since the dawn
of time ;-) and using computers to do so since the late 1950's!!!

> The librarian is a conciliator (as they are taught) in the service of
> the existing system (which does not change). The librarian has no
> interest -- indeed no learned ability -- in *how* to 'learn from the
> user.'
>

The 22nd edition of the Dewey Decimal Classification is about to be
published. Gee, I wonder on what basis the classification was modified ...
hmmmmm


To Derek and the rest of the list:

It's been several decades since library education moved into the realm of
LIS ... i.e., library AND information science education, which includes
bibliographic indexing, back of the book indexing, automatic indexing,
classification, automatic classification, knowledge and information
architectures (egad!), interface design, user studies, etc etc etc. To build
straw man arguments about what librarians do (or do not do) without
including how they integrate ALL of these org systems (and more) into a
single system (the local library) is simply a bankrupt rhetorical move.

slm