Library and Information Science Commons^™

Queering The Library Of Congress, Carlos R. Fernandez

Works of the FIU Libraries

This poster will attempt to apply the techniques used in Queer Theory to explore library and information science’s use and misuse of library classification systems; and to examine how “queering” these philosophical categories can not only improve libraries, but also help change social constructs.

For millennia, philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, have used and expounded upon categories and systems of classification. Their purpose is to make research and the retrieval of information easier. Unfortunately, the rules used to categorize and catalog make information retrieval more challenging for some, due to social constructs such as heteronormality.

The importance of this …

A Process Of Original Cataloging Of Theses And Dissertations, Cedar C. Middleton, Jason Dean, Mary A. Gilbertson

University Libraries Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this paper is to describe the reasoning, methodology, and impact behind a semi-automated cataloging process for electronic theses and dissertations, including explanations of the importance of retention and addition of cataloger created metadata. The authors explain an automated process that is generated by ProQuest and student entered data, and also the addition of metadata including the subject headings, classification number, etc. The study includes a survey of the public service librarians’ perceived usefulness of the cataloger and ProQuest generated metadata to describe theses and dissertations.

Culture And Classification: An Introduction To Thinking About Ethical Issues Of Adopting Global Classification Standards To Local Environments, Wan-Chen Lee

School of Information Studies Faculty Articles

Ethical issues arise from adapting standardized classification schemes to local environments. Research affirms mutual influences between culture and classification schemes, however, there are various conceptions of culture. Before diving deeper into discussions on designing a culturally sensitive model of classification and providing ethical information services, it is critical to clarify how culture is defined in the literature. In order to gain a deeper understanding of how scholars view the concept of culture, we review, compare, and aggregate discussions on culture from two bodies of literature: knowledge organization and anthropology. Based on the review, we then propose a working definition of …