I found myself particularly relating to chapter 11, because at work, I am responsible for creating, maintaining, and updating a complex paper and electronic filing system related to high level sectional and administrative activities. Many people other than myself have access to this system and I am often expected to retrieve an obscure document at a moment’s notice. Through my own use, and that of my supervisors or peers, I’ve come to realize that the system’s design either facilitates or complicates retrieval. As Judith Weedman repeats “how you store it determines how you can retrieve it” (2008, p. 115).
While my interest extends to search engines and related search strategies, I found learning about metadata and design evaluation to be particularly relevant. With my particular system, I’ve noted that the various people who require particular documents do so for different reasons. After receiving one too many phone calls or emails asking where I had stored a certain piece of information, I realized that I would have to re-label folders and files to account for all their uses. This phenomenon occurs on a larger scale when controlled vocabularies, natural language, or classifications meet the “inconsistencies and subtle nuances of everyday language” (Weedman, 2008, p. 117). Because of my experience, I fall on the pro side of social tagging. To have an organizational system that evolves guided by the needs and preferences of users strikes me as just plain smart. If my system were capable of that, it would save me a ton of work!
The ease of using an intelligent, successful system makes design evaluation so important. When I first designed my system, it was in a state of chaos that resulted from neglect and inappropriate use. Out of necessity, I whipped it into order to fit my needs. As it became functional, more and more users requested access to it, and the problems began causing me to realize that it would require a complete overhaul. Creating an ongoing dialogue with users proved to be my form of beta-testing! Because I continue to add data to the system and because new individuals gain access frequently, the system is constantly in a state of evaluation but it yields highly successful results.
While my interest extends to search engines and related search strategies, I found learning about metadata and design evaluation to be particularly relevant. With my particular system, I’ve noted that the various people who require particular documents do so for different reasons. After receiving one too many phone calls or emails asking where I had stored a certain piece of information, I realized that I would have to re-label folders and files to account for all their uses. This phenomenon occurs on a larger scale when controlled vocabularies, natural language, or classifications meet the “inconsistencies and subtle nuances of everyday language” (Weedman, 2008, p. 117). Because of my experience, I fall on the pro side of social tagging. To have an organizational system that evolves guided by the needs and preferences of users strikes me as just plain smart. If my system were capable of that, it would save me a ton of work!
The ease of using an intelligent, successful system makes design evaluation so important. When I first designed my system, it was in a state of chaos that resulted from neglect and inappropriate use. Out of necessity, I whipped it into order to fit my needs. As it became functional, more and more users requested access to it, and the problems began causing me to realize that it would require a complete overhaul. Creating an ongoing dialogue with users proved to be my form of beta-testing! Because I continue to add data to the system and because new individuals gain access frequently, the system is constantly in a state of evaluation but it yields highly successful results.
Weedman, J. (2008). Stepping back and looking forward: Reflections on the foundations of libraries and librarianship. In Ken Haycock & Brooke E. Sheldon (Eds.), The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts. Westport, Connecticut, Libraries Unlimited.
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