folksonomies or taxonomies

This morning in descriptive cataloging class, we had an interesting discussion about whether or not access points should be centralized and regulated or left up to the users to provide. Access points are various methods people can find things, like author, title, subject or keyword in a library catalog system.

Flickr uses "folksonomy" (make up your own classification system) where as librarians use taxonomies (centralized and controlled classication system).

This discussion came up when the prof brought up the online platforms such as flickr.com. Flickr allows the people to "tag" or categorize their own pictures they have mounted on the web. For complete control freaks (as most librarians tend to be), this system which allows everyone to tag according to their own interests and needs would be a nightmare. However, there is a theory that the more people who do tag their own pictures, the more likely a pattern will emerge in what tags are popularly used.

Our prof explored this idea: What is valued more? The fact that there is complete access (all aspects, from author, subject, date of publication, and so on) be provided and maybe a handful of people know how to search and find relevant information, or, the fact that people categorize their own things and maybe 80 per cent of the people will find what they need (80 per cent is a random number ... essentially not everyone will find what they need)?

Some good food for thought.

Nearing the end

It 10 days, all the assignments will be done. For this semester. Then it's only one more semester of school before heading out into the big, bad, scary world!

While going back to school has been a great learning and growing experience, I do remember the terrible dread of looking for work upon graduation. Many of my classmates are searching for jobs. Some have landed their jobs already with the federal government or some corporation. Wow.

This time around (my third degree), I'm not quite as worried. I'm just so ready to find a place and settle down. Enough of moving around. Wow. When I was younger, I thought I'd want a career in which I could travel around the world, meet inspiring people, you know, the glamourous life. Now, that doesn't seem so appealing to me. Settling down, growing some roots isn't such a bad idea.

Does that mean I'm growing up?

aftermath of essay writing

blurry-eyed and throbbing head, i am

after a sleepless night agonizing over

definitions, concepts, examples

meta-this, meta-that, metadata

all about this, all about that

does it matter what it's all about it

after all is said and done?