The Work of Knowledge - a More Marketable Me

"2. On page 212, Weinberger gives an example of a third-order description of an imaginary person. Imagine that you are preparing a resume for a job application – a first order information package - how would you better tag yourself in terms of the third order to make yourself more marketable?"

Here's some bits of my resume, transformed into the third order:

Additions are in blue.  Tags are in green.

Summary (what I am best at)

I am great at intercultural communication.  I am passionate about teaching children, but they wear me out at my age, and so I chose knowledge organization and management as my fourth career, because books don't move around. 

Education

Master of Library and Information Science September 2012- present

Kent State University, Kent, OH

GPA 3.67 on a 4.0 scale  (brain cells work well, even if the rest of the body has succumbed to gravity and age)

Bachelor’s of Arts, Biology; minor in Chemistry and English 1986 - 1990

Wilmington College, Wilmington, OH

GPA 3.75 on a 4.0 scale  (love science and am eternally curious)

Diverse Experiences - 

Head of Landscaping Committee April 2012 - September 2012

Humane Society of Central Illinois

Normal, IL (threw this in because my sister said I had to show what I had been doing with my time the last 20 years.  Like landscaping, but the heat was too much for me, and we had the worst drought in 20 years.  Mediocre results at best.)

Expatriate March 2007 - December 2011

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Hired and managed eleven full time household staff members, most of whom did not speak English. Planned logistics and executed 17 international trips for a family of four, to Europe, Asia, or the U.S. Enforced household security, responsible for food shipments, planned and managed special events for up to 75 guests. Managed a household budget of $50,000 per year.

Managing staff was a big learning curve for me.  I didn't like it very much, although I loved having the help around the house.

I became very flexible and learned to work around infrastructure problems.  I learned that tap water can become electrified, and that wearing rubber-soled shoes in the house will save you from all but the really strong shocks.  I learned to identify poisonous snakes, that geckos cannot harm you but chirp very loudly, and that mosquitos are the most dangerous thing in India.  I learned that is is very hard to make cheese in the tropics.  I learned that domesticated dog breeds are fine, but the street dogs in India are genetically closer to wolves, and the packs fight loudly all night.  I learned that lepers and their families are still shunned in India, even though leprosy is curable.  I learned that polio still maims and kills.   I learned to bargain hard.  I learned that rabies always kills, and the vaccine only gives humans a few extra days to find medical aid.  I learned that if the TV starts smoking and flames come out of it, you're probably OK; but if the generator starts smoking and flames come out of it, you're in real trouble.  I learned that I can handle flooding up to my knees in the house, but that water pouring out of the electrical outlets is not good.  I learned that the combination of the generator catching fire AND flooding up to my knees is my breaking point. 

I overcame my fear of head lice, researched many different parasites, and am proud to say that I have effective and efficient de-lousing and de-worming skills.  I hate heat and do not do well in it.    I am highly adaptable, good at problem solving, and very practical.

Tutor July 1991 - December 1992

Japan Tokyo North Mission, Tokyo, Japan

Taught ESL one evening a week; studied and became fluent in spoken Japanese
When I returned from Japan 20 years ago, I dreamt in Japanese, and translated from Japanese to English in my head.  I had lived with only Japanese roommates for nearly 18 months, studied hard, and it soaked in to the point where reverse culture shock was worse than the original form.  Sadly, now, I only understand about 30% of what I hear in Japanese, but I do feel that if I were to return to Japan, I could regain my comprehension of the language faster than someone who had never learned it.

Toxicology Intern June 1990 - June 1991

British Petroleum, America

Tested computerized toxicology program; analyzed results; prepared summary and reports for publishing.

Discovered that data about poisoned rats does not make good dinner conversation.  Also, gray cubicles depress me.  As a side note, you should never, ever, ever, wash your hair with gasoline, no matter how greasy it got in the engine room.

Library Page (part-time)

Coventry Village Library, Cleveland Heights, Ohio August 1990 - May 1991

Shelved books and read shelves for accuracy in book organization.

I'm very detail-oriented.

Scholar and Presenter February 1989 - December 1989

Palmerston North, New Zealand

Traveled and presented American culture to Rotary groups as part of the Rotary Foundation International Study Abroad program.

Full-time student at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

My first trip abroad.  I could not believe how much I learned about myself.  Public speaking does not bother me.  

Editor-in-Chief July 1988 - December 1988

Wilmington College Hourglass, Wilmington, OH

Hired, trained and evaluated six reporters and staff; edited all articles; managed $10,000 budget.

100% good at meeting deadlines; 100% stressed out at having weekly ones.

Awards and Honors (I'm gifted academically, with a high reading comprehension and very fast reading speed.)

National Merit Scholarship Finalist 1986

Wilmington College Presidents Scholarship 1986-1990

Science Achievement Award, Wilmington College 1987

Outstanding Freshman Agricultural Student, Wilmington College 1986

Wilmington College Leader Scholar Recipient 1986-1990

Ruth Durham Biology Scholarship 1986

Wilmington College Dean’s List 1986-1990

Pickerington High School PTO Scholarship 1986

Weinberger and Shedroff

I've posted the diagram of Shedroff's model before, so I won't post it again.  In Shedroff's model, knowledge includes conversation, storytelling, and the integration of data in a localized context.  Knowledge occurs after information is organized and presented, and because of a stimulus.  It is part of experience, and leads to understanding.  Understanding occurs on a personal level, because of contemplation, evaluation, interpretation, and retrospection.

This ties in with Weinberger's statement that "understanding is metaknowledge".  The ability to understand on a semantic web level relies on the ability to take metadata, or the description of data (data about data, so to speak), put it all together, and look at the global picture.  Metaknowledge is like Shedroff's "wisdom" circle, in that the person learning has taken their knowledge (metadata) and evaluated it, based on a relationship model, to decide how it fits in with the entire collection of metadata.

I would conclude that Weinberger is re-stating Shedroff's model in light of technological advances (the semantic web, RDF, etc.).

The Work of Knowledge - Question 1

"1. In Wikipedia, look for some of the concepts or topics we have discussed in class and share your impressions and comments about the information presented. Is there anything you would add or edit?"

I first searched Wikipedia for "berry picking knowledge", but nothing related to the search strategy model came up. I then tightened up the search by inputting "berry picking information retrieval strategy", which produced two truly bizarre results: "spawn (biology)" and "desert". Wikipedia informed me that I could ask for a page about the berry picking information retrieval strategy to be created, but I chose to change the search entry to "berrypicking model" instead. This yielded the results that I was looking for: three hits - 1. cognitive models of information retrieval (section Berrypicking);  2. Marcia J. Bates (the creator of the berrypicking model); and 3. Browsing.

I clicked on "browsing" and was informed that it was an important subject in Library and Information Science, and that for the topic of herbivore "browsing", I should check out another page. I was also informed by Wikipedia that the article lacked inline citations, and would I please add some to make it more precise.  Unfortunately I had no citations to add.

Scrolling down the page led me to this entry:

"Controversies [edit source | editbeta]

As with any kind of human psychology is browsing understood in biological, behavioral or cognitive terms on the one hand or in social, historical and cultural terms on the other hand. Marcia Bates (2007) researched browsing from "behavioural" approaches, while Hjørland (2011a+b) defended a social view. Bates found that browsing is rooted in our history as exploratory, motile animals hunting for food and nesting opportunities. According to Hjørland (2011a), on the other hand, Marcia Bates' browsing for information about browsing is governed by her behavioral assumptions, while Hjørland's browsing for information about browsing is governed by his socio-cultural understanding of human psychology. In short: Human browsing is based on our conceptions and interests."
I would definitely edit the first sentence, since it barely makes sense without commas. The entire paragraph seems very disjointed; the last sentence has nothing to do with the controversy between Bates and Hjorland, and I don't think that the description of Bates' theory is adequate.  Poorly written, is my diagnosis.

So I clicked on Marcia Bates to see what Wikipedia has to say about her. I ran into the following interesting warning: "Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2012)"

Well, that's interesting. I'm glad to know that Wikipedia doesn't condone libel, although I wouldn't want to be the person deciding the definition of "contentious material".

Reading about Marcia Bates' career and her contributions to search strategy theory was pretty interesting. This article did note that she and Hjorland "discussed", "responded" and "rejoinded" their respective theories. Despite the fact that "rejoinded" is not a word - it should be "rejoinder", which is a noun that the Wikipedia author apparently tried to turn into a verb - it was obvious from this sentence that Bates and Hjorland had an argument about who was right. Quite clever the way that the Wikipedia author avoided any libelous statements, by attempting to create a new English verb.

I just had to complete my research about berrypicking on Wikipedia by clicking on the first hit, "cognitive models of information retrieval (section Berrypicking)", which Wikipedia informed me had no links to other articles, making it a sad and lonely orphan. I felt sorry for it, especially since one would think that such a diverse topic would have many links. Anyway, I would link it to Bates and Hjorlands' pages, since they are obviously extremely interested in this topic.

I was proud to note that "Berrypicking" was the first category listed; Marcia Bates was prominently noted as its originator; and Hjorland was nowhere to be seen. Bates' theory was simply and easily explained, but a random sentence about a man named Salton was thrown in the middle of the explanation, which rather threw one off. Sadly there was no link attached to Salton's name, although the citation led one to a computer science article published in 1968. Clicking on the citation yielded the information that Gerard Salton was quite well-known in the field of computer science, so perhaps having his name connected with her theory somehow helps matters. Marcia Bates was not mentioned in his Wikipedia entry.

In conclusion, these three Wikipedia articles need a little bit of editing for grammatical purposes (especially the non-existant "rejoinded"), but overall, were pretty informative.  The biggest problem that I had was in the original search term - berry picking vs. berrypicking.  A simple space changed the entire set of search results.  It would be more efficient if Wikipedia used a more relational approach, and suggested changing my search to "berrypicking", but one can't have everything.

Messiness as a Virtue, Question 4

"4. What are the library prototypes? Experiment with identifying three levels of abstraction for libraries. Be sure to think about how different cultures may think about/abstract libraries."

The first, and most obvious, library prototype that I can think of is a book, or monograph. The prototype book would be bound (hard or softcover) and contain paper pages which have print on them. This prototype would be in a middle layer of abstraction - that is, the book contains words (the first level); many books make up a library (third level); the book itself is the middle level of abstraction.

I read Cleopatra: A Life last summer, and one of the things that I learned was that during Cleopatra's reign in Egypt, the county ran on a bureaucratic system which relied on extensive and detailed written records. These were not written on paper and bound into a book; instead, they were written on papyrus (made from reeds) and rolled into scrolls (because papyrus is thicker than our paper and less pliable, so it cracks). So, a library prototype for an ancient Egyptian would be rolled scrolls of papyrus, probably with tax records and other governmental data on them.

Ancient Tamil people (Indians) did not use paper either. Instead, they carved intricate scenes on palm tree leaves. I have some mounted and hanging on my wall. The leaves are quite large and dried, but one cannot roll them up, or they will split. Nor can one bind them into a group. So, palm tree "books" consist of only one large leaf with writing on it. These are two good example of how other cultures would view a prototype monograph.

Another, more abstract, library prototype would be the concept of free public libraries. This is an American prototype. Many countries either charge for library usage, do not loan out materials, or do not have libraries at all. Many libraries are connected to institutions, and one must be a member or student of said institution to use the materials therein. When we lived in southern India, I was only aware of one library that was not attached to a university (and therefore closed to the public); it was a private library, run like a business - you had to pay a fee to rent a book.

So the very concept of a group of books in one room, open to the public, which can be taken home and read, is only a valid prototype in some countries; not in all.

Messiness as a Virtue - Question 3

"3. Relate what Weinberger is saying about the definitional view and the prototype view to the information behavior models presented in this course."

Well, Weinberger's explanation of the definitional view - Aristotle's neat and tidy system of classifying everything in a hierarchichal fashion - is traditionally used in libraries to organize the books, serials, etc. The Dewey Decimal system is a great example of a definitional view of the world - everything is defined and organized into a category, and assigned a number. The ASK model (Information Search and Retrieval), which follows a flowchart of steps to find information, is a definitional model of information behavior.

The prototype view, which Weinberger explains as "concepts can be clear without having clear definitions if they're organized around undisputed examples, or prototypes," (Weinberger, p 185) is based more along the lines of relationships between objects or data, not the definition of the item itself. Weinberger gives several examples of this theory, based on Eleanor Rosch's work with different cultures identifying similar concepts, such as colors. It was very interesting to me to find out how few groups of colors people across the globe actually identify. This model is more like Devin's Sense-Making Model, which uses a more fluid structure to relate data to the user's need.  

Weinberger discusses the prototype model and the Semantic web extensively in Chapter 10, and I found his interpretation of RDF easier to understand than other explanations that I have read.  Using the triplicate relationship model, RDF allows people to connect data points by relationship, in a richer way than using a point-to-point, or linking, system.  Currently, libraries are attempting to move towards this relationship-orientated data searching model.

Messiness as a Virtue - Question 1

Some of the messes in my life?  Concrete messes or relationship messes?  Let's stick with concrete, since people can't be neatly slotted into little cubbies.

I must admit this question is a little vague, and a lot personal to me.  I guess I should treat it like an interview question.  But an interview for what?  For being a maid or a librarian?

Well.  The degree of messiness is judged differently by different individuals.  Right now, my craft workshop in the basement is a mess to me, because it needs swept and picked up.  My kids have been home for the summer due to the bizarre and outdated U.S. school calendar, so they've been down there with the big screen TV.  It's not a mess to them, but then, not much is a mess to them.  Generally, I make them bring up any food or utensils they've taken down there, and don't allow my daughter any access to glitter (long story).  About once a week someone sweeps it.  Since both kids are currently traveling out of state, that someone will probably be me.

My craft supplies themselves are organized, but in a fashion that makes sense to me, and is more semantic than hierarchical.  I like to have all of the supplies for one craft project in one area, rather than having all of the supplies grouped by type.  So, right now, there's a lot of Christmas stuff out on my craft table, because I'm working on a Christmas craft.

I just cleaned out my family financial files; that was good, because it made me feel more in control.  A lot of times, I think that people organize so that they feel more in control, even though in the long run, it may not make any difference.  So, the files are organized.

My daughter insisted that we do our school supply shopping early, so that's done; she's registered, ordered gym clothes, ordered the yearbook, and only have to attend one orientation.  My son attends boarding school, so he's set.  I'm looking forward to having them back in school, because I like routine.

That's about it.

Messiness as a Virtue - Question 2

I think that Krebs has underlined the value of an individual person in an organization; by that, I mean that his system of finding out and mapping the unofficial communication channels in an organization recognizes the value of each individual.  The example given about "Mary", who had many more spokes coming out of her wheel and hence was much more valuable to the company, and the "jerk" who outranked Mary but had very few spokes coming out of his wheel, tells it all.  In any organization, the individual - their personality, honesty, reliability, ability to communicate - outweighs their position, no matter what powers that position may hold.

This all reminds me of when I worked as a secretary for IBM, twenty years ago.  I got the job through nepotism; my father and uncle both worked there, although they were not my supervisor.  But I kept it - working every summer and every college break - because I could learn quickly, communicate effectively, and was reliable.  I learned a lot about the corporate world at that job.  I learned that high-powered executives might wear nice clothes and have lots of power, but they also might not be able to manage the latest phone technology.  I learned that fast and accurate typing, clear diction and prompt delivery of messages, and a smile, go a long way towards success.  I learned that finding out what kind of drink and doughnut each manager likes for breakfast will increase early morning meeting attendance, without costing the company anything more, since they were already paying for a catering service.  And, my manager pulled me aside one day, and told me that I would look much more professional if I stopped chewing my nails.  I was very grateful for that advice; I was able to quit because of it.

What I learned overall was just what Krebs delineates: some people will always be "out of the loop" because of their management style, personalities, etc.; but others, no matter what their position, will know everything.  I'm not saying that I knew everything, but I was surprised to find out that in my desk there was a key to the lock box where all the keys to the manager's offices were kept.  Every night, each manager carefully locked up his or her office; while my desk was never locked.  Anyone on the night shift could have come in and gotten into any manager's office.  When I pointed that out, they took the key away from me. :)

Yes, I'd certainly be interested in pursuing Kreb's system in information science.  It makes the entire process more efficient if the actual communication lines (Kreb's data) and the organization chart (Macallum's system) line up.  Of course, they'll never line up perfectly, but the better they align, the faster things get done.