57146 Organising Information

UTS: Communication: Journalism Information and Media Learning
Credit points: 8 cp
Result Type: Grade, no marks

Handbook description

This subject explores the interrelationship between processes and principles of information/knowledge organisation and information access. Students learn advanced skills of information organisation and apply them to the design and development of a database created in response to particular client requirements. The subject covers topics such as database structures, content analysis, indexing, abstracting, classifying, content management, architecture and metadata creation. The major project involves database creation and usability testing.

Subject objectives/outcomes

At the completion of this subject, students will be able to:

identify, analyse and evaluate conceptual frameworks and applications for the organisation of knowledge, document representations and other information resources to suit client requirements
demonstrate awareness of the issues of information organisation, with particular knowledge of key areas of contemporary debate and contention and implications for practice
apply processes of analysing knowledge and information resources in the production of components of information systems meeting a professional standard
demonstrate key skills and capabilities required for effective organisation and representation of networked information resources in the production of components of an information system meeting professional standards
demonstrate understanding and application of usability testing to the evaluation of tools created for organising and retrieving information resources.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject enables students to put key principles of information organisation into practice and demonstrate advanced information management skills in diverse environments. Students will critically reflect on their practice, with reference to some of the understandings emerging from contemporary research into the issues and contexts of information organisation. Students will develop an understanding of the relationship between individuals and public/private recorded information and knowledge practices, tacit/explicit knowledge, and how these can be valued, captured, structured and shared for effective use. Through assessable tasks and learning activities they will also develop creative, critical, reflective problem-solving capabilities and a commitment to lifelong.

Teaching and learning strategies

Teaching strategies will strive to promote interactive learning and a 'learning by doing' approach to foster exploration extending beyond the classroom. The weekly program will involve lectures, group discussions, computer laboratory sessions to develop the information skills necessary for completion of assignments. Students will develop computing skills that enable them to work with advanced indexing and retrieval tools, including the creation of databases to manage diverse types of information such as text, images, and other media.

Active participation at all stages will be essential for successful completion of this course. Students will be expected to prepare for class discussions, using readings and computer exercises as required. Participation on the subject's UTS Online community for discussions and collaborations will also be a significant component of the program.

Content

Concepts of information and knowledge representation and organisation and user-centred design (Objective a)
Factors influencing the organisation of information for access: exploring role and power of organising structures, classifications, ontological and epistemological views (Objectives a, b)
Developing skills for organising and indexing content: content analysis, indexing, classifying, abstracting, and synthesising (Objective d)
Utilising indexing tools and techniques to address client requirements (e.g. indexing to appropriate level of granularity) (Objectives b, d)
Application of standards and guidelines for organising and representing content in information systems (e.g. industry standards, language control, taxonomies, metadata) (Objective d)
Database structure and development: structures and architectures; content representation in text-based systems; designing and evaluating a database addressing clients' information requirements; usability testing and contextual inquiry methods (Objectives d, e)
Skills development for the critical, self-managed professional, including writing proposals and technical reports; project management, documenting processes in a practice situation (Objectives c, d).

Assessment

Assessment item 1: Prototype of a relational database for a select client community

Objective(s):	a, b, c, d
Weighting:	30%
Task:	This assignment involves preparing a prototype for the development of a database of structured information that meets the projected requirements of a specific client.
Assessment criteria:	Demonstrated understanding of principles of database design. Appropriateness of the structure of the database and metadata decisions. Ability to relate information behaviour to the use of an information tool like a relational database. Demonstrated understanding of the desirability of reducing redundancy in data storage Evidence of effective use of theoretical literature to support claims. Appropriate written expression and presentation.

Assessment item 2: A proposal for the conceptual redesign of the database using a text retrieval system

Objective(s):	a, c, d
Weighting:	30%
Length:	2500 words
Task:	A proposal (2500 words) for redesigning the database prototype developed in the first assignment, taking into consideration the client's newly revised set of requirements.
Assessment criteria:	Ability to identify and succinctly describe the characteristics of the client and how their behaviour relates to use of an information retrieval system. Presentation of a clear and consistent set of specifications that indicate the aims and principles for organising and indexing objects in the collection. Ability to identify and apply appropriate indexing techniques and subject representation standards to achieve the required outcomes. Appropriate reference to the theoretical underpinnings of system design. Understanding of the principles of prioritising tasks for database design. Quality of written expression and presentation of content.

Assessment item 3: Prototype of a text retrieval database for a select client community

Objective(s):	c, d, e
Weighting:	40%
Task:	This assignment builds on the work done in the first and second assignments. Students develop a working text retrieval database prototype that addresses the specifications outlined in the conceptual database proposal (Assignment 2), conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of the prototype in meeting projected client requirements, and, redesign the prototype to respond to those requirements.
Assessment criteria:	Effectiveness of the database usability, including access to content and interface design. Evidence of an understanding of the principles indexing and the implications for information retrieval within full-text documents and non-textual objects. Effective implementation of clear and consistent metadata principles and standards for interoperability. Evidence of effective use of theoretical literature to support claims. Demonstrated understanding of principles of context-based evaluation in the creation of a workable database. Appropriate presentation of information.

Minimum requirements

Students are expected to read the subject outline to ensure they are familiar with the subject requirements. Since class discussion and participation in activities form an integral part of this subject, you are expected to attend, arrive punctually and actively participate in classes. If you experience difficulties meeting this requirement, please contact your lecturer. Students who have a reason for extended absence (e.g. illness) may be required to complete additional work to ensure they achieve the subject objectives.

Attendance is particularly important in this subject because it is based on a collaborative approach which involves essential workshopping and interchange of ideas. Students who attend fewer than ten classes are advised that their final work will not be assessed and that they are likely to fail the subject.

Indicative references

Specific reading will be assigned on a week-by-week basis in class. The reference list below is indicative of the texts we will be using in the course.

Agnew, G. 2003, 'Developing a metadata strategy', Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, vol. 36, no. 3/4,pp. 31-46.

Anderson, J.D. & Perez-Carballo, J. 2005, Information retrieval design : principles and options for information description, organization, display, and access in information retrieval databases, digital libraries, and indexes, Ometeca Institute, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Arms, W.Y. 2000, 'Information retrieval and descriptive metadata [Chapter 10]', in, Digital Libraries, Online edition edn, MIT Press.

Baca, M. 2003, 'Practical issues in applying metadata schemas and controlled vocabulary to cultural heritage information', Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, vol. 36, no. 3/4,pp. 47-55.

Bates, M.J. 1998, 'Indexing and access for digital libraries and the internet: human, database, and domain factors.' Journal of the American Society for Information Science, vol. 49, no. 13,pp. 1185-1205.

Beghtol, C. 2001, 'The Concept of Genre and Its Characteristics', Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, vol. 27, no. 2.

Benoit, G. 2002, 'Data mining', Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, vol. 36, pp. 265-309.

Blanchi, C. & Petrone, J. 2001, 'Distributed Interoperable Metadata Registry', D-Lib Magazine, vol. 7, no. 12.

Bostrup, T. 2005, Introduction to Relational Databases - Part 1: Theoretical Foundation, viewed 23 April, 2007 .

Bowker, G. C. and S. L. S. Star 1999, Sorting things out: Classification and its consequences. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press.

Brown, J.S. & Duguid, P. 1998, 'Organizing Knowledge', California Management Review, vol. 40, no. 3,pp. 90-111.

Chan, L. M. 1994, Cataloging and classification : an introduction, 2nd ed., New York: McGraw-Hill.

Chowdhury, G.G. 2004, Introduction to modern information retrieval, Facet Publishing, London.

Chowdhury, G.G. and Chowdhury, Sudatta. 2007, Organizing information: from the shelf to the web. Facet Publishing London.

Cleveland, D. B., & Cleveland, A. D. 2001, Introduction to indexing and abstracting, 3rd ed., Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

Desai, B.C. 1997, 'Supporting discovery in virtual libraries', Journal of the American Society for Information Science, vol. 48, no. 3,pp. 190-204.

Downie, S.J. 2003, 'Music Information Retrieval', Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, vol. 37, pp. 295-340.

Fidel, R. et al. (eds) 1994, Challenges in indexing electronic text and images, Learned Information for ASIS, Medford, NJ.

Foskett, A. C. 1996, The subject approach to information (5th ed.). London: Library Association.

Gilliland-Swetland, A.J. n.d., 'Introduction to metadata: setting the stage', in, Introduction to Metadata: Pathways to digital information [Online vers. 2.1], (http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/standards/intrometadata/)

Gorman, G.E. & Dorner, D.G. (eds) 2004, Metadata applications and management, Facet, London.

Harrington, J.L. 2002, Relational database design clearly explained, Morgan Kaufmann, New York.

Harvey, R. and Hider, P. 2004, Organising knowledge in a global society, Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

Haynes, D. 2003, Metadata for information management and retrieval, Facet, London.

Jackson, P. & Moulinier, I. 2002, Natural Language Processing For Online Applications : Text Retrieval, Extraction, And Categorization, John Benjamins Pub, Philadelphia, PA.

Jacso, P. & Lancaster, F.W. 1999, Build your own database, American Library Association, Chicago.

Kowalski, G. & Maybury, M.T. 2000, Information Storage and Retrieval Systems Theory and implementation [Electronic Resource], 2nd edn, Kluwer Academic, Boston, MA.

Kwasnik, B.H. 1999, 'The role of classification in knowledge representation and discovery', Library Trends, vol. 48, pp. 22-40.

Lancaster, F. W. (1998). Indexing and abstracting in theory and practice, 2nd ed., London: Library Association.

Lesk, M. 2005, 'Multimedia storage and retrieval', in, Understanding digital libraries, Elsevier, Boston, pp. 91-115.

Liddy, E. 2003, 'Natural Language Processing', in, Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, 2nd edn, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 2126-2136.

Litwin, P. & Limeback, R. 2003, Fundamentals of Relational Database Design, viewed 23 April, 2008 (http://r937.com/relational.html)

Meadow, C.T., Boyce, B.R. & Kraft, D.H. 2007, Text information retrieval systems, 3rd edn, Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Moens, M.-F. 2000, Automatic indexing and abstracting of document texts [electronic resource], Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston.

Morville, P. (2005). Ambient findability, O'Reilly Media Inc, Sebastopol, CA

Payette, S. et al. 1999, 'Interoperability for Digital Objects and Repositories: The Cornell/CNRI Experiments', D-Lib Magazine, vol. 5, no. 5.

Roe, S.K. & Thomas, A.R. (eds) 2004, The thesaurus : review, renaissance and revision, Haworth Information Press, Binghamton, NY.

Ross, J. 2000, 'A new way of information retrieval: 3-D indexing and concept mapping', Learned Publishing, vol. 13, no. 2,pp. 119-123.

Rowley, J. & Farrow, J. 2000, Organizing knowledge : an introduction to managing access to information, 3rd edn, Gower, Brookfield, VT.

Salton, G. & McGill, M.J. 1983, Introduction to modern information retrieval, McGraw-Hill, New York.

Salton, G. 1986, 'Another look at automatic text-retrieval systems', Communications of the ACM, vol. 29, no. 7,pp. 648 - 656.

Soergel, D. 1985, Organizing information : principles of data base and retrieval systems, Academic Press, Orlando, Fla.

Tenopir, C. & Ro, J.S. (1990). Full text databases, Greenwood Press, New York.

Veal, D.C. 2001, 'Techniques of document management: a review of text retrieval and related technologies', Journal of Documentation, vol. 57, no. 2,pp. 192-217 .

Wake, S and Nicholson, D. 2001, 'HILT - High-Level thesaurus project: Building consensus for interoperable subject access across communities', D-Lib Magazine, vol. 7, no. 9.

Other resources

Computer requirements

Successful completion of your assessment tasks will require familiarity with and access to a range of computer-based tools like UTSOnline, databases and search engines. Moreover, as components of this subject will involve work in the computer lab, you should ensure that you always bring storage devices (memory sticks, writable CDs) to each class so you can save your work.

In some instances, if workshop activities have not been completed during class time, you must be prepared to complete these tasks in your own time before the next class. You can use the UTS computer laboratory or your personal computer to complete these activities. Students have 24-hour access to campus computer laboratories, but are advised that class bookings take precedence over individual access. Be sure to check the schedule of individual labs you plan to use (www.itd.uts.edu.au/itsc). To work on these tasks off-campus, you will have to download some of the tools from websites to your personal computer. These tools will be introduced in class, with URLs and download instructions provided as required.

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