Closing thoughts...

As I get ready to wrap up this blog, I have looked over the various entries and comments that have been posted. Many issues have been addressed and I am thankful for the insightful and thought-provoking comments that have been left by my peers. As an information professional, and life-long learner, I think that it is important to keep asking questions and pushing one-self further to search for the answers. This will lead to you becoming a true professional, regardless of what career you pursue.
Thanks for taking the time to view my blog and participate in sharing ideas. Feel free to continue to leave comments, I hope to check back in from time to time.

Reliable Sources

As information professionals, it is of utmost importance that we are able to identify the source of the information that we are using and disseminating. Many other students have included the importance of being aware of the source of information used, and I think that it is relevant to each level of the information cycle. On a personal level, this topic has grown increasingly more important over the course of the semester. As I gather research for papers, I find that there is so much information available about any given topic. Some of it is conflicting, or inaccurate. The importance of using reliable sources comes into play more and more frequently.
As these thoughts were congealing in my mind, I was watching a news program on CNN titled curiously enough Reliable Sources. A link for the show is provided for those readers who may be unfamiliar with the show and its format http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/reliable.sources/. It deals with the media and accountability for what they report. It got me thinking about journalists as information professionals. Is that an accurate statement? They are the middleman connecting the public to the information; organizing it, describing it, and disseminating it. So I believe that does make them information professionals, of a sort.
I then started to think about how this connects to my blog which focuses on describing information. As information professionals, may you be a journalist or a librarian, they way that you describe information effects how the overall information or event will be viewed or reacted to by those accessing it. We need to consider how we would handle our opinions or feelings in reference to some of the information that we may be asked to describe. All of these will effect the way that the information is viewed and accessed. Therefore we have to maintain a high professional standard in terms of the information that we describe so that we will always be considered a reliable source.

RDA: Resource Description and Access

Resource Description and Access (RDA) is a program that has been designed in order to meet the growing needs of libraries and the multitude of resources that they house. This program was designed with the user in mind and puts emphasis on bettering retrieval and search results, by using better descriptive data (Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA, 2007).
RDA replaces the various versions of the (Anglo American Cataloging Rules (AACR) that were formerly used. is designed specifically for the digital environment. It is compatible with other forms of digitized descriptors that are already in place, so there should not be a need to redo descriptions that have been completed previously. The RDA allows for description and cataloging of various sources and databases. RDA descriptions will include information on the various attributes of the resource as well as recording relationship information (Joint Steering Committee, 2008). The added descriptors and data will help information seekers find the most appropriate information, both in terms of content and source.
The RDA was created with an international focus in mind. This is further attestation to the realization that we live in a technologically advanced society and that global access is needed to keep up with these advancements. The Library of Congress has partnered with other countries including Canada and Britain on this project (Library Of Congress, 2007) . The RDA form is slated to take effect in late 2009. I think that all of the forethought and planning involved with the program will ensure its success.
I was unable to find out the costs associated with describing information through this program. I consulted one of the creators of the program at the Library of Congress, John Sayer, in reference to this. He said that"We are in the early stages of the development of this program, and I have no information about specific costs" (J. Sayer, personal communication, April 10, 2008). As the RDA is expected to be implemented in only a year and a half, the numbers involved with the various costs should be available soon. Hopefully the recession (yes I used the word even though our government is reluctant to) that we are in will not effect funding for this program.

Below is a visual model that I have created in order to demonstrate how information will be described according to the new RDA format. It is based upon information provided by the Joint Steering Committee for RDA.

A Model for Describing Information

Based on the RDA Form

(Joint Steering Committee For Development Of Rda 20071215 RDA Scope and Structure)Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA (2007, December 15). RDA Scope and Structure (5JSC/RDA/Scope/Rev/2). Retrieved April 8, 2008, from http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/jsc/docs/5rda-scoperev2.pdf

(Joint Steering Committee 20080000000000000000000000000307 Frequently asked questions)Joint Steering Committee. (2008, March 7). Frequently asked questions. Retrieved April 8, 2008, from Joint Steering Committee for RDA Web site: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/jsc/rdafaq.html#1-2

(Library Of Congress 20071022 Library of Congress Partners with British, Canadian and Australian national libraries on RDA implementation)Library Of Congress. (2007, October 22). Library of Congress Partners with British, Canadian and Australian national libraries on RDA implementation. Message posted to http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2007/07-194.html

Digital Archive Description

I came across an informative article on the Library of Congress site that discussed encoded archival description (Library Of Congress, 2006). It summarized its purpose as a way for information seekers to use abstracts as a tool for narrowing down information, by providing pertinent information within the abstract. It includes information about the creator, content, scope, and location. It is put in a format that is standardized and can be used by various digital resources including MARC. By opening up the article link listed below you can see an example. This means of describing the information will lead to much more effective information retrieval.

References:
Library Of Congress. (2006, May 25). Encoded archival description tag library, version 2002. Retrieved April 7, 2008, from http://www.loc.gov/ead/tglib/elements/abstract.html

RDF: Describing information on the web

In my research on description of information, I came across some information about RDF which is Resource Description Framework. It is used as part of the Semantic Web in order to describe information in a way that links it to other information more efficiently. It pertains directly to web pages and digitized information. It focuses more on the relationship and properties of things, not just links between pages (Refnes Data, 2008). Those this system sounds more efficient it is not common practice. Maybe in years to come it will be, and we will be able to make information retrieval a simpler process for the user.

References:
Refnes Data. (2008). Semantic web tutorial. Retrieved April 5, 2008, from w3schools Web site: http://www.w3schools.com/semweb/default.asp

A New Perspective

The way in which we describe information has grown and varied over the last few decades. This comes about mostly as a result of the explosion of information that has taken place. In order to best meet the needs of the user the information is described, and later accessed through many more avenues. This encompasses a much broader landscape, especially compared to Dewey and the original card cataloging processes. We have moved away from a structure that is system- driven, to a structure that is user driven. Information can be described in ways that are relevant to the community of users that are accessing the information. It can done on a local level so that it remains relevant to the community that it is serving (Morgan, 2003). All of this is done in order to makes the information more accessible to the library patrons, and to make library and information sources more user-friendly.

References:
Morgan, E. L. (2003, May 7). MyLibrary: A copernican revolution in describing information resources. Retrieved April 5, 2008, from American Library Association Web site: http://www.ala.org/ala/lita/litaevents/litanatlforum/forumprograms/cs1-3morgan.pdf

Introductory Thoughts

Information professionals have many roles in the lifecycle of information (Slone, 2008, page 16). Describing information is a integral facet of the cycle, though all of the elements are necessary for the cycle to function optimally.
The plethora of knowledge available is so vast that we cannot possibly hope to be able to have a handle on all of it. Information professionals are an intermediary in helping to make all of this information accessible. "To manage information seamlessly, without regard to physical format, requires developing a generic means of describing information. This information about information serves as a tool for managers and users of data to get a handle on the raw materials with which they work" (Phillips, 1995).
Some of the issues that arise when taking on the task of describing information, is the role and means of standardization. Other issues are: Are there ways that we can better descriptors , through catalogs and abstracts, to make information retrieval easier for the user? What costs are associated with describing information? How does this task, and the output that it produces, vary based upon the format of the information? What does the finished product look like, is it always the same? Are we providing the end-user with the best product possible? Do the role and process of describing information differ, based upon the intended audience? How does technology affect the equation? These are just some of the areas that I intend to explore further in future blog discussions.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback, and hope that we can use this blog forum to learn from one another.

References:

Phillips, John T Jr. (1995) Metadata-Information about electronic record. ARMA Records Management Quarterly, 29 (4), 52-55

Slone, D. (2008). Course supplement weeks 1-3 [PowerPoint slides].