Organization of Information

UNC SILS, INLS 520, Spring 2016

Who’s Teaching It

Ryan Shaw

When & Where It Is

Tuesdays & Thursdays 12:30-1:45 PM
Manning 307

What It Is

The course catalog describes this course as follows:

Introduction to the problems and methods of organizing information, including information structures, knowledge schemas, data structures, terminological control, index language functions, and implications for searching.”

To organize information is to describe, arrange, group and relate things, with the aim of helping people find, select and better understand those things. Organizers of information have developed various tools to achieve this: the structures, schemas, and languages referenced in the description above. The specific tools vary with the domain of application and technological change, but the basic principles underlying these tools remain the same. These principles are the focus of this course. While we will cover some specific implementations and technologies in order to illustrate these principals, the emphasis will be on conceptual understanding rather than mastery of specific tools.

There is one required textbook for this class: The Discipline of Organizing, edited by Robert J. Glushko, 3rd ed. O’Reilly, 2015. You can use either the Professional Edition or the Core Concepts Edition, but in either case it should be the 2015 3rd edition.

Is That All?

Nope! You should probably check out the guidelines and the schedule.

Accessibility Resources

The university facilitates the implementation of reasonable accommodations, including resources and services, for students with disabilities, chronic medical conditions, a temporary disability or pregnancy complications resulting in barriers to fully accessing courses, programs and activities.

Accommodations are determined through the Office of Accessibility Resources and Service (ARS) for individuals with documented qualifying disabilities in accordance with applicable state and federal laws. See the ARS website for contact information or email: ars@unc.edu

Counseling and Psychological Services

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is strongly committed to addressing the mental health needs of a diverse student body through timely access to consultation and connection to clinically appropriate services, whether for short or long-term needs. Go to the CAPS website or visit their facilities on the third floor of the Campus Health Services building for a walk-in evaluation to learn more.

Dealing with Discrimination, Harassment, Violence or Exploitation

Any student who is affected by discrimination, harassment, interpersonal (relationship) violence, sexual violence, sexual exploitation, or stalking is encouraged to seek resources on campus or in the community. Please contact the Report and Response Coordinators in the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office (reportandresponse@unc.edu), Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS; see above), or the Gender Violence Services (GVS) Coordinators (gvsc@unc.edu) to discuss your specific needs. Note that only communication with CAPS or GVS is confidential. Additional resources are available at https://safe.unc.edu/.