Glenda B. Claborne
LIS 590 – Directed Field Work Final Report
Spring 2005
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A. Information regarding the host site
I was introduced to the Montana 2-1-1 database project and to the agency administering the project, Voices of Hope, through its coordinator, Susie McIntyre. The project has several phases and I was going into its early phase of creating a database of statewide community resources that meets the standards of the Alliance of Information & Referral Services (AIRS). This fieldwork was done in distance mode so my orientation consisted of reading and understanding three training documents on the taxonomy being used for the project. These documents, as well as other training documents, are available online on the taxonomywebsite of AIRS and INFO LINE of Los Angeles (AIRS/INFO LINE).
Then I corresponded via email and phone with the project’s database manager, Rachel Savage, to go over how the taxonomy, originally created for I&R services of the Los Angeles area, is customized for the specific database to be created for Montana. My main duty is to index community resources based on forms submitted by several agencies in Montana. Originally, the plan was for me to do this directly on an online database but the database was not ready yet to be published on a Web server. The flow of work therefore was for Rachel to send me, via postal mail, the paper forms on which I will write the taxonomy codes and index terms using the online AIRS/INFO LINE taxonomy as well as the customized taxonomy which Rachel sent to me as an MS Publisher document. After indexing the forms, I then send it back, also by postal mail. I was given a login password to the online taxonomy and Rachel sent me, via email, any changes to their customized version.
So far, we have done three mailings of forms totaling about one hundred and ten (110) services indexed. Based on my communications with Rachel, it sounds like this project is a highly collaborative one where representatives from many agencies in Montanameet, discuss, and decide on the most useful terms in the taxonomy that they think best serve the information needs of their communities. Furthermore, they also have to collaborate with the AIRS/INFO LINE to make sure that standards are maintained and updates to the taxonomy enabled. The flow of indexing work therefore is affected by how well the participating agencies in Montana cooperate in filling out and submitting the forms on which they list and describe their programs and services.
B. Student self-evaluation of the fieldwork experience:
I was excited about this project because of the opportunity to apply what I have learned in my classes in cataloging and indexing as well as my classes in database and website development. The fieldwork that I have done so far has met my expectations and more. The coursework that I have done emphasized the cataloging and indexing of documents but what we were indexing in this fieldwork were services. I consider this quite a learning experience since it has shown me that the principles of classification, cataloging, and indexing not only apply to the intellectual contents of documents per se but directly to services, programs, facilities, and target populations as they are needed and used in the real world. This has opened to me some possible theoretical work on how controlled vocabularies can be designed to reflect more closely the things, activities, places and other entities that communities interact with directly. Documents will continue to have their place in our definition and design of information systems (as represented by the forms used to gather information in this project) but we have to look beyond these documents to the things that they represent and mean to users.
My indexing of some services were off but we have made these into a learning experience about the best term that represents such services to increase the probability that they will be accessed as needed. These instances have also helped me understand better when more specific terms are desired and when more general terms represent the service better. [I am attaching a table here of some of the services and programs I have indexed together with comments both by me and Rachel so you can understand the process better.]
I think that the directed fieldwork is very important as part of the MLIS curriculum because as I have pointed out above, it not only gives the student an opportunity to apply theoretical principles and practical skills in real-world settings but also provide the student with experiences that can be used to reflect back on the theories themselves. Both theory and practice therefore inform each other in directed fieldwork.