The Discipline of Organizing: 4th Professional Edition

Reviewed by Rebecca Kuske, Digital Archivist, University of Wisconsin-Stout on 7/31/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text is comprehensive, and it would be a valuable foundational book for students in Library and Information Studies. Certain chapters, like Chapter 27: Organizing Resources, may also be useful for other professions and education programs. Chapter 27, for example, gives detailed context as to why things are organized the way they are. This can help students organize as well as locate resources as well. Each topic discussed in this book is fleshed out, and there are extensive examples of each topic.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content is accurate. Some examples are older, but the author is careful to keep concepts applicable to the evolving capabilities of organization.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This book continues to be relevant, and it provides an effective base to organization topics. Topics and concepts discussed are still applicable in 2024, and the real-world examples are general enough that they can be applied or discussed by current students.

Clarity rating: 5

This book discusses theoretical and philosophical concepts with real world, practical, and career specific examples. This is what originally attracted me to this book, and I have used the case studies, in particular, to build and inform course assignments. It speaks about organization at an introductory level, allowing all levels to use this book and follow along.

Consistency rating: 5

Style is consistent through the book. Organization as a concept and discipline is not only relevant to information professionals. This book uses more widely used terms for organization related concepts that could be applied to other fields and education programs. It also makes it easier to be used throughout time as standards, terminology, and technology evolves.

Modularity rating: 5

The chapters were easy to navigate, and they were rightsized for students to digest. The organization of the book made the process for selecting and communicating what chapters/sections to read for my students simple.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics addressed were practical, and the book guides the reader through the topics thoroughly and logically. The book begins with more general concepts and narrows down all the way to specific organization related case studies. There is an entire chapter that goes into the organization of this book. This both gives insight and clarity to decisions made by the author and gives another real world example of applying organization effectively.

Interface rating: 5

I utilized the e-book format. The e-book is accessible and usable. The e-book version allows for more capabilities like linking to author notes, examples, illustrations, and other text. I found the placement and use of quotes and illustrations to be logical and helpful in understanding the topics being addressed in the text.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not notice any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I found no issues of cultural insensitivity.

Comments

I used specific chapters for an organization course in a MLIS program. I used the book's natural order, but I did skip chapters where necessary. The case studies were extremely useful for my students to understand how organization can be directly applied. Overall, this book gave great context to organization techniques and helped answer the 'why' for standards in the information profession.

Reviewed by Bobbie Long, Assistant Professor, Emporia State University on 10/18/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

Glushko provides excellent foundational information for any organization of information class. Using this resource as a supplemental textbook or as a spine with newer, supplemental readings will provide students with both an overview of the topic as well as a basic for further studies in cataloging, metadata, and similar coursework.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Glushko is only limited by the date in which the book was written.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Glushko does a great job of make organization relatable to everyday topics and situations.

Clarity rating: 4

This textbook uses introductory language that students can easily understand.

Consistency rating: 3

Instructors may find that some of Glushko's terms are not what is currently used in the field. However, to be fair, some terms are ambiguous among scholars, so the fault is not the author's.

Modularity rating: 4

Chapters are a good length for students and easily mesh with supplemental readers or another textbook as a spine.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

Glushko begins with little assumed knowledge and walks the reader through the topics in a meaningful way.

Interface rating: 4

Glushko is clear in presentation.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

None noticed.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

None noted.

Reviewed by Kristine Woods, Instructor, Emporia State University on 5/14/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This text is comprehensive and the linked footnotes broaden its scope. Due to the reiterative manner the text introduces concepts, perhaps it would be good practice to only assign relevant sections to students for required reading. Students may find the material kind of dense, so berry pick from the sections and encourage reading the whole thing for those who want more comprehensive coverage. Then they can use the links and key points to access the sections that expand the explanations as in an encyclopedia.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Content is accurate but sometimes written with an assumed technical background and so is either too
high level or too technical for those new to these ideas. Unfortunately it could be deemed too basic
for those with technical backgrounds who could benefit from understanding the legacy processes inherent
in memory institution practices which have stood the test of time.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

It is relevant and the interlinkages available throughout connect themes and topics. Strives to expand the boundaries of the Discipline of Organizing and may seem too Information School for some and too Library Science for others. For example, a basic explanation of the meaning of bibliographic control is unfortunately glossed over. From a traditional standpoint the abstract definition of resources to be organized, without enough corresponding attention to the more granular aspects of the discipline of organizing, renders it approachable but not foundational.

Clarity rating: 4

Although the Svenonius (2000) quotes provide a good framework, her ability to translate complex and philosophical themes into practical applications for examples is not achieved due to too much use of technical terms without sufficient explanation. Parts such as the allegory of organizing a kitchen are helpful and useful. Students may find it dense and conceptual: more theoretical and philosophical than practical and suited to a survey course in information science. There are numerous real world examples, preferring principles over specific applications or implementation.

Consistency rating: 4

Style is inconsistent as it a compendium from different contributors without sufficient structure to smooth
it out and fit together. Some topics are covered in-depth and others only in passing, especially tradition
aspects of bibliographic and other library centric practices. This collaborative process used in creating the text is both a strength and weakness. The scope is broader but the topics lack cohesion. The writing is uneven, with some sections very relatable and others abstruse.

Modularity rating: 5

This e-book version has a lot of features that are not available in the print edition including the ability to link to and from the author’s notes, expanded illustrations, interactive self-checks of chapter content, case studies to help convey content, and the ability to add bookmarks and your own notes to the text.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The book is entertaining with examples that will likely keep student interest, but may lead to following rabbit trails. Unfortunately classical foundations are obscured by the forward focus and this undermines the stability and structure. Using other resources portraying more of the historical and traditional grounding would improve and contextualize the concepts and provide a scaffold for appreciating the long roots of the field and prepare for the future of this interdisciplinary field.

Interface rating: 4

The e-book and online formats make the links more accessible than in the pdf version.
The tags are color coded with different fields to show connections and themes.
The companion website (https://www.ischools.org/Discipline-of-Organizing) and case studies (https://www.ischools.org/Discipline-of-Organizing-Case-Studies-Overview/) are helpful

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The book is written with correct language and I did not notice any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Seems good for a basic overview of the information science and theory, but does display a somewhat automated digital bias and fails to capture the appreciation for the important role and work of catalogers and metadata specialists in organizing and making resources accessible and doing so following informed judgment and ethical guidelines. This is essential to honoring the important function of providing access as well as understanding bias and the need to keep a human in the loop to provide oversight and correction.

Comments

I have used whole chapters and significant excerpts of the text for several years in an organization of information course. I purchased a previous edition which I found valuable and worth the price, and still for sale on Amazon, so an open text version, especially an updated and expanded digital version would be beneficial to students and educators alike. Overall, I enjoyed the book and find the new edition better integrated and evolving. However, I do not recommend this as a book to be read from cover to cover in a semester.