Design and innovate to create equitable, just, and engaging information artifacts, including services, systems, spaces, resources, and technologies.
3.1 Apply a repertoire of design principles and practices to plan, develop, and create information artifacts.
To me, 3.1 means creating usable documents produced with context. These documents should be thoroughly planned and designed so that others man use them to complete a desired task, learn specific information, or overall fulfill an information need. Examples might include developing strategic plans for the county library, creating schemas that will help guide catalogers, or lib guides that demonstrate how to use a library database. They should also be surrounded by context that ensures those using the information artifacts know why the given document is presented as it is. It’s important that when these documents are created that they are designed in such a way that leads to others being able to easily use them for their given needs.
I have demonstrated my ability to create such documents on many different occasions. One example consists of a group project that saw my team develop a schema for cataloging specific artifacts for a special collection. This schema involved developing a well-planned document that focuses on others being able to replicate the same process. Another example includes a teaching portfolio which includes two lesson plans that were designed with the intention of others being able to teach the lesson with only the given document. A final example involves a different instructional session and presentation regarding teaching undergrads primary source literacy with the same intentions of the given document being able to be reproduced. I plan to utilize my knowledge of planning, developing, and creating information artifacts to make sure the artifacts I work with and create are done so with thought given to their use and context.
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3.3 Critique existing designs to expose instances of inequity and injustice and move toward mitigation and repair.
When designing information artifacts, it’s important to utilize iteration to constantly improve upon what has come before. This involves being able to directly expose and call out existing designs where inequality and injustice are present. Librarians and archivists need to be able to note when artifacts either leave gaps, disregard, or directly harm different diverse communities. Part of this process involves knowing when one’s own knowledge is not enough to prompt further research or the consulting of diverse community professionals. When we are able to expose such instances, it can then be time to mitigate or repair the issue. This must involve the communities affected by the inequality or injustice. When this is done right instances of inequality and injustice can be lessened and future designs improved to avoid the pitfalls of the old.
My primary example for how I have worked to expose instances of inequality and injustice was done through two different evaluations of my local library. The first example focused on evaluating the accessibility of my local library which highlighted its navigation and usability for those facing mobility problems. The second example focused on noting the assistive technology used by the library to aid users. In both cases the focus was on ensuring that the library had considered diverse communities, specifically that of those facing disabilities hardships, had equitable access to the library resources.
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3.2 Design artifacts that give users voice in decision-making regarding critical programs, services, and resources for diverse communities.
3.2 is primarily focused on including diverse perspectives on design teams. When libraries and archives create programs, exhibits, collections, or documents they should be consulting and including diverse communities in the design of artifacts to learn how others might be affected. This might include involving members of the Latino community when creating Spanish language programs and resources at the library or it might be directly designing programming that allows those communities time to share feedback for the library regarding how to improve their other services. Another example might be how it would be a good idea if an archive is creating a collection of imagines from native American tribes to consult said tribes or others regarding how they want those images used or represented. The overall goal is to ensure the diverse communities are not just thought about but included in the creation of programming or resources about said community.
Throughout my time in the MLIS program I have shown my ability to allow diverse communities to engage with library services through the creation of my library program focused on servicing Spanish speaking community members where I focused on allowing space for feedback from the community as well as inviting community groups to provide key resources.
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Ian Murray 