Pleasure and the Practice of Classification

Abstract

Abstract:Cataloging and classification work is about more than simply information retrieval. There is an affective dimension, one rooted in the power and pleasure of system building. Recording catalogers as they work reveals these elements in the act of bibliographic description. We discover that cataloging is not the rote, mechanical completion of structured field entries but is instead a profoundly human exercise, one of intellectual exploration, the application of deep expertise and skill, and the joy of both fitting an item into an existing system and altering that system in order to better reflect the diversity of knowledge. Understanding the richly human process of cataloging and classification work can help make the case for continued support for these positions in the face of market pressures to automate and outsource bibliographic labor. Beyond the practical, articulating the pleasures that come with this work can help surface the joy that can sometimes get lost in the mundane details of the everyday.