Tagging and such

When it comes to tagging I am a torn. I like the idea and what it can do but at the same time I think that it can prevent people from discovering new things. More on that later.

First let me start off with the concerns of the information profession with uncontrolled vocabulary. I think that it is simply unrealistic to think that we can have a controlled Internet the way we try to control our libraries information. First off we do not have as much control in the library as we would like. It seems like people are constantly coming up with things that do not fit into the tidy boxes that we would like them to. Keep in mind that this is with collection that are tiny compared with the overwhelming amount of info on the Internet. The other problem is the amount of user generated content, this further removes that control we would like to have.

I think that it would be more realistic to develop a thesaurus that covers most tag terms and then is able to apply the controlled language that goes with it. Some work is being done in this direction by the folks working on semantic web research.

For retrieval of all the user generated content tagging is one of the best tools we have going. When you look at all of the blogging accounts out there and sites such as You-tube they rely on the user to add their own tags to the entries. That and the title are really all they have to go on when it comes to retrieve the queries you enter.

In the library we can use it to draw attention to various collections and even use it as a marketing tool to draw in patrons. The down side is that if you put too much focus on any particular item you run the risk of drawing complaints because you will not have enough copies to meet demand.

Like I mentioned earlier my only worry is that it could prevent some people from expanding their horizons. When tagging is used to create the "More like this" or "if you enjoyed XYZ click here..." This can be a great help to find things that you know you will enjoy but where is the motivation to go out and find something new? Maybe this isn't a problem because you know what you like and all you want to do is find more like it. But when it comes to things like politics I think it is good to look at the other end of the spectrum and challenge yourself to at least consider other view points, this doesn't happen if you are limiting yourself to those who already think the way you do.

The flip side is that there are some really good examples of tagging that can lead you to something new. The best one I can think of now is a site called Pandora.com. This is an online radio station that customizes the play list to the user. You start by entering some of your favorite songs or bands which at as tags to guide the play list. As each song comes up you can give it a thumbs up or down and the further refines your "station." What happens is that the program will throw in new artists from time to time that match the characteristics of the music you have already said you like. I have to say that it works pretty well if you are willing to work with it and I have actually found a couple of new bands this way.

So all that just to come back around and say that tagging can be an incredibly useful tool to us in the library and in the general public but you want to be mindful of how it is used.