Constructivism & Deconstruction in Electronic Resource Evaluation

OLA SuperConference31 January 2014

Charlotte Innerd & Matt Thomas

Agenda• Introduction - Charlotte• Definitions - Matt• Constructivism - Matt• Deconstruction - Charlotte• Complementary – Matt & Charlotte• Conclusion – Matt & Charlotte

Introduction

"Moreover as purveyors of culture, libraries are instrumental in forming the ideology of the community. The community's ideology, in part formed by the library, is the source from which the alleged values are drawn." (p299)

Definitions

Evaluation

Evaluation“Determination of Value”

Value

Value“Quantity or measurement”

Value“Principle or standard of

behaviour”

Value“Desirable property”

Others?

Constructivism

Epistemological or Educational

Constructivism

Cognitive ConstructivismSocial Constructivism

Constructionism (or Linguistic Constructivism)

“Learning is an active process of constructing rather than acquiring knowledge.”

“Evaluation is an active process of constructing rather than

acquiring (or simply measuring) value.”

Epistemological Foundationalism

“theories of justification which require a distinction, among justified beliefs, between those which are basic

and those which are derived, and a conception of justification as one-directional, i.e., as requiring basic to

support derived beliefs, never vice versa.”

From Susan Haack’s 1993 book “Evidence and inquiry : towards reconstruction in epistemology”.

Evaluative Constructivism

“Evaluation is an active process of constructing value rather than

‘acquiring’ it, resulting in hierarchy of values, some being derived from

others.”

Deconstruction

“The object of deconstruction is to highlight the unacknowledged assumptions that govern descriptions of reality and denaturalize them.” (p86)

Other

"She argued that the "universal" is taken to be the "white, ethnically European, bourgeois, Christian, heterosexual, able-bodied male (WEBCHAM) presence" from which all else is deviation (Olson 2001a 4)." (p83)

Purveyors of Culture

"Moreover as purveyors of culture, libraries are instrumental in forming the ideology of the community. The community's ideology, in part formed by the library, is the source from which the alleged values are drawn." (p299)

Constructivism and Deconstruction are

complementary.

Cyclically&

Simultaneously.

Cycles ofConstruction

&Deconstruction

From “Subway Construction Company Ltd. (via subwaycon.com)

i. Constructivist building of your value system and individual evaluations.

ii. Deconstructing, to identify flaws, assumptions, problems, etc.

iii. Go to (i) and REPEAT FOREVER.

Complementary - Charlotte

Conclusions…

“Value is constructed.”

“A construction needs maintenance.”

“Normalization is the goal.”

“Normalization is the goal.”

Objectivity

Conclusion - Charlotte“Derrida's lesson for libraries is not necessarily that they can overcome this condition but rather to show how ostensibly neutral or objective practices of organizing information implicate these practices in the perpetuation of dominant discourses and to highlight the ethical responsibilities libraries have as arbiters of knowledge and meaning.” (p 86)

Questions?

cinnerd@wlu.camthomas@wlu.ca

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