The Organization of Information

by Daniel N. Joudrey

Organizing information is at the heart of the information professions, and the fifth edition of The Organization of Information is a key resource for anyone seeking up-to-date guidance.

For millennia, information organization has been central to the functioning of libraries and other information institutions. The fifth edition of The Organization of Information provides a timely, detailed introduction to organizing in a variety of information contexts, including library cataloging, archival description, indexing, museum registration, metadata creation for digital collections, organizing on the web, linked data, and the development of the Semantic Web.

Examining how and why information professionals organize information in contemporary libraries, archives, museums, and in a variety of online settings, expert Daniel N. Joudrey addresses the types of retrieval tools used throughout information organizations, the functionality of information systems, and the role and effect of technology on information organization. A discussion of encoding follows, explaining the basics of the MARC format, several XML schemas, and the developing BIBFRAME standard. A section on the principles and functionality of metadata covers metadata types, metadata characteristics, and tools used to manage metadata projects. A timely new chapter on conceptual models and frameworks articulates the visions behind the Library Reference Model (LRM), Records-in-Contexts (RiC), and the Semantic Web, including a discussion of RDF as its underlying structural model. Finally, the latter portion of the book describes practices related to the creation of descriptive metadata.

Providing a thorough overview of the field's major issues, challenges, and standards, The Organization of Information is an essential resource for students in library and information science programs as well as for established professionals who want to refresh their knowledge of the latest developments in the field.

Genres: Nonfiction, School, Grad School, Textbooks

688 pages, Paperback

Published September 4, 2025

Reviews

[Haley Christianson]

If I have to read a book this large I’m gonna make sure I get credit!

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some chapters are engaging and make sense. Unfortunately the text book is dry, dense, has more acronyms than I can ever remember, and explanations that often left me confused and overwhelmed.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those of us in an MLIS, this is boring, dry, and redundant. However, it is filled with information needed. I learned quite a bit.

[fiona]

If I’m gonna read such a long book for school, I’ve gotta get goodreads credit for it lol

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

not the most boring textbook I've read for the MLIS but it's not exactly a fun read

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another week or so and that'll be the end of grad school!

[Lauren]

yes, this is a textbook. I read the whole thing, I'm counting it towards my reading goal.

[Inga Schmidt]

Couldn't put it down!!

[Maggie McDonald]

this took up so much time of course its counting to my good reads goal.

[Sarah Creel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is gonna make great reference material for my career, but it is a GRUELING text to read front-to-back for grad school.

[Ethan R]

first semester done ✔️

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a textbook

[Sarah Wahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank god I am done with this textbook because I am so done lugging it around. I think that there were portions of this book that were helpful. On the other hand, there were many chapters that I just skimmed because there were too many acronyms or it felt like everything was just dragged on and on and on etc. Most of what I found useful was in the appendix or it was just written as charts or examples. goodbye the organization of information textbook, smell ya later 👋

[Mckynzie King · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very detailed, but I feel it provides a lot of irrelevant information. The chapters are a little long for my taste, but there are crucial elements used in my library science masters degree.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I read, reread, reference, and highlight this entire text multiple times? Yes, Yes I did. Was it entirely worth every second? Yes.

[Elley Shin · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a textbook .

i had to read all of the chapters for this class as we went through each one per week. but yay! classes are now done

[Heather Cooper]

If hardtack were a book. . .

[Alyssa Garza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did its job, teaching me about organizational systems, not that I enjoyed it.

[Michaela Ruff · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a textbook. . . dull and dry but still useful. I learned a lot, even if some portions got less introductory and more nitty gritty that was a little overwhelming.