Hope A. Olson is Professor Emerita at the
School of Information Studies at the
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscons ...
. She was previously a professor at the
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...
.
From 2000 to 2004 Olson was the editor-in-chief for
Knowledge Organization and she currently serves on its editorial board. She also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Library Metadata. Olson has authored or co-authored over thirty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and has published three books: ''Subject Analysis in Online Catalogs'', 2nd ed., co-authored by John J. Boll (Libraries Unlimited, 2001); ''Information Sources in Women's Studies and Feminism'', editor (KG Saur, 2002); and ''The Power to Name: Locating the Limits of Subject Representation in Libraries'' (Kluwer Academic, 2002).
She received a B.A. from
Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavus gets its nam ...
, an
M.L.S. from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
, and a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
(1996) from the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...
.
Olson's research focuses on critical analysis of subject representations and classification systems. Using feminist, poststructural, and postcolonial perspectives, she examines the biases inherent in hierarchical organizational structures.
Critical analysis of library classification
Olson draws on
deconstructive theory to question the functionality and legitimacy of traditional knowledge organization. Employing
Drucilla Cornell’s adaptation of deconstruction (“the philosophy of the limit”), Olson examines the marginalization imposed by the structural limitations of library catalogs. In her research, Olson explores the ethical consequences of inadequate representation and emphasizes the desirability of using knowledge organization as a change agent for the enrichment of users.
Feminist approaches to knowledge organization
A central tenet of Olson's writing is the overshadowing effect of a patriarchal worldview on organization systems within the Western world. In the 2001 article "Sameness and Difference: A Cultural Foundation of Classification," Olson describes how the dichotomous principles of Western philosophical heritage create classification systems which privilege the mainstream, majority view. She argues in favor of a less hierarchical and more contextual and interconnected structure of knowledge, employing Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger and Tarule's concept of
connected knowing.
''The Power to Name''
Olson's most notable work is her 2002 book ''The Power to Name: Locating the Limits of Subject Representation in Libraries''. In it she provides historical context to modern library classification by reviewing writings by library classification pioneers
Melvil Dewey
Melville Louis Kossuth "Melvil" Dewey (December 10, 1851 – December 26, 1931) was an influential American librarian and educator, inventor of the Dewey Decimal system of library classification, a founder of the Lake Placid Club, and a chief lib ...
and
Charles Cutter, highlighting the rigid universality they found desirable to achieve consistency and control. Olson argues that Dewey and Cutter’s insistence on a universal language is “a harmful characteristic in the sense that it marginalizes and excludes ''Others'' – concepts outside of a white, male, Eurocentric, Christocentric, heterosexual, able-bodied, bourgeois mainstream.” Olson goes on to illustrate shortcomings of applied subject headings by analyzing selected
Dewey Decimal Classification and
Library of Congress Subject Headings
The Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) comprise a thesaurus (in the information science sense, a controlled vocabulary) of subject headings, maintained by the United States Library of Congress, for use in bibliographic records. LC Subject ...
representing concepts of gender, race, and ethnicity. She concludes with a call for a more "eccentric" approach to subject access, including techniques to "breach the limits" of library classification systems by making them more permeable, open, and dynamic.
Recent research
Olson's later research further explored the gender bias within the
Aristotelian logic
In philosophy, term logic, also known as traditional logic, syllogistic logic or Aristotelian logic, is a loose name for an approach to formal logic that began with Aristotle and was developed further in ancient history mostly by his followers, t ...
that informs traditional classification and syndetic structures. She has also collaborated in research addressing consistency in the assignment of indexing terms.
Notes
External links
Olson's faculty website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Hope A.
Library science scholars
People from Watertown, South Dakota
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee faculty
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)