Just KOS! Enriching Digital Collections with Hypertexts to Enhance Accessibility of Non-Western Knowledge Materials in Libraries

Abstract

The knowledge organization systems (KOS) in use at libraries are social constructs that were conceived in the Euro-American context to organize and retrieve Western knowledge materials. As social constructs of the West, the effectiveness of library KOSs is limited when it comes to organization and retrieval of non-Western knowledge materials. How can librarians respond if asked to make non-Western knowledge materials as accessible as Western materials in their libraries? The accessibility of Western and non-Western knowledge materials in libraries need not be an either-or proposition. By way of a case study, a practical way forward is presented by which librarians can use their professional agency and existing digital technologies to exercise social justice. More specifically I demonstrate the design and development of a specialized KOS that enriches digital collections with hypertext features to enhance the accessibility of non-Western knowledge materials in libraries.