D. Madsen, K. Byström, N. Pharo, A. Resmini, L. Rosati, & S. Skorka
Panel
Establishing a Common Ground
for IA Practice and Theory
Fourth European IA Summit
Amsterdam 26-27 Sept 2008

or

D. Madsen K. Byström N. Pharo A. Resmini L. Rosati S. Skorka
Lady Scarlet Countess Green Doctor Brown The Host Colonel Gray Lord Blue
The Case of the Stolen Identity
Fourth European IA Summit
Amsterdam 26-27 Sept 2008

Chapter I
On the Circumstances Concerning the Spectacular
Robbery in the Old I. A. Mansion

In the Kitchen
Reverend Green
With a Gun

On the Blog?
Joshua Porter
With a Post

In the Mail?
Christina Wodtke
With a Twit

Well, Let's See

Chapter II
Where Anyone in the Room Has Their Saying

Doctor Brown, aka Nils Pharo, Oslo University College (NO)
Old School Information Architecture
BA & MA Degree in Library and Information Science
Goals and Challenges
Integrate traditional knowledge organization techniques with
high digital competencies
Make students more conscious of ”untraditional” areas of
applicability
Collaborate with practitoners in the information architecture field

information architect curriculum
bachelor
Metadata WebMetadata
technologies Web site construction
Classification, Html, xml, php, etc Content management
cataloguing, automatic systems, graphical
indexing, information design
retrieval, information
needs

information architect curriculum
master
Specialization in web technologies and information retrieval
Digital Web Information The digital
documents technologies retrieval library
Advanced KO Xslt, advanced Automatic Laboratory on
of web php, protocols indexing selected issues
documents,
ontologies, topic
maps and the
semantic web

Lord Blue, aka Stanislaw Skorka, Pedagogical University Krakow (PL)
The Quiet (IA) Librarian
BA, MA & PhD Degree in Library and Information Science
Why an IA curriculum in LISI PU?
To facilitate access to relevant information
To learn how to structure information in all domains
To help create a new profession: the librarian-information
architect
To help develop the IA community in Poland
To improve presentation skills
To give an opportunity to find an attractive job

topics User experience and
user behavior
research
Organization and
Classification and
management of a Web page design
categorization
work team
Application of IA
strategies and
Design of navigation IA presentation and
methods in the
systems deliverables
design process of
information systems

methods
Lectures
Collaboration Cooperation Workshops
Demonstrations Courses E-learning?

Countess Green, aka Katriina Byström, University of Borås (SE)
Intertwining Theory and Practice
Information Architect Programme
Methodology
Set of concepts, theories and methods adapted from
contemporary Information Science
Basical professional ideas
IA focus: to facilitate usefulness of digital information and
communication milieus for people in different situations
IA-design/re-design: often a continuous process to combine
pieces of existing information
Basic educational ideas
Specialized curriculum planned together with potential
employers
Students work with projects addressing IA-issues related to real-
life context in partner organization
Continuous feedback from partners on the content of the
program

information architect, year 1
180 ECTS
Understanding problems and possibilities in digital information and
communication milieus
Applied system
analysis Information
Introduction IT mediated Project
architecture
to higher communication Content management I management
in practice I
education and Basics of for
the
and information knowledge organisation information
Information, information systematic
IA behaviour architects
resources and actors in inquiry
organisations
Informatics + LIS

information architect, year 2
180 ECTS
Developing of IA solutions
Database Management Basic Programming in
System Architecture
Systems C# Information
architecture
Dynamic web
in practice II
applications
Design
Verification, validation Content management II Project
Web design techniques
and usability Web applications
Informatics + LIS

information architect, year 3
180 ECTS
Implementing IA in a Dynamic Organizational Development
Digital communication
milieus Implementation
and consequences Scientific
Thesis for
methods for Contemporary
Free Choice Free choice Bachelor's
information IA research
Degree
architects
Knowledge management
Informatics + LIS

Colonel Gray, aka Luca Rosati, University for Foreigners of Perugia (IT)
Pervasive IA
BA in International Communication & MA in Strategic Design
Goals and Challenges
Building on a strong tradition in linguistics + communication
A faceted approach to IA
Cross-cultural and multidisciplinary
Cross-contextual: from digital to physical and viceversa

faceted (as ias like cheese)
A Pecorino cheese
to go with a glass of
Barolo
A low-fat cheese,
please
I'm on a diet
A cheese to eat with
some chestnut
honey

cross-cultural, multidisciplinary
Social
sciences
methodologies
Cognitive
Linguistics psychology
IA
Visual Marketing
communication

cross-contextual

So, What Next?

Chapter III
Where a Disconcerting Thread Comes to Light

“Dress formally, roll up the sleeves and perform”
“Do not wash your hands”
“We face a new danger for the country's morals
and for public safety”
(Monsieur Malgaigne, Hopital Saint Louis)

Gaspare Traversi, Die Operation. Staatsgalerie Stuttgart

Surgery. Was an Art, not a Science.

“This is the end of the art of surgery.”
(Monsieur Mailgagne again)

Monsieur Mailgagne was talking about
anesthesia and the first antiseptics

Art. Science. Discipline. Hmm.

Lady Scarlet, aka Dorte Madsen, Copenhagen Business School (DK)
Defining a Discipline
Information Management Programme
We ascribe identity to disciplines based on the problems that
their members seek to solve.
To the extent these problems are not pursued elsewhere in
other discliplines, the discipline's self-identity is likely to be
strong. Similarly, to the extent these problems simply mirror
problems studied in other disciplines, the discipline's self-
identity is weakened.
R. Weber, 2003

what constitutes a discipline
basic concepts
modes of inquiry
what counts as a problem
representation techniques
standards of proof
types of explanation

building a body of knowledge
assumptions and worldviews
leading theories
leading thinkers
leading practitioners
seminal texts and books
leading academic journals
official professional and academic associations

division of labor
Professional Academic
community of community of
practice practice

Chapter IV
Where in the Pursue of Truth We Ask Some
Tricky Questions and Get Troublesome Answers

“What is the Understanding of
Information Architecture on
Which These Higher IA Education
Programmes are Established?”

Does the IA Community at Large
Really Need a Scientific Discipline?

How to Ensure that the Rapid
Development in the Professional
Field is Reflected in Education?
And How Do you Intend to Have
Research Fuel the Profession?

Epilogue
Where We Unveil the Evil Masterplan of the
Higher Education Working Group

roadmap
December 2008
Survey
March 2009
Journal of Information Architecture
June 2009
IA Curriculum Framework