Ph.D Student Profile: Ash King
When you meet someone who doesn鈥檛 know about your research, how do you describe it?
My research focuses on the knowledge organization systems of tribal libraries. I examine the functionalities and deficiencies of different forms of classification systems like Dewey Decimal when applied to tribal collections. My research often leads to a much heavier conversation of understanding the impacts of colonialism and systems of power that underlie the organizational challenges of tribal libraries.
Who is the faculty member working closest with you? What are you learning from them?
I鈥檓 so fortunate to be co-advised by Sandy Littletree and Ben Lee. Ben is so positive and
encouraging. Having his support, especially when we鈥檙e engaging in difficult conversations, feels so special and I have learned so much from him about the user-interface aspect of my research. Sandy has this incredible knowledge of tribal libraries and a unique way of approaching research. My decision to pursue a Ph.D. was, in part, inspired by one of Sandy鈥檚 papers on research and relationality that I had read early on during my MLIS. I was so inspired by her perspective and resonated with her human-centered approach in research.
Why are you interested in this subject?
In the first quarter of my MLIS program, I had a research class with Ricardo Gomez where I took on a seven-person group project investigating how colonialism impacts public libraries. By chance, I ended up focusing on the knowledge organization aspect of public libraries, and that ended up changing the entire trajectory of how I wanted to do my MLIS and led to my decision to pursue a Ph.D. on this topic as well.
What impact do you hope to make in the information field through your research/dissertation?
I hope my research encourages people to think critically about the choices they make with knowledge organization. We need to expand upon our preconceived notions of information and the validity of different forms of knowledge. In the information science field, we tend to rely upon Western-dominated sources of data, often neglecting data collected through Indigenous methodologies or by countries that are not predominantly English-speaking. I aim to produce research and work that challenges these systemic problems. I would also like to work alongside tribal communities to create knowledge organization solutions for their libraries and develop approaches that are specific to their needs.
What surprised you the most when digging into your research?
Since I just finished the first year of my Ph.D., I haven鈥檛 had the chance to dive into intense research yet, but I have been analyzing data from a research project I worked on with Sandy Littletree and Cindy Aden during my MLIS. This project centered Washington Tribal Libraries and involved a lot of kitchen-table style discourse with tribal librarians from different parts of Washington state. In those conversations, it was both surprising and fascinating to learn about the similarities and differences between public and tribal libraries as well as seeing how tribal libraries have a lot of variation amongst themselves too. This research was an important reminder that institutions aren鈥檛 monoliths and that it's necessary to approach knowledge organization in each library with a context-specific perspective.
What are your career goals once you graduate?
I have three main career goals at the moment. The first is to continue doing research that expands the field of knowledge organization and improves the way Indigenous communities are impacted by it. The second is to pursue my love for teaching. I鈥檝e really enjoyed being a teaching assistant in the past and doing guest lectures and presentations at conferences. I love talking about knowledge organization and the ways in which we can evolve to the field to fit our present needs as opposed to upholding longstanding practices. I hope to teach a class that focuses on envisioning alternate systems of knowledge organization. My third goal is to continue to engage in community-oriented projects with tribal libraries. I鈥檓 currently working with the Quinault tribe to create a cataloging system for their library based on community input and guidance; it鈥檚 a lot of fun and I would love to do similar work in the future.