We’re excited to share a series of blog posts featuring the students and workers involved in the 3CV Project!
In these posts, they’ll reflect on their experiences, both before joining and after being part of the project. Offering insights into their learning journeys, challenges, and growth. Through these stories, participants will also share about their time with 3CV, and how it has influenced their skills, knowledge, and career paths.
Read ahead to hear firsthand stories about how the project has impacted their education, work and perspectives on controlled vocabulary development!
Project Assistant
Being a part of the 3CV project as a project assistant has been an amazing experience for me. It has allowed me to explore topics I care about while learning new perspectives. The initiative is a response to the systemic biases that are embedded within the traditional library and archival classification systems. By focusing on community-centered vocabulary work, 3CV aims to create more inclusive and accurate ways of cataloging and accessing information for marginalized communities. It also allows students to be a part of this experience and allows them gain hands-on experience from the different organizations that are a part of the project. This is a good way for students to be able to develop their skills and broaden their focus on the different types of work that is available in libraries and research.
Before joining this project, I had used libraries and archives as a student, but I never really questioned how subjects were categorized or whose perspectives were prioritized within these systems. I often found it difficult to research certain topics, especially when looking for materials in different languages, but I never considered why. Looking back, I now realize that traditional classification systems often reflect cultural and historical biases that marginalize specific communities and languages. Working on the 3CV project has helped me understand how much power exists in language and classification, and how important it is to create systems that reflect the diversity of human experiences. I think it is important to bridge and fill in the gaps so that information is more accessible to all. I also feel that by being able to access more information, we will create long-term implications that will impact our future in various ways, especially through the research that people do.
One of the most rewarding aspects of this project has been knowing that our work will have long-term implications. The solutions we are developing can help other students and researchers and stop them from facing similar challenges. It is really amazing for me to be able to contribute to such meaningful work, one that doesn’t just point out problems but seeks to create solutions that can be implemented and adapted.
The work of the 3CV project is just getting started. Moving forward, I am really excited about the further discussions our efforts can create and how they will influence discussions and decisions within the community. By documenting and sharing our processes, with the community through various presentations and workshops we hope to teach others in the field to engage in community-centered vocabulary work and be more inclusive.
We have also been conducting multiple workshops and they have been really insightful for me and for anyone interested in the work or doing similar work to learn and adapt to their own projects. By planning and preparing for these workshops, I have had the opportunity to not only deepen my understanding of the topics and work but also develop skills in community engagement and event planning. Theses workshops also provide a good networking opportunity for people with similar goals to discuss and work on projects within the community. It also allows people to share ideas and learn from one another. One of the things I appreciate most about working on this project is the collaborative nature of the work. It has been a privilege to learn from my peers and from professionals in the field who are dedicated to this work and are open to sharing their knowledge with others. The knowledge and skills I have gained through this project will continue to influence me in my future endeavors.
On a day-to-day basis, my work revolves around collaborating with project partners and students, assisting wherever needed. My position has also given me the opportunity to manage the project’s social media, promoting our efforts so that more people can learn about and engage with our work. Through my involvement in this project, I have started to see libraries and archives as more than just places to store information. They have the power to be spaces of representation, empowerment, and inclusivity when they are designed with intentionality. This experience has strengthened my belief in the importance of knowledge equity and the need for these institutions to be more inclusive. Reflecting on my journey as a project assistant, I feel deeply grateful for the opportunity to be part of such meaningful work. I look forward to continuing this journey and playing a role in making libraries and archives more accessible, and inclusive for everyone.