Where is childrens' voice in KO?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ethical considerations of knowledge organization systems in light of children's perspectives by applying previous literature from Smiraglia's bibliocentrism (2009), Bhaba's third space theory (1994), Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (1978), and Tennis's ethical rationale (2013). Given that there is a lack of attention and consideration in knowledge organization systems for children, it is not absurd to claim that children in the knowledge organization domain tend to be treated as a marginalized user group. Where can we find children's voices in knowledge organization systems? How were these systems designed? The questions regarding the ethical considerations are discussed. This paper contributes to elevate awareness of current problems in knowledge organization systems for children and bring ethical attention to develop knowledge organization systems for children.