Document phenomenology: a framework for holistic analysis

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance document ontology and epistemology by proposing a framework for analysing documents from multiple perspectives of research and practice. Design/methodology/approach Understanding is positioned as an epistemic aim of documents, which can be approached through phenomenology. Findings A phenomenological framework for document analysis is articulated. Key concepts in this framework are include intrinsic information, extrinsic information, abtrinsic information, and adtrinsic information. Information and meaning are distinguished. Finally, documents are positioned as part of a structural framework, which includes individual documents, parts of documents (docemes and docs), and systems of documents. Research limitations/implications Scholarship is extended with an eye toward holism; still, it is possible that important aspects of documents are overlooked. This framework serves as a stepping-stone along the continual refinement of methods for understanding documents. Practical implications Both scholars and practitioners can consider documents through this framework. This will lead to further co-understanding and collaboration, as well as better education and a deeper understanding of all manner of document experiences. Originality/value This paper fills a need for a common way to conceptualise documents that respects the numerous ways in which documents exist and are used and examined. Such coherence is vital for the advancement of document scholarship and is the promotion of document literacy in society, which is becoming increasingly important.

Epistemology beyond the brain

“…Revived interest in the foundations of Information Science such as the nature of information and the body (see Lloyd, ; Lueg, ; and, Cox, Griffin, & Hartel, , for recent work in this area) and neo‐documentation—where experiential and phenomenological perspectives are gaining a home (see Gorichanaz & Latham, )—indicates the timeliness of this discussion into epistemology. Philosophy and Cognitive Science offer numerous perspectives on the subject, as do anthropological and fine arts disciplines such as Dance Theory, Ethnomusicology, and Ethnochoreology.…”

Conceptualizing self-documentation

“…Document theorists have recognized that documents have physical (technological), mental (informational) and social (cultural) characteristics, and that documents can be analyzed in terms of parts, wholes and networks. In short, a document is a material embodiment of human meaning that provides evidence, indexically referencing something outside itself as part of a broader system (Gorichanaz and Latham, 2016). This is not an objective category; rather, the being of a document is in the way a person or group relates to it (i.e., as meaningful and evidentiary).…”

Does information science need history and foundations?

“…He works on document theory and information experience, which he explores in domains of personally meaningful activities, such as religious practice and hobbies. His paper “Document Phenomenology” (Gorichanaz & Latham, ) was selected as Outstanding Paper in Journal of Documentation , and in 2017 he received the Litwin Books award for ongoing dissertation research in the philosophy of information.…”

“…He works on document theory and information experience, which he explores in domains of personally meaningful activities, such as religious practice and hobbies. His paper "Document Phenomenology" (Gorichanaz & Latham, 2016) Hilary Yerbury is Adjunct Professor in Information Studies at University of Technology Sydney. She has a longstanding interest in the relationships between information and civil society.…”