The Sword and Laser discussion

I remember a bit of learning about Information Seeking Behavior in library school, but not nearly as much as I wish I did. The theory that I remember the most is called sense-making, and I think I remember it because it was just easy to visualize (maybe it had a good diagram in that lecture). Essentially, a person carries a mental map of their world, and this mental map is constantly under assault by data. Usually this results in a refinement to the map - a person doesn't often delete their whole conceptual map, they just fit in new information to what they already have. Sometimes, however, you come across information that completely upsets the entire frame you view your world through and you throw out the old map and start drawing a new one. This causes you to question things you wouldn't before and seek out new information more actively.

Since we ride in Piranesi's head through the book, we get to see him enriching his notebooks with all the trivia he comes across - this is him refining and adding detail to his mental map, just in a more organized and literal way than most of us do. Then (I'll keep it vague and spoiler-free) he has some pretty startling realizations and we get to see just how shaken he is by realizing he's going to have to reevaluate the basis for his whole system of knowledge. This fit the sense-making model so closely that it left me wondering if Susanna Clarke had some sort of information science background.

Seth wrote: "I remember a bit of learning about Information Seeking Behavior in library school, but not nearly as much as I wish I did. The theory that I remember the most is called sense-making, and I think I ..."

I love this connection!! I suppose this is why some compare it to a video game, because you only know the part of the world you've explored, as the first-hand information about the world is your only "resource" for sense-making, plus the artifacts you encounter.

This brings to mind Indigenous Australian's song-lines which use song and knowledge of country are used to build an extensive system of history and natural knowledge.

Piranesi's use of place within the labyrinth to help organise his notes is quite similar to this.

Really interesting. Scientists and engineers also experience that process, where they refine models of the way things work until the data throw a curve ball that results in them upending the model entirely and going for something different (like admitting the earth actually does revolve around the sun). Usually you know the new model is headed in the right direction when everything "fits" more neatly than before, where previously pesky outlier results actually make sense. I just made it to section 4 in the book, so I'm curious to see how Piranesi works through his new-found information.

Iain wrote: "This brings to mind Indigenous Australian's song-lines which use song and knowledge of country are used to build an extensive system of history and natural knowledge.

Piranesi's use of place within the labyrinth to help organise his notes is quite similar to this."

Fascinating... now I'm wondering if the book The Chimes by Anna Smail, which I marginally enjoyed because of the music element, where people learn songs as directions, is based on this concept.

I didn't really appreciate this book even when discussing it within literary circles but the different perspectives you are all bringing to it are really helping!