In my dissertation proposal I offer an initial operating definition of information organization behavior to replace the unacceptable one I’ve ranted about before:
Any activities undertaken by a person or people—uncoordinated or working as a group in an organization or institution—to describe, represent, name, order, structure, categorize or class information objects. Information organization behavior takes place in physical and digital information environments, and across the two. It is usually, but not necessarily, undertaken with the goal of providing easier, faster, and/or better access to information at a future point in time. It is also a method for creating and/or increasing the meaningfulness and usability of information. The set-up or initiation of automatic information organization routines is information organization behavior, while the automated result of such activity is not; it does not require the thought, attention, and decision-making characteristic of information organization behavior.
What have I left out? What is wrong?