SI 666 Course Description

Course Description (or Why We Catalog)

The impetus for the information resources that libraries and information centers acquire is their users. Librarians strive to learn about their users and build a collection that satisfies the information needs of their particular library's users. Because users vary from library to library, collections vary too. Librarians cannot remember all of their acquired resources nor will they always be on hand to help library users find what they want so librarians build a library catalog (also known as a database) that users can search to find resources of interest. In this catalog, librarians describe library resources using criteria that people use to find them. These criteria are known attributes of information resources such as their titles and authors and criteria that describe interesting classes of resources such as their subjects (i.e., what the resource is about such as fear, interpersonal relationships, or project management) and genres (i.e., what the resource is such as poetry, biography, fiction). When library users want to find a particular resource, they search the catalog using the resource's title or author (when they know them) or they search by subject or genre.

There is a great deal of duplication between libraries, for example, many public libraries own the titles Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach and Fifty Shades of Grey and many academic libraries own the titles Atlas Shrugged and A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. Computerization has made it possible for libraries to share their cataloging with other libraries. Whatever library acquires these titles first generates a cataloging record and contributes it to a humongous shared cataloging database so that other libraries can copy the first library's cataloging and possibly, make a few changes such as changing the first library's subject keywords (also known as subject headings) to keywords that they know their library's users will use to find these resources.

Much of your cataloging will be copy cataloging -- searching that humongous shared cataloging database to see if someone else has already cataloged the newly acquired resource you have in hand, claiming the cataloging as your own, and adding it to your library's catalog. One day you will be the first librarian formulating a cataloging entry for a newly acquired item and you'll want to learn how to catalog using the same cataloging standards that other libraries use so that you contribute quality cataloging to the humongous shared cataloging database that other libraries want to use for their cataloging of the same resource.

In SI 666, you will learn how to make entries for your library's catalog for the information resources your library acquires. This means learning how to apply the standards librarians have established for shared cataloging. Initially, the standards will seem like a whole lot of alphabet soup -- RDA, ISBD, MARC, DC, LCSH, DDC, FRBR, etc. In class, you'll gain first-hand experience using these standards to formulate catalog entries (also called surrogate records) that other libraries will want to claim for their catalogs.

Ultimately, SI 666 is about database building -- formulating catalog entries for information resources that meet the library community's standards so that your peers can claim your records for their library catalog, your library's users can find information resources that satisfy their information needs, and you can apply everything that is good about library database building standards to building databases for other professional communities.

• Vital Information • Course Description • Learning Objectives • Weekly Outline • • Finding Readings • Weekly Reading List • Grading • Expectations •

Course Description (or Why We Catalog) The impetus for the information resources that libraries and information centers acquire is their users. Librarians strive to learn about their users and build a collection that satisfies the information needs of their particular library's users. Because users vary from library to library, collections vary too. Librarians cannot remember all of their acquired resources nor will they always be on hand to help library users find what they want so librarians build a library catalog (also known as a database) that users can search to find resources of interest. In this catalog, librarians describe library resources using criteria that people use to find them. These criteria are known attributes of information resources such as their titles and authors and criteria that describe interesting classes of resources such as their subjects (i.e., what the resource is about such as fear, interpersonal relationships, or project management) and genres (i.e., what the resource is such as poetry, biography, fiction). When library users want to find a particular resource, they search the catalog using the resource's title or author (when they know them) or they search by subject or genre. There is a great deal of duplication between libraries, for example, many public libraries own the titles Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach and Fifty Shades of Grey and many academic libraries own the titles Atlas Shrugged and A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. Computerization has made it possible for libraries to share their cataloging with other libraries. Whatever library acquires these titles first generates a cataloging record and contributes it to a humongous shared cataloging database so that other libraries can copy the first library's cataloging and possibly, make a few changes such as changing the first library's subject keywords (also known as subject headings) to keywords that they know their library's users will use to find these resources. Much of your cataloging will be copy cataloging -- searching that humongous shared cataloging database to see if someone else has already cataloged the newly acquired resource you have in hand, claiming the cataloging as your own, and adding it to your library's catalog. One day you will be the first librarian formulating a cataloging entry for a newly acquired item and you'll want to learn how to catalog using the same cataloging standards that other libraries use so that you contribute quality cataloging to the humongous shared cataloging database that other libraries want to use for their cataloging of the same resource. In SI 666, you will learn how to make entries for your library's catalog for the information resources your library acquires. This means learning how to apply the standards librarians have established for shared cataloging. Initially, the standards will seem like a whole lot of alphabet soup -- RDA, ISBD, MARC, DC, LCSH, DDC, FRBR, etc. In class, you'll gain first-hand experience using these standards to formulate catalog entries (also called surrogate records) that other libraries will want to claim for their catalogs. Ultimately, SI 666 is about database building -- formulating catalog entries for information resources that meet the library community's standards so that your peers can claim your records for their library catalog, your library's users can find information resources that satisfy their information needs, and you can apply everything that is good about library database building standards to building databases for other professional communities. • Vital Information • Course Description • Learning Objectives • Weekly Outline • • Finding Readings • Weekly Reading List • Grading • Expectations •