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

Vital Information about this Course

Testimonials

• Organization of Information Resources covers the nuts and bolts about metadata and the different standards, providing a strong foundation for any librarian, not just those who will be cataloging. Understanding how library metadata and bibliographic records are created provides an insight into better use of catalogs such as navigating Library of Congress subject headings to find very specific topics. Professor Markey’s vast knowledge and ability to explain complex ideas in a clear manner make this otherwise challenging topic an enjoyable course.
  (Emily Flynn, Metadata and ETD Coordinator, OhioLINK, Columbus, OH)
• Over twenty years after graduating from the U-M, I remember and implement lessons learned from Professor Markey. Her classes provide a balance between theory and hands on, real life practice in technical skills. In SI 666, you will gain competence to be successful in the workplace, whether you are creating metadata (which we all do), supervising catalogers, or determining whether or not to outsource cataloging. In addition to being empathetic to students, she has a great sense of humor. I highly recommend taking her courses.
  (Celeste Burman Choate, Director, Urbana Free Library, Urbana, IL)
• SI 666 taught me to be intentional, systematic, and meticulous. Good cataloging involves simultaneously appeasing machines, assisting library users, and aiding library workers--and that is not easily done. [Thanks to outsourcing] I catalog materials only rarely in my job as a school librarian, but when the need does arise, I appreciate that I have deep understanding and strong skills thanks to my experiences in SI 666. 
  (Ellen Range, School Librarian, Harding Senior High School, Saint Paul, MN)
• I can say without the slightest hesitation that this course has served me well in my daily practice. Not only do I process and often create MARC records for the multiple libraries that I run, but I am also better at catalog searches as a result of understanding the structure and contents of the records themselves. With the growing importance of metadata to the field of librarianship, SI 666 is a course not to be missed.
  (Raya Samet, Director of Information Services, University Liggett School, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI)
• The knowledge and skills I gained in SI 666 are useful to me every day. Cataloging is the link between metadata and users, and good cataloging can work like an invisible guide. As a school librarian, I rarely need to create MARC records, but understanding how records are created and manipulated has helped me make better, more careful, decisions for my library. Cataloging is complex and requires an intense attention to detail, but Professor Markey has the unique ability to teach this challenging subject in a way that is practical, relevant, and interesting.  
  (Adrienne Matteson, Library Media Specialist, White River Elementary, Noblesville, IN)
• What I learned in SI 666 has been incredibly valuable in my work as a subject specialist, selector and reference librarian. Understanding the structure and organization of various types of library catalogues, what descriptive elements are addressed, how they are related to one another, and how they are expressed and how they are encoded -- these are crucial to savvy searching and to successfully helping patrons locate resources of interest to them, not to mention sorting out what’s already held or still needs to be added to a library’s holdings. SI 666 introduces these concepts in a manageable way. Whether or not you’ll be creating and enhancing records yourself (and many librarians have no other option!) you’ll surely find this introduction to the catalogue valuable in your work with collections and patrons.
  (Evyn Kropf, Librarian for Near Eastern and Religious Studies, Curator, Islamic Manuscripts Collection, University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor, MI)
• Professor Markey taught me how turn chaos into something useful, helpful, and beneficial.  Without good cataloging, your library will remain unused, unorganized, inaccessible, and irrelevant. Computers cannot compete with the human touch that the librarian adds to the catalog.
  (Christopher J.J. Thiry, Map Librarian, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO)
  
  

Academic Integrity

At the University of Michigan and in professional settings generally, academic honesty and responsibility are fundamental to our scholarly and professional community. Students are responsible for maintaining high standards of conduct while engaged in course work, research, dissertation or thesis preparation, and other activities related to academics and their profession. Unless otherwise specified in an assignment, all submitted work must be your own original work.

Plagiarism is an extremely serious matter. All individual written submissions must be your own, original work, written entirely in your own words. You may incorporate excerpts from publications by other authors, but they must be clearly marked as quotations and properly attributed. You may obtain copy editing assistance, and you may discuss your ideas with others, but all substantive writing and ideas must be your own or else be explicitly attributed to another, using a citation sufficiently detailed for a reader to easily locate your source.

SI 666 will follow the same procedures for plagiarism that are in force in SI 500. All cases of plagiarism will be officially reported and dealt with according to the policies of the Rackham Graduate School. There will be no warnings, no second chances, no opportunity to rewrite or revise. All plagiarism cases will be immediately reported to SI's Dean of Academic Affairs. Consequences can range from failing the assignment (a grade of zero) or failing the course to expulsion from the University. For additional information about plagiarism, see the "Academic and Professional Integrity Policy Statement" on pages 9 to 12 of the SI Master's Student Handbook, the Rackham pamphlet "Integrity in Scholarship," and "Understanding Academic Integrity and Plagiarism for Students" published by the U-M Libraries. If you have any doubts about whether you are using the words or ideas of others appropriately, please discuss them with the professor.

Students With Disabilities

If you think you need an accommodation for a disability, please let me know at your earliest convenience. Some aspects of this course, the assignments, the in-class activities, and the way we teach may be modified to facilitate your participation and progress. As soon as you make me aware of your needs, we can work with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) to help us determine appropriate accommodations. SSD (phone: 734-763-3000) typically recommends accommodations through a Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations (VISA) form. the professor will treat any information you provide as private and confidential.

In-class Use of Electronic Devices

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