Syllabus for LIS 703: Organization of knowledge

Fall 2007

LIS 703: ORGANIZATION OF KNOWLEDGE

Catalog statement: An overview of principles, methods and systems in the organization of all types of library materials and information. An introduction to the basic level use and interpretation of principles for AACR2 , subject headings, Dewey Decimal Classification, OCLC (Online Computer Library Center), MARC21 (Machine Readable Cataloging) formats and Library of Congress Classification.

This is a tentative syllabus. If we need more time on some topics, we will linger on them; if other topics need less emphasis, we’ll forge on. Please note especially that I may update the readings on metadata and RDA during the semester because so much is happening in these areas now.

Details on the readings (including full citations and links) are available on the Moodle course page under Course Information / readings and resources. Have a look at that page for other information about the course as well. The direct link to Moodle is http://moodle.stkate.edu

The assignments are posted in full on Moodle, under each course session. For each homework assignment, please download the posted file(s), complete the assignment, and submit the completed assignment via the SUBMIT ASSIGNMENT … HERE option in Moodle.

See below for further notes on the course.

“Cataloging should be fun. And challenging. And useful.” Sanford Berman, in The Joy of Cataloging.

LIS 703 Syllabus

Session

Date

Topics

Readings and assignments due

Sept.

Orientation: syllabus, assignments, grading, office hours, repositories for course material.

Introduction to the organization of information: where we are today. What catalogs are. Traditional catalogs. Descriptive cataloging. Rules and codes. LC, LCSH, Dewey. Authority control. MARC. Role of the catalog in the library. Extensions of the traditional catalog. Metadata. Examples. Resources. Some issues. The big questions that we will examine throughout the course.

The historical and intellectual context.

Discussion and overview of the bibliographic record.

Overview of descriptive cataloging.

Overview of AACR2, MARC, and metadata, focusing on Dublin Core. RDA and the controversies surrounding this st of new cataloging rules.

[no assignments due, but it wouldn’t hurt to get a start on the reading for next week!]

Please note: chapter numbers for the readings in the Student Guide may be different than the ones I listed below—the Guide undergoes frequent revision. Therefore, check both the chapter number and the actual topic for these assignments.

Sept. 14

The historical and intellectual context revisited.

Introduction to AACR2: part 1, descriptive cataloging.

Introduction to MARC fields for descriptive cataloging.

This week we will consider books (primarily); next session we’ll review book cataloging and will consider how to apply what we have learned to websites.

Read:

DStudent Guide topics: Dintroduction, Dhistory & context up to FRBR, DAACR2 part 1, DMARC

DFurrie: Understanding MARC…

DDublin Core Metadata Initiative (sections described in the Readings and Resources document)

Refer to Bib formats/standards--Marc sites listed in Readings/Resources

Look over AACR2, chapters 1-2 on Catalogers Desktop to get a sense of what these chapters contain and how they are structured

Assignments due:

1. introduction to descriptive cataloging and Dublin Core.

Sept. 28

Continuation of descriptive cataloging: review of book cataloging; introduction to website cataloging.

AACR2, part 2: choice of access points. Name, title, series entries. Authority control.

MARC bibliographic fields for access points.

Introduction to controlled vocabulary.

What is a “work?” (introduction); more on FRBR.

Read:

DStudent Guide topics: DAACR2 part 2; DAuthority control

DGorman: The Anglo-American Cataloguing rules…

DTillett: What is FRBR

DColeman: A 21^st century look…FRBR

DZeng, et al, Metadata basics

Look over AACR2, chapter 21

Assignments due:

2a: descriptive cataloging part 1 due 10/5

2b: descriptive cataloging part 2 (10/12)

2c. metadata: short group reports on selections from Zeng et al (10/12)

Oct.

Continuation of controlled vocabulary discussion.

Subject cataloging. LCSH.

Interlude: Google.

Read:

DStudent Guide topics: DSubject headings

DLitwin: Interview…

DBerman: Random…

DDuguid: Inheritance and loss…

Assignments due:

Assignment 3: Descriptive cataloging: books and websites; authorities

Oct.

Final exam and final version of paper DUE by midnight Monday, December 10.

Assignments, grading, and other notes

1. There will be frequent cataloging exercises, usually due by noon the day of the class. Their purposes include reinforcing lectures and class discussions, providing you an opportunity to practice cataloging techniques, and serving as guides to readings and course topics. Your text has many exercises at the end of each chapter. I’m not requiring you to submit those, but I highly recommend you do those exercises prior to starting the assignments I post.

2. From time to time I may post questions on the readings in addition to the formal assignments already scheduled for certain readings. Depending on the reading and the day, I’ll ask you to post a note on the class discussion list or reply directly to me. These questions are intended to guide your reading of the article and point up some of its critical issues. I also am very interested in your assessment of the readings and the class presentations, so I will be asking you for your feedback and assessment from time to time. Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the course anytime, for I would like to know how well the course overall and particular topics, presentations, and assignments are working for you. Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions you have on any aspect of the course or assignments. If you are unsure of your work on an assignment, I’d be happy to look over your work and give you feedback before the assignment is due.

3. Participation in group work, online discussions, and in-class discussions is a very important part of the course. This class is not the place to be shy! However, it will be a safe place to ask questions, propose answers, and raise issues. The college principles of academic freedom and respect for the opinions of others apply.

Since participation in class discussions and in-class exercises is an essential part of the course, I highly recommend you attend all class sessions.

4. There is one paper due (assignment 8). Although the main purpose of this paper is to give you a chance to demonstrate your knowledge of cataloging principles and of librarianship through your evaluation of the authors’ writings, you may demonstrate this knowledge in any format that is comfortable to you: an essay, letter, dialog, … and/or a non-traditional format (such as a multimedia work). I’m more concerned that you fulfill the spirit of the assignment rather than how. Details are posted on the assignment.

5. There will be a take-home final. This will be an open-book final, and will cover material from the entire course. It will be a mixture of short-answer questions, essays, and cataloging. I will post it before the last day of class, and it will be due after the last class, so you will have a reasonable amount of time to complete it.

6. Most homework assignments will be graded as √+, √, or √-. The grade “√” means that, in my judgment, you understand the material. There may be some errors, large or small, but enough of the work is correct and thoughtful so that you will be able to proceed comfortably to the next assignment. The grade “√+” indicates work of excellent quality. There may be errors, but these will be minimal and will be minor. Generally, the work will be of high quality throughout. The grade “√-“ indicates that there are many errors, and there likely are serious conceptual misunderstandings. I will look at assignments that are up to a week late, and will grade such assignments at my discretion. Assignments more than a week late (or not done at all) will receive a grade of 0. When I calculate the course grade, I will drop the lowest homework grade from the calculation.

The same general rubrics apply to the paper and to the final, but I will assign standard letter grades to them.

7. The approximate weighting of course components for the final grade will be

Homework: 40%; Class participation, 20%, Final, 25%; Paper, 15%.

I strongly prefer you submit all assignments to the designated Moodle posting.

8. We will do a lot of cataloging in this course, but the cataloging itself is not the point of the course. Rather, this course really is about the intellectual aspects of cataloging including its history, its relationship with its various cultural contexts, its role in libraries and other information centers, and its function as the most public of library activities. Hence the cataloging exercises and the cataloging work we do during the class periods is designed, first and foremost, give you the vocabulary—practical and theoretical—to understand the intellectual and public role that cataloging and catalogers play. For those of you interested in studying cataloging further, you will have a solid practical and theoretical foundation for further coursework. For those of you not so inclined, you will have the vocabulary and conceptual understanding to be an intelligent participant in conversations and settings related to the organization of information, including those conversations related to emerging metadata standards, RDA, FRBR, and new approaches to organizing information. By the end of the course, I hope all of us have a renewed appreciation for the role of this most central activity of librarianship.

Here is another look at the course in terms of MLIS educational objectives. The P indicates this course satisfies a significant component of the indicated program objective, through lecture, class discussion, in-class exercises, or assignments.

P	MLIS program objectives
P	Identifying, analyzing, and serving the information needs and opportunities of individuals and organizations, both within the traditional information service areas and the broader information sector
P	Practicing a variety of management, communication and organizational skills to facilitate appropriate change within learning communities, cooperation among libraries and information agencies, and the development and maintenance of collegial relationships with fellow professionals
P	Developing and applying critical thinking to solve information problems by integrating relevant models, theories, research and practices
P	Communicating information and knowledge from library and information studies and related disciplines in a variety of formats, including effective use of oral, written, and technological presentations
P	Demonstrating information technology competency
P	Promoting the professional values of ethical responsibility, intellectual freedom, and universal access to information
P	Demonstrating awareness of the culturally diverse composition of society, and of the responsibility to serve all client groups with respect and understanding
P	Promoting information literacy by teaching others to identify, analyze, organize and use information
P	Selecting, acquiring, organizing, storing, retrieving, and using recorded knowledge and information resources of all kinds
P	Articulating and applying a philosophy of service that incorporates an awareness of the functions and legacy of libraries and information centers and of the factors influencing the creation, dissemination, and use of knowledge and information now and in the future
	Developing and exercising leadership skills in a variety of settings
P	Committing to professional growth through active and ongoing engagement with the profession and understanding the larger context within which the profession operates

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, please see the Office of Resources for Disabilities 651-690-6563.

--David Lesniaski

August 2007

Instructor information:

David Lesniaski

Office: CDC 047

Office phone: 651-690-8723

Home phone: 651-636-5753

Email: preferred: dlski@visi.com official CSC: dalesniaski@stkate.edu

Web page: http://www.stkate.edu/~dalesnia/

Office hours: I usually am on campus from mid-day on, so feel free to drop by. If you would like a formal appointment, please phone or email me.

The proposer is also required to submit a draft syllabus. Minimally, a course syllabus should include the following information:

Course number and title
Academic term and days/time (if known) that the course will be offered
Instructor name and contact information
Required texts, including software, coursepacks, and supplies (as appropriate)
Statement regarding the role of this course in supporting the college’s mission and vision (as appropriate)
Overview of course content
Description of course format and primary teaching/learning methods (e.g., lecture, class or group discussions, laboratory exercises, independent or group projects, written or oral presentations, skill demonstrations)
Course goals, including behavioral objectives for students (e.g., “By successfully completing this course, the student will be able to …”)
Descriptions of assessments (e.g., types of exams [objective or essay], detailed guidelines for written, oral or performance assignments)
Statement of grading policy and options. Criteria for letter grades (using only those grades recognized by the college)
Statement of attendance policy, including degree to which attendance will affect grade
Statement regarding disabilities resources and requests for accommodations (examples available from Disability Services)

Course addresses the following MLIS Program Objectives:

Course Goals:

Course Objectives:

Grading Scale:

Academic Integrity Statement:

Class Attendance Expectations:

If you have a documented disability that requires an accommodation, please provide me with the accommodation plan no later than the second class session.

[All other pertinent course information, such as required texts, schedule of topics, due dates for assignments, etc.]