Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contacts
Module Coordinator: Dr Kalpana Shankar (kalpana.shankar@ucd.ie)
Module Description
Credits: 10, Level: 4
This specialist module for library and information professionals examines the ways in which
information professionals describe and create access to information resources. Students will be
introduced to traditional cataloguing principles for bibliographic control, as well as to modern
metadata standards - and they will explore how the two approaches relate to each other. Students
will also investigate methods for representing the subjects of information resources, from library
classification schemes to folksonomies created from user-supplied data. All students will be
encouraged to explore the full field of information organisation, particularly with regard to the
challenging convergence of metadata from different information communities (library, archival,
audio-visual, museum, computer science) on the Internet. In addition, students will be required to
attain some familiarity with a number of library standards as examples for the application of a
particular approach. These standards include, but may not be limited to: RDA (Resource Description
and Access), AACR2 (Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, second edition), MARC21 Format for
Bibliographic Data, and DDC23 (Dewey Decimal Classification, 23rd edition). Registration to this
module for undergraduate students is subject to the module co-ordinator's permission.
Learning Objectives
On completion of this module students should be able to: 1. Apply the basic principles of
cataloguing; 2. Apply the basic principles of subject representation; 3. Critically assess metadata
standards; 4. Create records for library material, applying RDA, AACR2, MARC21, and DDC; 5. Build a
framework for ongoing development of skills in the organisation of information.
Lectures will be mostly based on MS PowerPoint presentations. The slides will be made available on
Blackboard after the lecture.
Students are expected to prepare for lectures with some reading on the scheduled topics.
“Recommended Reading” will be posted on Blackboard for most weeks.
Assessment
Class participation: 10%
Practical assignments: 45%
Group project: 45%
Assignment Submission
Please upload all written work for assignments via the relevant SAFE Assignment link on Blackboard.
The timestamp of this electronic submission will determine late submission. Please use a file format
recognised by Blackboard (e.g. .doc, .docx; .pdf, .odt). There is no need for submitting paper copies.
UCD rules for penalties of late submissions apply, namely minus two grade points for up to a week,
and minus four grade points for up to two weeks later than the deadline. In the case of illness (with
medical certificate) or other exceptional circumstances, special arrangements will have to be made.
Name your file to include both the assignment name and your own name, or the name of your
group, preferably as follows:
[AssignmentName]_[Surname]_[FirstName]
For example:
CataloguingAssignment_SchmidtSupprian_Christoph
or MetadataConsultation_FilmArchive
Assignment Feedback
All assessment components will be graded using UCD’s letter grades and grade point equivalents
(pass grades A+ to C-, or 4.2 to 2). Class participation, in the form of lecture attendance and
Blackboard tests, is graded as detailed below. The practical (cataloguing and classification)
Assignments, as well as the Group Project will receive written feedback in addition to the grade.
Indicative grading criteria will be made available at least a week before the deadline. All grades and
feedback will normally be returned within two weeks of the deadline (or of late submission).
Rules for Description & Access Points To use AACR2 rules effectively
3 To demonstrate familiarity with
CS Focus on key concepts RDA rules
6/2 AACR2 and RDA: how to find and apply the rules To discuss structured access to
information resources
Group Project: All Groups to have met at least once by Week 4 (13 Feb.)
5 Cataloguing with Dublin Core To use and critically assess Dublin
Core metadata
Cataloguing in practice, using an online tool (Dublin
20/2 CS To create quality bibliographic
Core Generator, or OCLC Connexion)
metadata
[Lab] Revision of AACR2, RDA and MARC21
Components
The final grade for this module is calculated from the following components:
Class Participation
- 5% Lecture attendance:
The following grade points are awarded: 4.2=More than 10 lectures attended, 4.0=10
lectures, 3.6=9 lectures, 3.2=8 lectures; 2.8=7 lectures; 2.4=6 lectures; 2.0=5 lectures; 1.6=4
lectures; 1=3 lectures; 0=Less than 3 lectures.
- 5% Blackboard tests:
The following grade points are awarded: 4.2=More than 6 passed Bb tests; 4.0=6 passed;
3.6=5 passed; 3.2=4 passed; 2.8=3 passed; 2.4=2 passed; 2=1 passed.
Get at least 50% right in each test in order to pass it.
Group Project
See following pages.
Undergraduates (in exceptional circumstances also postgraduates) can do a critical essay instead of
the group project. Please contact Christoph Schmidt-Supprian if you wish to discuss this option.
Instructions
Groups: between 4 and 6 students per group; ok to continue groups from InfoRef module; all
students must be in a group by Week 3 (6 Feb.); once your group is formed, please select an
available Group Number at http://doodle.com/zfhkkw6avzyq2srz and sign up all members; students
without a group after 6 Feb. will be assigned to one.
Final product: a “consultation document” on managing the metadata for a specific collection of
information resources; ca. 25 pages long (not shorter than 20, not longer than 30).
Task:
2. Analyse the collection as well as its contexts: the owning institution, the normal readership,
and any other users (such as other libraries). Identify the metadata requirements for this
collection.
3. Investigate suitable standards and software, and select the best fit for this collection. Make
expert recommendations on at least the following elements:
b. Metadata scheme; define a core set of metadata elements from this scheme
c. Content standard
4. Create a number of sample records (can be mock-ups, if the recommended LMS is not
available to the Group): at least half a record per group member, rounding upwards.
6. Manage the Group Project effectively: document your decisions, such as the distribution of
tasks, and any difficulties encountered and how you tried to solve them.
7. Produce the Consultation Document; include in the end a separate section on your Group
Management.
Examples of existing collections include the SILS Masters theses, the SILS Reference
Collection, the SILS Research Methods Collection, or a small business, law,
government or research library – or an image collection, or music, etc.
Even in the case of a hypothetical collection, name some (normally around 10) real-
life items in order to define it and to illustrate what it contains.
The items in the collection can be physical, digital, or a combination – and their type
can range from texts and books to visual art material to music recordings to
museum artefacts.
Give an indication of the size of the collection (hundreds, thousands, etc.), and
whether it will grow and how fast.
This is an important part of the final document: the details you provide here provide
the background to, and justification for, your decisions in Point 3.a-f. Make sure,
however, to stay on target – don’t elaborate on aspects that are not relevant to your
metadata.
3. Standards:
a. LMS: consider a few options and settle for one. It may not be possible to get much
information on proprietary software – but try the sales blurbs on the web and
consult library journals for any reviews. You might prefer a home-grown database
solution (with MS Access, OpenOffice Base, FileMaker Pro, etc.): in that case, explain
briefly how you intend to build it. Concerning preservation and user interfaces: no
need to go into too much detail, but demonstrate awareness of these important
aspects.
b. Metadata: Examples include Dublin Core, MARC21, MODS, VRA Core, EAD, TEI. this
is possibly the most important sections of the document. Again, consider a few
options and explain why one is the most suitable. Also explain how your chosen
scheme should be used on the collection. Questions to answer might include: Which
elements (author, title, etc.) are the most important ones? (Is there a specific subset
or application profile you suggest using?) Will there be mandatory ones? Will some
have to be modified? … Adopt a similar approach to c, d, and e.
d. Shelving: This is not relevant if the collection consists entirely of digital items.
Examples include DDC, UDC, BISAC, Running Numbers.
e. Subject: Examples include LCSH, Sears, Moys, AAT, Getty Thesauri, folksonomies.
4. Records: provide, as far as possible, as much detail as you are proposing in 3.b-e. It is not
expected, however, that you can 100% correctly use metadata elements (and schema and
content standards) not covered in class. Include a brief commentary explaining the
strengths and weaknesses of your sample records.
6. Group Management: Add this section to the very end of the document, after the list of
references. Explain how you divided up the tasks (who did what), how you communicated
with each other, and what kind of difficulties, if any, you encountered. Keep it concise and
professional.
7. General:
Don’t forget to start your consultation document with a general introduction and
finish it with a strong summary/conclusion.
Use a standard style for citations and references, and be consistent. Include a list of
references (or bibliography) at the end.
Don’t over-footnote. (Rule of thumb: if it’s worth saying, say it in the main body.)
2. Structure:
You can use the sequence of the above points as your document structure, if you
want.
The following is a possible breakdown with suggested page counts: take this as a
rough indication only!
Introduction (0.5 p.) – Collection (1.5 p.) – LMS (2 p.) – Metadata (4 p.) – Content
Standard (2.5 p.) – Shelving (1 p.) – Subject (4 p.) – Workflow (1 p.) – Samples,
including commentary (4 p.) – Cost (0.5 p.) – Conclusion (1 p.) – References (2 p.) –
Management (1 p.): total of 25 p.
Write a brief report of ca. 1 to 2 pages on the group’s progress so far, and how you intend to finish
the project by the final due date of 3 May. Include:
The name and a brief description of the collection and its context
A brief description on your group management: how often you have met; how you divided
up the tasks, and how you have collaborated so far
Indicate problems you have encountered so far; stress any problems that you think are still
lying ahead of you, and indicate whether you need any particular help in order to surmount
them
Submit one electronic copy via the relevant SAFE link on Blackboard
Manuals
JSC AACR. Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules. London: CILIP, (2nd ed. 2002 revision, 2005 update) 2005,
also available electronically via the RDA Toolkit http://access.rdatoolkit.org/. In printed form,
earlier revisions are also acceptable, esp. 1988, 1998, 2002.
JSC RDA. Resource Description and Access, London: CILIP, (1st update) 2012, in RDA Toolkit
http://access.rdatoolkit.org/
Dewey, Melvil. Dewey Decimal Classification and Relative Index. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC, (22nd edition)
2003.
Library of Congress, Decimal Classification Division. WebDewey 23. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC, 2011.
http://www.dewey.org/webdewey/
Library of Congress, Network Development and MARC Standards Office. MARC21. Washington DC: LC,
2012. http://www.loc.gov/marc/
Rühle, Stefanie, Tom Baker, and Pete Johnston. User Guide/Creating Metadata. Dublin Core
Metadata Initiative, 2012.
http://wiki.dublincore.org/index.php/User_Guide/Creating_Metadata
Hillmann, Diane. Using Dublin Core. Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, 2005.
http://dublincore.org/documents/usageguide/ (Particularly chapter 4: The Elements)
Chan, Lois Mai. Cataloging and Classification: An Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill, (3rd ed.) 2007.
Hider, Philip. Information Resource Description: Creating and Managing Metadata. London: Facet, 2012.
[On order by UCD Library]
Oliver, Chris. Introducing RDA: A Guide to the Basics. London: Facet, 2010.
Taylor, Arlene G. Introduction to Cataloging and Classification. Englewood: Libraries Unlimited, (10th
ed.) 2006.
Welsh, Anne, and Sue Batley. Practical Cataloguing: AACR, RDA and MARC21. London: Facet, 2012.
[On order by UCD Library]
Further Reading:
Cataloguing and Metadata
Barca, Murtha, ed. Introduction to Metadata. Los Angeles: Getty Research Institute, (2nd ed.) 2008.
Chowdhury, G.G., and Sudatta Chowdhury. Organizing Information: from the Shelf to the Web.
London: Facet, 2007.
Haynes, David. Metadata for Information Management and Retrieval. London: Facet, 2004. [Not in UCD
Library]
Liu, Jia. Metadata and its Applications in the Digital Library: Approaches and Practices. Westport,
Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2007.
Lazinger, Susan S. Digital Preservation and Metadata: History, Theory, Practice. Englewood, Colo.:
Libraries Unlimited, 2001.
Miller, Stephen J. Metadata for Digital Collections: A How to do it Manual. London: Facet, 2011.
Read, Jane M. Cataloguing without tears: managing knowledge in the information society. Chandos
2003.
Svenonius, Elaine. The Intellectual Foundation of Information Organization. London: MIT Press, 2000.
Taylor, Arlene G, ed. Understanding FRBR: What it is and How it will Affect our Retrieval Tools.
Englewood: Libraries Unlimited, 2007.
Zeng, Marcia Lei, and Jian Qin. Metadata. London: Facet, 2008.
Weber, Mary Beth, and Austin, Fay Angela. Describing Electronic, Digital, and Other Media Using
AACR2 and RDA: A How-to-do-it Manual and CD-ROM for Librarians. London: Facet, 2011.
Chan, Lois Mai. Library of Congress Subject Headings: Principles and Application. Englewood: Libraries
Unlimited, (3rd ed.) 1995. [Latest, 4th ed., 2005, not in UCD Library].
Satija, M.P. The Theory and Practice of the Dewey Decimal Classification System. Oxford: Chandos,
2007. [Not in UCD Library]
Marcella, Rita, and Arthur Maltby, eds. The Future of Classification. Aldershot: Gower, 2000.
Information Retrieval
Buckland, Michael. “Information as thing.” Journal of the American Society of Information Science
42/5 (1991): pp. 351-360. (Preprint available at:
http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~buckland/thing.html)
Buckland, Michael. “What is a document?” Journal of the American Society of Information Science 48/9
(1997): pp. 804-809 (Preprint available at:
http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~buckland/whatdoc.html)
Van Rijsbergen, C.J. Information Retrieval. London: Butterworths, 1979. (Available at:
http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/Keith/Preface.html; chapters 1-3 provide good overview of
fundamentals; skim mathematical detail)
Journals
Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST)
Cataloging & Classification Quarterly (CCQ)
D-LIB Magazine: http://dlib.org/dlib.html
International Cataloging and Bibliographic Control (IBCB)
Journal of Library Metadata (Until 2007: Journal of Internet Cataloging)
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (JASIST) (Was JASIS:
Journal of the American Society for Information Science until 2000)
Knowledge Organization: devoted to concept theory, classification, indexing and knowledge
representation (KO)