Fundamentals of cataloging

Login information for the course will be emailed to students a few days before the course begins.

Certification:

This course satisfies a partial requirement for Grades 2 and 3 certification in Wisconsin. Check with your state library agency to see if it satisfies similar requirements in your state.

This course covers the organization of print and digital resources for today's libraries. The course begins with a look at the impact of Web-based and electronic resources on library cataloging rules, from the changes in Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR) since 2002, to the rewrite of AACR to become RDA (Resource Description and Access, scheduled for 2009 release, and the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) information model. We quickly move on to learning to understand MARC records, assign subject headings, and classification. The last part of the course provides an overview of emerging metadata schemes, such as the Dublin Core, and cataloging Internet resources.

Topics will be presented weekly, with suggested readings, exercises to practice cataloging skills, and discussion topics.

Course topics:

• A brief history of library cataloging
• Impact of electronic resources on library cataloging
• Revisions to the cataloging code: Revised AACR Chapters 9 & 12, Resource Description & Access (RDA)
• FRBR Information Model
• Reading and understanding catalog records
• Searching and matching records
• The MARC (MAchine Readable Cataloging) Format
• Does the distinction between descriptive cataloging (describing the item) & subject cataloging (what the item is about) matter anymore?
• Authority control for personal and corporate names
• Classification: Dewey Decimal classification and Library of Congress classification
• Web taxonomies: Google & Yahoo directories, and other classified collections of Internet resources
• Cataloging Internet resources
• Overview of emerging metadata schemes

Course Expectations:

To pass the course, participants must complete the readings, contribute to online discussions, and submit 3 short exercises and a final project.

Instructor:

Debra Shapiro is an instructor at the UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies. She teaches distance and on-site courses and workshops on cataloging, metadata, and web site design and usability. If you have additional questions about the course, please email the instructor at dsshapiro@wisc.edu.

To register:

• Print out a registration form and return by fax or mail - instructions on form
• Call the Pyle Center Registration Office: (608) 262-2451
• ONLINE registration - Fill out a form on the Web, pay by credit card, or have your institution billed