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Demonstrate understanding of basic principles and standards involved in organizing information such as classification and controlled vocabulary systems, cataloging systems, metadata schemas or other systems for making information accessible to a particular clientele.
Demonstrate understanding of basic principles and standards involved in organizing information such as classification and controlled vocabulary systems, cataloging systems, metadata schemas or other systems for making information accessible to a particular clientele.
Introduction
Introduction
When resources aren’t organized, it is difficult to find them. Libraries and other information institutions collect massive amounts of information and resources. In order to organize and provide access to the resources in their collection, libraries rely on the standards and practices of various systems such as classification and cataloging, controlled vocabulary, and metadata schemas to create records that contain various elements and values, making resources searchable and retrievable.
Explication
Explication
Classification & Cataloging Systems
Classification & Cataloging Systems
“Classification is a single expression of a resource’s aboutness” (Bolin, 2022, p. 173). It is a means for libraries to systematically arrange, organize, and store their resources by aggregating topics and organizing resources by classes and subclasses. The two most used classification schemes in the United States are the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) and the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC).
LCC. While LCC was originally developed to organize and arrange the collections of the Library of Congress, it is currently one of the world’s most widely used classification systems, especially among academic libraries. Resources are divided into 21 basic classes using a single letter of the alphabet. Those classes are then divided into subclasses using a letter of the alphabet. Topics are assigned numbers or decimal numbers. Subtopics are organized using decimal numbers combining letters and numbers (Library of Congress, 2014).
DDC. Unlike LCC, DDC is strictly hierarchical and is most commonly found in public libraries. The resources of a collection are divided into 10 classes defined by discipline or field of study, each of which is assigned 100 numbers. The main classes are further divided into 10 divisions and then 10 sections (Online Computer Library Center, 2019).
“Cataloging is acquiring or creating bibliographic records for a library catalog or other discovery tool” (Bolin, 2016, p.4). These records are created using a variety of standards and practices and stored in databases where the information can be accessed and shared with users and other institutions. Cataloging is divided into two categories: “descriptive cataloging (including authority control) and subject cataloging. Descriptive cataloging deals with what a resource is and who is responsible for it. Subject cataloging deals with what the resource is about” (Bolin, 2022, p. 172)
Cataloging includes a series of activities that ensure that all of the essential attributes of a resource are recorded. These activities include:
● Creating descriptions
● Choosing names and titles as access points
● Doing authority work on the chosen names and titles
● Analyzing subject matter
● Choosing subject headings and classification notations to represent the subject content
● Creating complete call numbers for physical resources (Taylor & Joudrey, 2018, p. 159)
The purpose of classification and cataloging is to record a library’s resources and provide information on where they are located and what they are about. Like with any other process or practice, standards and rules are needed to maintain consistency. For decades, the most widely used cataloging standard was the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2), which was co-published by the American Library Association, the Canadian Library Association, and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in the United Kingdom. AACR2 provides instructions for describing resources and materials and establishing access points. Elements include authors, titles, publishers, editions, and so on.
Resource Description and Access (RDA) is the new standard that replaced AACR2. It takes the best elements of AACR2 and incorporates the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) model of cataloging and Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD). Significant features of RDA include the expressed relationship between entities, the flexibility to be used for all resources (analog and digital), and the compatibility of the data for current and future online catalogs and databases (Bolin, 2016; Bolin, 2022).
Controlled Vocabulary
A significant part of classification and cataloging is controlled vocabulary and subject terminology. Controlled vocabularies are “particular, authorized terms [used] to express concepts that reflect that aboutness of books and other materials” (Bolin, 2016, p. 75). These terms exist in the form of subject heading lists and thesauri. An example of a controlled vocabulary is the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) – a list of subject headings established and maintained by the Library of Congress.
Controlled vocabulary serves various purposes, such as
● Providing subject access to each information resource in a catalog or index
● Collocate surrogate records for information resources of a like nature
● Provide suggested synonyms and a syndetic structure to aid users in subject searching
● Save the users’ time (Taylor & Joudrey, 2018, p. 163)
Controlled vocabulary ensures consistency in indexing preferred terms and improves the user experience when retrieving information through queries.
Metadata Schemas
Metadata Schemas
Metadata plays an integral role in the organization of library resources and materials. It is often defined as structured information or data about data. The objective of metadata is “the same as that of traditional cataloging: to identify and describe resources and make them findable and available” (Bolin, 2022, p. 166). There are many standards that determine the structure or layout of metadata and ensure that resources and materials are accessible and transferable from one platform to another. Some of these include the following:
● Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC), created by the LC, “is a system for encoding and transmitting bibliographic records” (Bolin, 2016, p. 5). It is also the most commonly used metadata schema in libraries. A MARC record includes a description of the item, main entry and added entries, subject headings, and the classification or call number (Library of Congress, 2009).
● Dublin Core (DC), based on MARC but has a simpler structure, is a set of 15 core metadata elements developed and maintained by the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) to describe resources. One of the most significant advantages is the simplicity of the schema. As a result, the core elements are the most commonly understood and used across multiple platforms and schemas (Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, n.d.).
● Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS), developed by the LC, is another schema based on MARC. It is simpler than MARC but provides more details than DC. Some uses include representing data for harvest, creating new resource descriptions, and representing simplified MARC records, among others (Library of Congress, n.d.)
These three schemas and other metadata schemas “are all standards that can be shared by a community, such as libraries” (Bolin, 2022, p. 168) which is essential to the interoperability of metadata records. Having shared standards means the records can be loaded, read, and interpreted by various databases, online catalogs, and other library systems.
Evidence
Evidence
For this assignment, my teammates and I collaborated to design vocabulary for a target user group. The target user group we chose was MLIS students. On the worksheets given, we were instructed to copy and paste nine citations of articles from the provided supplemental reading list in addition to the one provided and work through each worksheet. We each found and read 2-3 articles before starting the assignment. In the initial stage, we all added primary concepts to the right of each article. We then grouped similar or related concepts. Afterward, we narrowed down the list and created drafts of descriptor terms expressing each concept. In the final part of the assignment, we copied the final descriptor terms next to the original citations.
This assignment gave us a better understanding of generating controlled vocabulary for a small collection of articles. When comparing the first draft of our selected terms to the final draft, it was evident that the process refined our original lists to more concise vocabulary terms. If we were tasked to create a database for this collection, these terms would be used to make the articles more accessible.
For this group project, my teammates and I worked together to gather and evaluate responses from volunteers in a card-sorting exercise. We were given a fictional scenario and asked volunteers to organize cards labeled with different items into categories. Since this was at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and we were required to shelter in place, we couldn’t have volunteers do the exercise together or in person. As a workaround, I created a digital card sorting template using Trello. I provided a recorded tutorial that I made to teach my teammates how to copy the board and share it with volunteers.
On the Trello board, I created various lists. In the far left list, I had cards containing the instructions and context for the exercise. Next to that were the lists with the unsorted, labeled cards and the categories into which the volunteers were supposed to sort the cards. In order to perform the sort, the volunteers had to click and drag the cards to the category they felt was most appropriate. In addition to the sample categories we provided, volunteers could create new categories by clicking on “Add another list” and typing in a new category.
After the volunteers were done with the exercise, we assembled the responses into our matrix to analyze the data. At the end of the list, I used a formula to calculate the number of tallies we collected for each category. While many volunteers had similar outcomes, a few added unique categories and subcategories. The most significant deviance we observed was how the volunteers sorted “documents” according to type and purpose. This exercise gave us some good insights into how users think and how we should apply this knowledge when creating a controlled vocabulary that would make the most sense organizationally for most users. Understanding the target audience is critical to producing products that would benefit them and provide them with a better user experience.
In INFO 248, I learned about the basics of cataloging and classification. Throughout the semester, I progressively worked on creating MARC records for two given titles. This process taught me about descriptive cataloging, access points and authority control, and subject cataloging. I also learned about the different forms of classification systems, such as the LCC and DDC. These systems are essential to library operations and services as they are used to organize and arrange library resources systematically, making items easy to find and access.
For my final assignment in INFO 281, I was tasked to translate different elements from one metadata schema to another – TEI (Text Encoding Initiative) to MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging) to MODS (Metadata Object Description Schema). Metadata is critical in organizing data and ensuring the objects are findable and accessible. Being able to map out the various elements of different metadata schemas is essential to facilitating interoperability between different systems. In addition, identifying shared standards makes sharing and transferring data possible.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Arranging and organizing library resources in a systematic and logical manner is essential to the storage and accessibility of the resources by both information professionals and users. Without the established standards set by classification and cataloging systems, the use of controlled vocabulary, and various metadata schemas, there would be no consistency in how resources and materials are stored, managed, shared, and preserved. These principles and practices establish what the resources are, where they are located, and how they can be shared with other platforms and institutions.
References
References
Bolin, M. K. (2016). Beginning cataloging and classification. San José State University.
Bolin, M. K. (2022). Metadata, cataloging, linked data, and the evolving ILS. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today:
An introduction (3rd ed., pp. 165–178). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Dublin Core Metadata Initiative. (n.d.). Metadata basics. Dublin Core. Retrieved October 4, 2022, from
https://www.dublincore.org/resources/metadata-basics/
Library of Congress. (n.d.). MODS: Uses and features. Retrieved October 4, 2022, from
https://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/mods- overview.html
Library of Congress. (2009). Understanding MARC bibliographic: Parts 1 to 6.
https://www.loc.gov/marc/umb/um01to06.html
Library of Congress. (2014). Library of Congress classification. https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcc.html
Online Computer Library Center. (2019). Introduction to the Dewey decimal classification.
https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/dewey/versions/print/intro.pdf
Taylor, A. G., & Joudrey, D. N. (2018). Organization and representation of information. In K. Haycock &
M. Romaniuk (Eds.), The portable MLIS (2nd ed., pp. 153–170). Libraries Unlimited.
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