LIS512/Syllabus/1
Long Island University
Palmer School of Library & Information Science
LIS512 Introduction to Knowledge Organization
Fall 2010
SYLLABUS
Instructor:
Rick J. Block
Head, Special Collections and Metadata Cataloging
Columbia University
102A Butler Library
535 W. 114th St., MC 1111
New York, NY 10027
Telephone: 212-854-2237
FAX: 212-854-5167
E-mail:rickblock59@gmail.com
Textbook:
Taylor, Arlene G. The Organization of Information. 3rd ed. Westport,
Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2009. (cited as Taylor)
Course Website:
http://www.columbia.edu/~rjb57/lis512.html
Course Description:
"Basic principles of knowledge organization. Emphasizes understanding
the function of catalogs, indexes, bibliographies and Web browsers, and
acquiring the ability to use and interpret these tools effectively.
Introduction to bibliographic utilities, online catalogs and indexes, world
wide web, metadata and the Dublin Core, MARC formats, AngloAmerican Cataloguing Rules, Library of Congress Subject Headings,
Sears List of Subject Headings, Dewey Decimal Classification, Library of
Congress Classification."
Objectives:
At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of basic concepts and principles of
knowledge organization.
2. Recognize different approaches to cataloging using various metadata
schemes.
3. Utilize selected tools properly for cataloging and classification
(including AACR2, ISBD, MARC21, DDC, LCC, LCSH and Sears
Subject Headings)
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the descriptive and subject
cataloging and classification of information-bearing entities, and
appreciate their role and importance in information retrieval and
organization.
LIS512/Syllabus/2
Grading:
Homework assignments
40%
Complete 8 exercises designed to help you develop and apply
knowledge and skills of the organization of knowledge. Exercises are
ungraded; each completed exercise counts for 5% of grade.
Take home exam
30%
Complete take home exam. Exam will be combination of multiple
choice, matching and short essay.
Catalog comparison paper
25%
Write a 5 page paper in which you evaluate two web-based
catalogs.
Class participation
5%
Attend each class and participate in class discussions.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
Sept. 7
Introduction to information retrieval and bibliographic control
Systems for bibliographic control
Forms and functions of bibliographic sources
Sept. 14
MARC 21 format
Bibliographic record
Searching the online catalog
Read:
Taylor, chpts. 1 and 2
Taylor, Arlene G. “The Information Universe: Will We Have Chaos or
Control.” American Libraries 25, no. 7 (July/August 1994): 629-632.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/taylorchaos.pdf
Furrie, Betty. Understanding MARC Bibliographic: Machine-Readable
Cataloging. 8th ed. (2009). Available online:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/marc/umb/
LIS512/Syllabus/3
Sept. 21
History of bibliographic control
Searching bibliographic utilities
Read:
Taylor, chpt. 3
Osborn, Andrew. "The Crisis in Cataloging." Library Quarterly 11 (Oct.
1941): 393-411.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/crisis.pdf
DUE: Assignment 1
Sept. 28
World Wide Web
Metadata
Read:
Taylor, chpt. 4, 5 and 8 (p. 285-292)
Gaynor, Edward. "From MARC to Markup: SGML and Online Library
Systems." Available online:
http://xml.coverpages.org/gaynorMARC96.html
Gorman, Michael., Cataloguing in an Electronic Age. Cataloging &
Classification Quarterly. Vol. 36, no. ¾ (2003): p. 5-17.
http://www.columbia.edu/~rjb57/electronic.pdf
Eversberg, Bernard. “On the Theory of Library Catalogs and Search
Engines.” Supplementing the talk on "Principles and Goals of
Cataloging", German Librarians' Annual Conference Augsburg 2002.
October 2005.
http://www.allegro-c.de/formate/tlcse.htm
“Understanding Metadata.” Available online at:
http://www.niso.org/standards/resources/UnderstandingMetadata.pdf
Optionally read:
Hodge, Gail. “Metadata Made Simpler.” Available online:
http://download.www.techstreet.com/cgi-bin/pdf/free/333983/Metadata_Bklt.pdf
DUE: Assignment 2
LIS512/Syllabus/4
Oct. 5
Description of bibliographic items
Read:
Taylor, chpt. 7
AACR2: skim chpts. 1-13 (available via Cataloger’s Desktop)
Levy, David M. "Cataloging in the Digital Order." Paper presented at
Digital Libraries '95: The Second Annual Conference on the Theory and
Practice of Digital Libraries, June 11-13, 1995, Austin, Texas.
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/DL95/papers/levy/levy.html
Due: Assignment 3
Oct. 19
Access points for intellectual entities
Authority control
Read:
Taylor, chpt. 8
Authority Control (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authority_control
AACR2: skim chpts. 21-26 (available via Cataloger’s Desktop)
Browse:
Basic Authority Control Terms for Novices
http://ac.bslw.com/community/blog/2009/07/basic-authority-control-terms-for-novices/
Understanding MARC Authority Records
http://www.loc.gov/marc/uma/
Due: Assignment 4
LIS512/Syllabus/5
Oct. 26
Introduction to subject analysis
Abstracting
Principles of vocabulary control
Read:
Taylor, chpt. 9 and appendix A
Leise, Fred, Karl Fast, Mike Steckel. (2002). "What Is a Controlled
Vocabulary?" Boxes and Arrows, 16 December 2002:
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/what_is_a_controlled_vocabulary_
Fox, Chiara. “Tagging vs. Cataloging: What It’s All About.”
http://www.adaptivepath.com/publications/essays/archives/000695print.php
Nov. 2
NO CLASS: Election Day
Nov. 9
Verbal systems for subject indexing
Sears List of Subject Headings
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Read:
Taylor, chpt. 10
Thomas Mann, "Subject headings and the library catalog," in Thomas
Mann, The Oxford Guide to Library Research (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1998), 16-45
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/mann.pdf
Mann, Thomas. “Why LC Subject Headings are More Important Than
Ever.” American Libraries. October 2003.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/mann2.pdf
Kornegay, Becky, Heidi Buchanan & Hiddy Morgan. “Amazing, Magic
Searches!”
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6277396.html
Dolan, Jon. "Bad Rap" in City Pages (Minneapolis, MN), Nov. 25, 1998,
p. 10.
http://www.citypages.com/1998-11-25/books/bad-rap/
Due: Assignment 5
LIS512/Syllabus/6
Nov. 16
Classification
Dewey Decimal Classification
Read:
Taylor, chpt. 11 and appendix B
What's So Great About the Dewey Decimal System?
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdeweydecimal.html
Build the Open Shelves Classification (LibraryThing)
http://www.librarything.com/thingology/2008/07/build-open-shelvesclassification.php
Due: Assignment 6
Nov. 23
Library of Congress Classification
Read:
Gorman, Michael. "The Longer the Number, the Smaller the Spine; or,
Up and Down with Melvil and Elsie." American Libraries 12 (Sept. 1981):
498-499.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/longer.pdf
Due: Assignment 7
Nov. 30
Arrangement of bibliographic sources
Structure of bibliographic databases
Bibliographic relationships
Read:
Taylor, chpt. 6 and appendix C
Beacom, Matthew. "Crossing a Digital Divide: AACR2 and Unaddressed
Problems of Networked Resources." Paper presented at the Library of
Congress Bicentennial Conference on Bibliographic Control for the New
Millennium, November 15-17, 2000. Available online:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/beacom_paper.html
LIS512/Syllabus/7
Danskin, Alan and Ann Chapman. “Bibliographic Records in the
Computer Age.” Library and Information Update. (September 2003).
Available online:
http://opus.bath.ac.uk/11321/1/update-2003-frbr_11321.doc
Due: Assignment 8 and Take home exam
Dec. 7
Guest speaker Alex Thurman,
Web Collection Curator, Columbia University
Future of knowledge organization
Cataloging as a career
Read:
Training Catalogers: a Checklist for Managers and Trainers
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alcts/resources/org/cat/traincats.pdf
“Preparing for a Cataloging Career: From Cataloging to Knowledge
Management”
http://www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/education/1stcongressonpro/1stco
ngresspreparing.cfm
McCallum, Sally. "Extending MARC for Bibliographic Control in the
Web Environment: Challenges and Alternatives." Paper presented at the
Library of Congress Bicentennial Conference on Bibliographic Control
for the New Millennium, November 15-17, 2000. Available online:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/mccallum_paper.html. And:
Comments by Paul Weiss:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/weiss_paper.html.
Due: Catalog comparison paper (email to: rickblock59@gmail.com)
LIS512/Syllabus/8
Taylor
reading for:
2009 edition
2004 Edition
1999 Edition
Sept. 14
chpt. 1 and 2
chpts. 1 and 2
chpts. 1 and 2
Sept. 21
chtp. 3
chpt. 3
chpt. 3
Sept. 28
chtp. 4, 5 and 8,
p.285-292
chpts. 4 and 6
chpt. 4
Oct. 5
chpt. 7
chpt. 7
chpt. 5
Oct. 12
chpt. 8
chpt. 8
chpt. 6
Oct. 19
chpt. 9
Appendix A
chpt. 9
chpt. 7,
p. 131-143
Oct. 26
chpt. 10
chpt. 10, p. 261-277 chpt. 7,
p. 143-158
Nov. 9
chtp. 11 and
Appendix B
chpt. 11, p. 297-311 chpt. 8,
p. 173-192
Nov. 23
chpt. 6 and
Appendix C
chpt. 5 and 12
chpt. 9 and 10