GRADUATE
LIS 703-04
Organization of
Knowledge
SYLLABUS
Fall 2007
September 08 –
Saturday
Michael A. Geeraedts, Instructor
Room 334 Lewis
E-mail: mgeeraedts@dom.edu
Office hours: By
appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Bulletin Description of
the Course: 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 AACR2R, subject headings,
Dewey Decimal Classification, OCLC (Online Computer Library Center), MARC21
formats, and Library of Congress Classification.
Prerequisite or
co-requisite: LIS 701
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:
Taylor,
Arlene G. The Organization of Information.
2nd ed.
Taylor,
Arlene G. Introduction to Cataloging and Classification. 10th ed.
Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd revised edition,
2002 with the 2005 updates.
Saye, Jerry
D. with Bohannan, April T. Manheimer's Cataloging and Classification. 4th
ed. (Revised and expanded).
REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS & SOURCES:
(assigned at class meetings
and in Required Reading sections following)
Catalogers Desktop & Classification Web [access information will be provided]
Joint
Steering Committee for the Revision of AACR2.
FAQ’s.
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/jsc/index.html
Dewey Decimal Classification.
[DDC22] Paper (4 v.) or http://www.oclc.org/dewey/versions/ddc22print/
and WebDewey http://connexion.oclc.org
Sears List of Subject Headings.
18th ed.
Cutter Sanborn Three-Figure Author
Table.
Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov
Library of
Congress Authorities. http://www.authorities.loc.gov
Library of
Congress.
LC Classification Outline & Classification Tables. http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/lcco.html
Library of
Congress Subject Headings. Paper: Room 203.
Available through Classification
Web.
Library of
Congress. MARC21 format.
http://www.loc.gov/marc/bibliographic/ecbdhome.html
Library of
Congress. Understanding MARC Bibliographic.
OCLC. http://www.oclc.org/
OCLC
Bibliographic Formats and Standards.
http://www.oclc.org/bibformats/en/default.shtm
OCLC
Dewey Cutter Program with OCLC Four-Figure Cutter Tables
http://www.oclc.org/dewey/support/program/
“
Search Engine [Wikipedia article] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine
Tillett,
Barbara. What is FRBR?
[access
information, authorization #’s and passwords will be provided via Blackboard.]
>ALSO: See BIBLIOGRAPHY posted after
CLASS SCHEDULE<
BLACKBOARD ACCOUNTS:
An online
Blackboard (http://Blackboard.dom.edu)
has been set up to facilitate the sharing of information, either administrative
or questions about the class content.
Blackboard is accessible only to students currently enrolled in the
course. Instructions on setting up your Blackboard account will be provided
during the first class session.
Discussion Groups will be constructed so we can share questions and
ideas. Please feel free to post Blackboard messages to communicate and share
ideas with each other. Also, contact me
directly if you feel your questions or comments are not appropriate for
Blackboard.
You will be responsible for checking
Blackboard routinely for announcements, clarification of assignments and
general discussion.
Policies regarding completion of
assignments:
It is the
student’s responsibility to complete
assignments and turn them in on time.
Late assignments are strongly discouraged and the grade will lowered one
full grade for each session an assignment is late. If the student has a crisis, s/he must bring
this to my attention immediately if s/he expects any adjustment to the
assignment schedule. I will then decide
on a case-by-case basis if late penalties will be reduced or waived.
Class room policies regarding
attendance and late arrival:
Students
are expected to arrive to class on time and stay for the entire session. You are graduate students and adults and are
responsible for your actions.
Students
who must miss a class due to religious observance, illness or other emergency should
notify me by e-mail before class time.
Students are responsible for obtaining class materials distributed
during their absence, for ensuring their familiarity with the material covered
in class, and for completing any assignments on schedule.
You are
expected to turn off all cell phones and pagers during class.
Statements about consequences for
failure to meet the requirements of the course or classroom policies:
Students
are expected to attend class, read the assigned texts, participate in class discussions,
complete in-class and homework assignments in the time frames stated and to be
present on exam days to turn in their exams.
If problems arise in meeting these expectations, I am willing to work
with you to resolve them but it is your responsibility to tell me if you
are running into difficulties.
If problems continue on an ongoing basis and it becomes apparent to me
that you are unable to meet the criteria for completing this course, the dean
or acting dean will be notified and you will receive an “I”, “WX”, “WF” or “NC”
for the course as is appropriate.
Taping [auditory/visual] of the
class
There will
be no taping [auditory/visual] of the class, except to conform with
Academic Integrity Policy:
“Students
of the university must conduct themselves in accordance with the highest
standards of academic honesty and integrity. Failure to maintain academic
integrity will not be tolerated…” (2007-2008 Student Handbook and Planner,
p.20). Please see the 2007-2008
Student Handbook and Planner for the full statement on academic integrity.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Three of
the “Objectives of the MLIS degree program” are especially relevant to this
course. They are:
1. “Articulating and applying a philosophy of
service that incorporates an awareness of the legacy of libraries and information
centers within our cultures”,
3. “Identifying and analyzing information needs
and opportunities of individuals and organizations, both within the traditional
information service areas as well as the broader information sector” and
5. “Designing, implementing and evaluating
systems, technologies, services and products that connect users with
information”.
In order to
accomplish these objectives, this course will provide students with the ability
to:
(1) Provide both an historical and
current perspective of the organization of knowledge;
(2) Provide an overview of the
principles, methods and systems for describing materials (e.g., AACR2R,
Dublin Core, FRBR, etc.) so that today’s users can find the materials they are
looking for regardless of format;
(3) Provide an overview of
organizational concepts that affect how information can be retrieved/accessed
in order to meet user needs in diverse environments (authority work,
classification schemes);
(4) Provide an overview of various
encoding standards and practices (e.g., MARC21, SGML and its offshoots
(e.g., Dublin Core, HTML, XML) and how
they are used in today’s online environments through online library systems and
the Web;
(5) Describe the above objectives within
a library setting in order to understand how they are relevant to real-life
library operations and administration;
(6) Encourage analytical thinking about
the overlapping organization of knowledge within and outside a library context
by synthesizing, generalizing, and extrapolating concepts facing today’s
library professionals.
ASSIGNMENTS AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS
There are
two types of assignments: one that is
turned in for feedback; the other that is turned in for grading. Each will be identified accordingly in the
Syllabus.
All turned
in assignments (graded and ungraded) must contain a cover sheet with the name
and number of the course, the name and number of the assignment, the date and,
of course, the individual’s name doing the assignment. An example is posted on Blackboard. All assignments must be double-spaced, the
exceptions being AACR2R examples and work forms specially designed for specific
assignments. Please include page numbers.
Additionally, please use nothing smaller than a #10 font size. Further instructions will be given in class.
Because
this is a graduate class and because communication in a variety of formats is
essential to a librarian’s work, you are expected to know how to write. In “knowing how to write”, I include your ability
to construct sentences, paragraphs and essays using correct sentence structure,
grammar and spelling. This involves
taking the time to use spell-checker, re-reading what you wrote, and editing
it. It also includes properly citing
works in bibliographies and notes. I
will deduct points if your work does not meet these criteria.
Any essays
(be it for assignments or for exams) will be evaluated on the following
criteria:
Persuasive presentation of position
(where appropriate)
Supporting reasons are
sufficient and appropriate
Position is effectively
supported
Evidence of reading and
reflection
Clarity of exposition
Logical train of thought
Adequate connections
between ideas, examples, etc.
Quality of writing
Proper grammar, spelling
and sentence structure
Bibliography, as needed
IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION:
Course approach:
Teaching
strategies may include assigned readings, lectures, demonstrations, class
participation, in-class assignments, projects and presentations. Theoretical concepts, practical applications
and technical definitions will typically be presented through class lecture and
assigned readings. Students will then
demonstrate their understanding by applying the concepts to simulated
situations and by presenting these projects orally in class and in
writing.
Participating
in class discussion, both in class and over Blackboard, will be one of the
factors in the final grade. It is
therefore expected that students will not only read the assignments but think about
them and thoughtfully evaluate them.
Questions will be posed to you during the class that will provoke
thought, analysis and evaluation.
ASSESSMENT:
There will
be two exams and a major evaluation during the semester: a mid-term exam, an evaluation of your
cataloging and classification knowledge, and a final exam. All three will be take-home. There will be four other assignments that
will be graded in addition to ungraded assignments. The following describes the composition of
your final grade.
Class participation
(includes Blackboard) 5%
Midterm exam 25%
Ungraded assignments
(total %) 10%
Graded assignments
(averaged) 15%
Cataloging/Classification
evaluation 20%
Final exam 25
%
Grades and Grade Point Equivalents:
The
following grades and their grade point equivalents for the Dominican University
Graduate Schools are:
|
Alpha grade |
Numerical equivalent |
Point span |
|
A |
4.0 |
100-95 |
|
A- |
3.67 |
94-90 |
|
B+ |
3.33 |
89-85 |
|
B |
3.0 |
84-80 |
|
B- |
2.67 |
79-75 |
|
C+ |
2.33 |
74-70 |
|
C |
2.0 |
69-65 |
|
C- |
1.67 |
64 and
below |
|
F |
0.0 |
Below 59 |
Interpretations
of Grades
The faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science
use the following guidelines in their grading:
Numeric
Grade Equivalent Definition
A 4.0
Outstanding achievement.
Student performance
demonstrates full command of the course
materials
and evinces a high level of originality
and/or creativity
that far surpasses
course expectations; nearly flawless work.
A- 3.67 Excellent achievement. Student performance demonstrates thorough
knowledge of the course materials and exceeds course expectations by completing
all requirements in a superior manner.
B+ 3.33 Good solid work. Student performance demonstrates strong
comprehension of the course materials and exceeds course expectations on all
tasks as defined in the course syllabus.
B 3.0 Satisfactory acceptable work. Student performance meets designated course expectations,
demonstrates understanding
of the course materials and performs at an
acceptable level.
B- 2.67 Marginal work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete,
substandard understanding of course materials,
or absence of required work; indicates danger of
falling below acceptable grading standard.
C+ 2.33 Unsatisfactory work. Student performance demonstrates
unsatisfactory understanding of course materials
and inability to meet course requirements.
C 2.0 Unacceptable work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete and
inadequate understanding of
Course materials.
C- 1.67 Poor work.
F 0.0 Failing grade.
CLASS SCHEDULE:
|
DATE |
TOPICS |
ASSIGNED |
ASSIGNMENT |
|
Sept. 08 |
Class Introduction Class Expectations Syllabus Review Blackboard |
|
Assignment 1: Library organization due Sept. 15 [graded]: Visit a library of your
choice. [NOT the Rebecca Crown
Library] [See
Assignment 1 instructions on Blackboard] Write a 4-5 page essay |
|
Sept. 15 |
Class discussion: -- Library visits -- Retrieval Tools -- Knowledge management [Introduction] |
Taylor/Org: Chapters 1, 2, 3 |
Assignment 1 due at the start of class Discussion of observations Assignment 2: Retrieval Tools due Sept. 22 [graded]:
[See
Assignment 2 instructions on Blackboard] Write a 4-5 page essay |
|
Sept. 22 |
How is knowledge organized: -- Library catalogs - Card
catalogs -
OPACs - ILSs Introduction to MARC21 |
Taylor/Org: Chapters 4, 5 Taylor/Cat: Chapters 3, 20 |
Assignment 2 due at the start of class Assignment 3:
Interpreting the MARC21 Format:
Assignment due Oct. 06 [graded]:
Search OCLC WorldCat for three assigned titles. De-code all of the fixed/variable fields, indictors, delimiters and
subfields for two out of the three
records. [See Assignment 3
instructions on Blackboard] |
|
DATE |
TOPICS |
ASSIGNED |
ASSIGNMENT |
|
Sept. 29 |
Discussion of MARC21 Bibliographic Format |
Understanding MARC Bibliographic see URL: www.loc.gov/marc/umb/ [Also listed in reading
list above] |
>Cataloging/Classification assignment/exam [initial discussion] (This assignment is due on
Dec. 01) |
|
Oct. 06 |
Discussion of MARC Bibliographic Format, cont. Other Metadata schemas Introduction to Cataloging Codes |
Taylor/Cat: Chapters 1-2, 4 Saye/Mann: Chapter 1 |
Assignment 3 due at the start of class |
|
Oct. 13 |
Introduction to AACR2R,
part 1 AACR2R: -- Descriptive cataloging - monographs -- Cataloging other resources --
ISBD punctuation Choice and Form of Entry -- AACR2, part 2: Choice and Form of main and added
entries |
AACR2R,
Part 1: Introduction, Chapters 0, 1, 2 AACR2R, Chapters 3-12, 25-26 AACR2R, part 2, chapters 21-24: Choice
and Form of Entry Taylor/Cat: Chapters 6-8 Saye/Mann: Chapter 2,3,4,5 |
Assignment 4: AACR2 / Descriptive Cataloging: Assignment due Oct. 27 [graded]: (1) Examine the 8 areas of
a descriptive cataloging record and their order. (2) Select one book (monograph) of your
choice [non-fiction]. Provide a descriptive
cataloging record for it. (3) Indicate the rules you
used for descriptive cataloging. [Remember to include both general rules
{AACR2R Chapter 1} & those specific to monographs {AACR2R Chapter 2} Provide an OCLC MARC printout for the title. [See Assignment 4
instructions on Blackboard] |
|
DATE |
TOPICS |
ASSIGNED |
ASSIGNMENT |
|
Oct. 20 |
AACR2R: -- Uniform titles -- References -- Authority Control Choice and Form of Entry -- AACR2, part 2: Choice and Form of main and added
entries, cont. |
AACR2R, part 2, chapters 21-24: Choice
and Form of Entry, cont. Taylor/Cat: Chapters 6-8, cont. Saye/Mann: Chapter 2,3,4,5, cont. |
|
|
Oct. 27 |
Choice and Form of Entry -- AACR2, part 2: Choice and Form of main and added
entries, cont -- Authority Control |
AACR2R, part 2, chapters 21-24: Choice
and Form of Entry Taylor/Org:
Chapter 8 Taylor/Cat: Chapters 6-8 Saye/Mann: Chapter 2,3,4 |
Assignment 4 due at the start of class MID-TERM EXAM
DISTRIBUTED – DUE NOV. 03 |
|
Nov. 03 DATE |
Life after AACR2 -- FRBR -- Resource
Description and Access Subject analysis: -- Indexing and searching systems -- Full-text natural languages vs.
controlled vocabulary Sears Subject Headings TOPICS |