LIS-S 503 Organization and Representation of Knowledge and Information
3 credits
- Prerequisite(s): LIS-S 500, LIS-S 507
- Delivery: Online
- Semesters offered: Fall, Spring, Summer (Check the schedule to confirm.)
Description
The representation and organization of information resources is a primary focus of the information profession. Organizational and representational structures such as classification schemes, indexes, and catalogs have been devised to provide access to information. The recent explosive growth in both the number and variety of information resources underscores the continuing need for application of effective methods of representation and organization. This course introduces students to various approaches to the understanding, organization, representation, and use of information. The goal is to identify criteria for evaluation and improvement of ways to organize and represent information for future retrieval in theory and in practice.
Program Learning Goals Supported
Instructors map their courses to specific LIS Program Goals. Mapped program goals drive the design of each course and what students can expect to generally learn.
- Facilitate Engagement in the Information Ecosystem
- Organize and Represent Information
- Innovate Professional Practice with Information Services and Technology
Learning Outcomes
Instructors develop learning outcomes for their courses. Students can expect to be able to achieve the learning outcomes for a given course after successfully completing the course.
- Assess the necessity for information organization and appreciate the historical development of processes and techniques in organizing recorded information.
- Analyze the basic principles and functions of retrieval tools and the role of systems and system design in retrieval of information.
- Design models for recording metadata as RDA elements for MARC21 records and crosswalks for Dublin Core and MODS.
- Analyze resources for subject content and create aboutness statements.
- Translate subject terms into authorized headings, see, and see also references for personal, corporate, and geographic names.
- Assign authorized subject headings according to the online version of the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) list with corresponding DDC and LCC.
- Develop a model to demonstrate the Linked Data concept for the semantic Web.
- Express the principles of consistency and authority control in authorized access points and compare them to user-created tagging.
Course Overview
Instruction is in Canvas. Lessons are organized into Modules whose length may vary.
Module 1: Organization of Recorded Information
- Exploring the nature of information and defining information resources
- Elements of an information resource
- Major activities involved in organization recorded information
- User-focused organization
- Organization of information in various contexts: libraries, archives, museums, online, digital, information architecture, indexing/abstracting, records management, personal information management, knowledge management
Module 2: Development of the Organization of Recorded Information in the Western Civilization
- Organization in times of antiquity, the middle ages, the European Renaissance
- The development of catalogs, and other organization methods
- The evolution of cataloging standards and classification systems
- Comparing today’s organization methods with previous methods
- Automation of library organization the the development of computerized bibliographic networks
Module 3: Retrieval Tools
- Bibliographies
- Catalogs
- Indexes
- Finding Aids
- Registers
- Search engines
- Distinguishing, identifying, and comparing various retrieval tools
Module 4: System and System Design
- Databases
- Bibliographic networks
- Integrated Library Systems (ILSs)
- System design
- Searching methods
- Retrieval models
- Standardization and display
- Federated searching
- Discovery layers
Module 5: Introduction to Metadata
- Components of metadata
- Categories of metadata: descriptive, administrative, technical, preservation, rights and access, structural
- Metadata management tools: Application profiles, metadata registries, crosswalks
- Metadata models:
- LRM: User tasks, entities, attributes, relationships
Module 6: The Semantic Web and Linked Data
- Resource Description Framework (RDF)
- RDF Triples (subject, predicate, object)
- Datasets
- URIs versus text strings
- Library of Congress Linked Data
- Creating RDF triple statements for resources and relating them to other resources via common URIs.
- Exploring how library retrieval can benefit from the development of linked data systems and BIBFRAME
Module 7: Encoding Standards
- Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC)
- MARC structure: fields, indicators, subfields, leader, fixed fields, variable fields
- Other encoding standards
- Possibility of BIBFRAME as a future encoding standards
Module 8: Resource Description (RDA)
- Applying RDA standards to the description of information resources
- Modes of issuance
- Source of information
- Identifying elements: title, edition, physical description, creators and contributors
- Core elements
- Recording methods: unstructured description, structured description, identifier, URI/IRI
Module 9: Resource Description (other standards)
- Dublin Core
- MODs
- Archives standards: ISAD(G), DACS
- TEI, CCO, VRA Core, CDWA, ONIX
- Mapping RDA and MARC to Dublin Core and MODs
- Developing crosswalks
Module 10: Access and Authority Control
- Access points
- Authority control and authorized access points (AAPs)
- The process of authority work and creating AAPs
- Authority Files: Library of Congress Subject Headings, LC Name Headings, LC Genre/Form Terms
- Folksonomy and user-created tagging
- Comparing and contrasting authority control and folksonomy
- Exploring bias in authorized headings and tagging
Module 11: Subject Analysis
- Determining the aboutness of a resource
- Challenges in subject analysis: cultural differences, consistency, non-textual information, exhaustivity, objectivity
- Various methods used to determine aboutness
- Conceptual analysis process: resource examination, content examination, identification of concepts, content characteristics
- Writing an aboutness statement
Module 12: Systems for Vocabulary Control
- Search the LC Authorities database for authorized name, corporate name, subject, and geographic headings
- Determining the correct heading to apply to a particular resource
- Broader terms, narrower terms, related terms, see also notes, use for terms
- Using references to find authorized headings
Module 13: Systems for Categorization/Classification
- Assigning classifications to resources
- Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
- Library of Congress Classification (LCC)
- Cutter numbers
- Using an ILS
- Importing a MARC record into Koha, creating an item record, assigning a classification and Cutter
Module 14: Description of a Resource
- Creating a complete description of a resource using RDA description, Linked Data structure, MARC encoding, subject analysis, and classification.
Policies and Procedures
Please be aware of the following linked policies and procedures. Note that in individual courses instructors will have stipulations specific to their course.