LIS 417: Subject Cataloging and Classification Syllabus

Contact Information

Instructor: Daniel N. Joudrey
E-mail: joudrey@simmons.edu
Office: B-204J

Office: B-204J (Palace Road bldg.)
Phone: (617) 521-2863
Pronouns: he/him/his

Class times: 
Tuesday, 2pm-5pm (via Zoom)

Office Hours: by appointment

Important Syllabus Links:


Course Information

Course Description: This course addresses the theories, principles, and practices of subject cataloging and classification. It covers the application of national standards to the creation of bibliographic records and to the construction of catalogs in libraries and other information environments. It teaches the concepts of subject cataloging including: understanding the various approaches to and pitfalls in determining aboutness; the theoretical foundations, structure, and the application of Libray of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) in subject cataloging; the application of the policies in the LC Subject Headings Manual; and complex number building in Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) and Library of Congress Classification (LCC). The course also includes examinations of the history and theoretical foundations of subject cataloging and classification and explores other subject access systems from around the world. May include readings, discussions, presentations, exams, and written exercises.


Pre-requisite: LIS 415 Information Organization

Audience: Advanced; all kinds of libraries, archives, and other information institutions; those interested in working in cataloging, metadata services, library automation, technical services, and companies providing bibliographic services.


These outcomes are assessed in the course:

1. Apply professional standards, tools, and best practices in the information field and across specialized areas.

2. Communicate effectively across different audiences.

5. Demonstrate the technological skills required to help information professionals and organizations achieve their goals.

Students are also exposed to this outcome in the course:

7. Be guided by professional ethics and values.


Course Learning Outcomes At the end of this course, students will be able to:

A. Use key standards and tools in subject cataloging.

B. Apply the core concepts, principles, and objectives of subject cataloging.

C. Demonstrate basic skills in determining aboutness.

D. Demonstrate basic skills in applying controlled vocabulary.

E. Demonstrate basic skills in applying classification schemes.

F. Understand the relationship between subject cataloging and information discovery.

G. Understand the role of subject cataloging in library and information science (LIS).

H. Use the vocabulary commonly associated with subject cataloging.


Course Structure

The course may consist of any of the following:
  • readings
  • lectures (online and face-to-face)
  • homework assignments
  • discussions
  • discussion board postings
  • in-class and take-home exercises
  • lab sessions
  • book reviews
  • presentations or other group projects


Textbooks

Required: Daniel N. Joudrey, Arlene G. Taylor, and David P. Miller, Introduction to Cataloging and Classification, 11th edition (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio/Libraries Unlimited, 2015).


Grading Scale

 

For some assignments, letter grades will be used and for others you will receive grades based on percentages.
Letter Grade Meaning Percentage Equivalents
A Excellent Performance 94 - 100 %
A- Very Good Performance 90 - 93 %
B+ Good Performance 87 - 89 %
B Satisfactory Performance 84 - 86 %
B- Marginal Performance 80 - 83 %
C+  Unsatisfactory Performance 77 - 79 %
C 74 - 76 %       
C- 70 - 73 %
D+ 67 - 69 %
D 64 - 66 %       
D- 60 - 63 %
F Failing Performance Below 60 %    

Course Outline


Course Rules!


Communication information

Email is the best way to contact me. I will respond as soon as possible. Please include LIS 417 in the subject line of the email to ensure it grabs my attention.

When I email you, I will use your official simmons.edu address. To avoid missing important messages, make sure that you are checking your Simmons email regularly or that you have it set up to forward to an account that you are checking regularly.

 

Expectations and Requirements

At a minimum, students are expected to:

  • attend each class and each lab session
  • be prepared for class
  • read the required materials
  • watch the required video materials  
  • participate in the in-class exercises                                                  
  • complete all homework assignments on time
  • participate fully in group or partnered activities
  • check e-mail
  • participate in the class's Moodle site
  • make every effort to master the material


Attendance

Regular class attendance is expected. Roll will be taken each week. You should be in class on time (or early), and stay through the end of class. Habitual tardiness and unexcused absences will lower your participation grade.

Sometimes missing class is unavoidable. Students who must miss a class due to religious observance, work obligations, illness, or family emergency should notify the instructor by e-mail before class time.


The Zoom Classroom

For this course, Zoom is our classroom and should be treated as such. We should respect ouf learning space. Behaviors/activities that are inappropriate for an on-campus course should be avoided for a Zoom-based class as well. Although this course is being taught online, it is a synchronous class. That means students are expected to be seated in the Zoom classroom on the dates and times listed in the course schedule.

Students are expected to be in a safe and somewhat private environment while in the Zoom classroom. Students need to be in a space where they can listen closely, take notes, participate in group exercises, speak freely and audibly, and so on. In short, they need to be in an environment conducive to learning. This means, during class time, students should not be driving a car, running errands, eating in a restaurant, etc.

For online synchronous courses, it is important for students to have stable Internet connections and reliable computing equipment. Live-streaming requires a certain amount of bandwidth and computing power. Zoom's help center is found here. Many in-class activities will require opening multiple windows and using information tools with varying levels of success regarding adaptive design. The small screens of smartphones and tablets are often inadequate for completing the activities. If reliable Internet access and computing equipment are issues, online synchronous courses may prove to be a difficult mode of delivery. If you are having issues with Internet access and/or computing equipment, you may wish to contact Simmons Technology for advice on how to mitigate these issues.

I typically do not record the class sessions in Zoom. If a student knows they will be absent, the professor may record the session for later viewing, upon request.

I do not require students to be on-screen during the entire class period. I do encourage students to turn on their cameras at the beginning and end of class to say hello/goodbye and to be on camera with each other while working on exercises. This is a recommendation, not a requirement.


 Assignments

The assignments for the term reflect the ideas and activities that were addressed in readings, discussed in lectures (live and video), and practiced in the lab sessions and in-class exercises. Assignments may address both conceptual and practical aspects of subject cataloging and classification. While you are working on assignments, it can be helpful to review your notes from class and the online videos.

Throughout the term you will be working individually, in pairs, and in groups. Paired assignments are to be done only with your partner, not in larger groups. Only one version of the assignment will be submitted from each pair with your agreed-upon answers. Some assignments may have randomly assigned partners. For the others, you will find a partner yourself (there is a "Find a Partner" discussion board in Moodle).

Due dates for assignments are included in this syllabus. Assignments are generally due 1 or 2 weeks after being distributed. For larger projects, you will have more time. If you are unsure or confused about what is expected in an assignment, please ask questions. You are encouraged to ask for assistance with assignments when needed. If I don't hear from you, I will assume you know what you are doing. Please do not wait until the night before an assignment is due to contact me with questions related to assignments. This substantially decreases the odds that I will get your message and be able to respond in time to assist you before the deadline. Please get into the habit of starting your assignments early. 

Please review your work before turning it in to your instructor. If there are missing pages or missing answers, you will lose points for the missing portions of the assignment. You are expected to successfully complete every assignment in the semester. There are no make-up or extra credit assignments in this class.

Assignments are to be submitted via email. Please turn your assignment in by 9 am on the day the assignment is due. All submissions must be in the form of Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx only; no PDFs or links to Google Docs, please) unless otherwise specified. If you use word processing software other than MS Word, then please make sure that you submit assignments that have been converted to the approved format.

Please use the following document-naming formula for your submitted files:  

 Last-Name1-Last-Name2_LIS417_Assignment.FileExtension

The last names should be in alphabetical order. For example, when you and a partner submit the first assignment, the file name should look similar to this:

Jones-Smith_LIS417_LCSH-Pt1.docx  

Graded assignments typically will be returned to students two weeks after submission. Although there is never enough time to go through the answers of the graded assignments during class time, you will receive extensive feedback on your submitted assignments. And, I will gladly meet with you to discuss any problems or questions you might have about your returned assignments. 


Late Policy 

I am very serious about deadlines. Deadlines in the workplace are consequential; missing deadlines can have an impact on your livelihood. So, in this class, all assignments are to be completed and submitted on time. Late assignments will not be accepted. If you do not complete or turn in an assignment on the due date, you will receive a zero for that assignment. As you will be working with partners for much of the semester, your habits can affect others as well. Please stay on top of the work.

Reminder: There are no extensions, no make-up work, and no exceptions. This is an advanced course; you are expected to have your work done on time.


Incompletes

Students who become ill, have a medical emergency, a death in the immediate family, extreme hardship, or unusual circumstances may request an incomplete from the instructor. Students must be performing at a passing level to be considered eligible for an incomplete. Students must work with the SLIS Program Manager in order to request an incomplete. If approval is granted, the incomplete must be finished before the first week of the following term (e.g., if you take an incomplete in the spring semester, you must finish the incomplete before summer classes begin). If the incomplete is not finished by the deadline, you will receive zeros in all outstanding assignments.


SLIS Student Policies

You can access the SLIS Student Handbook for more information about various SLIS policies.


Simmons University  Policies about:

Academic Integrity 

Accessibility Services 

Sexual Harassment Policy 

and Absence due to COVID-19 Diagnosis

For information regarding these policies, please see the Syllabus Policies website at https://internal.simmons.edu/students/academics/syllabus-policies.


Other Information

Land Acknowledgment: Simmons SLIS recognizes that the land on which we work and study is the rightful heritage of peoples known, including the Massachusett, Pawtucket, Pocumtuc, Nonotuck, and Nipmuck peoples, as well as peoples unknown to us. We gratefully respect not only their attachment and claim to the land, but the centuries of stewardship which allows us and our institution to prosper here. As grateful, but uninvited guests on this land, we will continue to work to be accountable to the needs of Native American and Indigenous peoples.

Changes to the Syllabus: This syllabus is not a contract. The instructor reserves the right to alter the course requirements, schedule, and/or assignments based on new materials, class discussions, or other legitimate pedagogical objectives. Students will be given notice of relevant changes in class or via e-mail.

Digital Student Products: Any digital work produced in this course and maintained on a Simmons server will be erased 90 days after the end of the course. In some cases, a 30-day extension is available with the permission of the SLIS Tech Manager. SLIS Students are ultimately responsible for preserving the longevity of their digital coursework. You can do this most effectively by using the resources that are made available from SLIS Tech or SLIS faculty.

Copying of Student Products: Unless the student indicates otherwise by e-mail to the instructor, the instructor may be collecting copies of student work for use in the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or the COA accreditation processes. Student names will be removed from the student work prior to use.