The unit explores conceptual models to describe the universe of information, various principles for description and access, and the basic descriptive metadata elements that are used to create records for information resources. It also explores the need for authority control, cross-references, authority records, and some of the tools used to maintain consistency in metadata. Topics addressed include descriptive elements, IFLA LRM, RDA, Dublin Core, bibliographic relationships, and choosing access points for works and expressions.
- Explain why we describe resources.
- Articulate the basics of the IFLA LRM model and discuss their consequences for resource description.
- Identify metadata concerns that are common across different information communities.
- Identify common attributes for description.
- Explain the role of access points in making metadata records available to users.
- Use RDA to choose access points for works.
- Create a Dublin Core descriptive record according to best practices.
- Connect the efficient and appropriate description of resources with the effect this has on a user's ability to find, identify, select, obtain, and explore a collection.
- Navigate within the RDA Toolkit.
- Find and apply rules contained in RDA.
- Describe ISBD and how the elements of ISBD appear in a catalog record.
- Explain how authority control affects collocation within information retrieval systems.
- Interpret authority records and define how cross-references are used to connect variant forms of names within a record.
- Use the Library of Congress Name Authority File (LCNAF) to search for and find authorized names for bibliographic entities.
- Why do we describe resources?
- What is IFLA LRM?
- What metadata concerns are common across communities?
- What attributes are common?
- What is a resource description/metadata record?
- How are metadata records made available to users via access points?
- What is authority control?
- How do access points affect collocation?
- How does authority control affect collocation?
Week 1: Conceptual Models and Principles
Joudrey, The Organization of Information, Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 (through Section 8.2.5)
Banerjee, "The Linked Data Myth"
And please read/watch at least one of the following:
- Myntti, "Linked Data," The Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science
- Sporny, "What is Linked Data?" on YouTube
Week 2: Description and Access
Joudrey, The Organization of Information, Chapter 8 (from Section 8.3 to end of the chapter)
Meissner, Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts, Chapters 2 and 3 and examples
Week 3: Authority Control
Joudrey, The Organization of Information, Chapter 10 (sections 10.1 to 10.2.2 and section 10.2.4)
Billey, "Just Because We Can, Doesn't Mean We Should"
And please read at least one of the following:
- Thompson, "More Than a Name: A Content Analysis of Name Authority Records for Authors Who Self-identify as Trans"
- PCC, "Revised Report on Recording Gender in Personal Name Authority Records"
Week 4: Standards for Description, Access, and Authority Control
Joudrey, The Organization of Information, Chapter 9 (sections 9.1 to 9.2; skim 9.3 to end of chapter); Skim Chapter 10 (section 10.2.3 and 10.2.5 to the end of the chapter)
Explore:
- Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
- RDA: Resource Description and Access [access through Moodle]
- Baca, Cataloguing Cultural Objects: A Guide to Describing Cultural Works and Their Images
- Cataloging Ethics Steering Committee, Cataloguing Code of Ethics
- CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model: http://cidoc-crm.org/
- EAC-CPF, Encoded Archival Context
- Getty, Categories for the Description of Works of Art (CDWA)
- IFLA, International Standard Bibliographic Description
- IFLA, Statement of International Cataloguing Principles
- Jeng, "What Authority? Why Control?"
- Johnson, "Where is Authority Control When We Need It?"
- Joudrey, Introduction to Cataloging & Classification, 11th ed., Chapter 10
- LinkedDataTools.com, "Introducing Linked Data and the Semantic Web"
- Miller, Metadata for Digital Collections
- ONIX International, ONIX for Books
- PCC Authority Control FAQ [in Moodle]
- Society of American Archivists, DACS Primer 1: What is Archival Description? and DACS Primer 2: Principles of Archival Description [videos]
- Tauberer, "What is RDF?"
- TEI Consortium, Text Encoding Initiative
- Visual Resource Association, "VRA Core 4.0"
- Wisser, "Describing Entities and Identities: The Development and Structure of EAC-CPF"
- W3C, "Metadata Activity Statement" http://www.w3.org/Metadata/Activity.html
- W3C, RDF https://www.w3.org/RDF/
- W3C, Semantic Web FAQ http://www.w3.org/RDF/FAQ
- Duff and Thibodeau, "International Standards for Archival Description"
- Escolano Rodriguez, "Descriptive Cataloging Principles"
- Evans, McKemmish, and Reed, "Archival Arrangement and Description"
- Gatenby and Smith-Yoshimura, "Name Authority Control"
- Gibbins and Shadbolt, "RDF"
- Haak, "ORCID"
- Krummel, "Bibliography"
- O'Keefe and Oldal, "Cataloging Cultural Objects (CCO)"
- Vanhoutte and Van den Branden, "Text Encoding Initiative (TEI)"
- Weibel, "Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI): A Personal History"