Core Competency G: Demonstrate understanding of basic principles and standards
involved in organizing information such as classification and controlled vocabulary systems,
cataloging systems, metadata schemas or other systems for making information
accessible to a particular clientele.
Introduction
Librarians use the Dewey Decimal System to label and organize books and DVDs, magazines, journals and other materials. However, there are back end programs like the OCLC or Ohio College Library Center database that helps to organize the Dewey Decimal System online for other librarians to find what they are looking for. This is a global effort to organize cloud-based and library-based information.
Classification and Controlled Vocabulary Systems
The most used classification system is the Dewey Decimal System and vocabulary systems like what the MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging) database uses. Librarians use these systems with subject headings that describe what a person is looking for. A person can use broad terms or narrower terms to find what they need. These are called indexing the subject headings of a book or DVD for instance. Librarians then catalog these books or DVDs or materials on shelves using a call number from the Dewey Decimal System. Marcia Bates says indexing language, “Presents information on a study which looked at indexing and access to digital libraries and the Internet. Factors important in the design of access mechanisms; Skills of an indexer; Reference to previous literature; Information on folk classification” (Bates, 1998). In easier terms, indexing using controlled vocabulary (consistent subject terms and synonyms of those terms) and language will get you to where you need to go. The more precise the vocabulary the quicker the subject you are looking for will appear in the search results.
Cataloging Systems
When looking on a computer to find information at the library there are cataloging systems that get used. “In the 1970s, the Ohio College Library Center (OCLC) became the basis for the current OCLC database, which has tens of millions of records and more than 25,000 member libraries worldwide. OCLC provides many services, but the heart of its services is the WorldCat database, which reflects the collections of the member libraries” (Bolin, 2024). The Dewey Decimal System is what is used on the front end of the library’s system. This is what is used to locate books or DVDs on the library shelves. OCLC is a library management system that uses a vocabulary that’s called MARC or Machine Readable Cataloging. Information that OCLC and WorldCat use includes the title, author, and other bibliographic data for library visitors to find what they need using MARC language.
Metadata Schemas
Metadata is specific terms, language, and information about a subject. Metadata schemas are like trees, they start with a subject word and then branch out to other subjects or synonyms. One metadata schema processor is Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC). The language used with MARC are titles, authors, and keywords. Bolin says “Metadata is the structured data that is used to give access to information and resources” (Bolin, 2024). Metadata keeps subjects organized into connecting or related synonyms. This keeps subject information cohesive on digital cataloging systems like OCLC. A librarian or library user can enter a keyword or other information and that will lead you to a call number to find books, journals, DVDs and other materials.
Evidence
1 – INFO 202: Information Retrieval System Design: Exercise 2 Worksheets
The first piece of evidence for Competency G is for classification and controlled vocabulary systems. What I was to do was to fill in a worksheet that turned concepts into draft terms and then into a final list. First, for an example, in the left column I used the words “Commercial titles, E-books, Electronic books” and answered the question if it is significant enough to be a descriptor. Then I was to answer the question: is it a term that people will actually want to search for? I crossed out the term commercial titles and electronic books. I kept e-books. I kept e-books because that is a more popular term than electronic books and commercial titles. I replaced those words with e-books, literature, school media centers, software, and websites. These are terms that are more popular to search for. If a visitor were to type these terms into the library search engine, the DDC or LC would turn up e-books, literature, school media centers, software, and websites for search terms individually. For instance, typing in e-books turns up Gutenberg: Free eBooks. The way the term looks (e-books to eBooks) is different but the meaning is the same. Finding materials based on the above keywords makes it easy with a DDC or LC search. After that search, a call number will come up and the librarian or visitor will be able to find the book on the shelf. Or, the librarian will use the MARC system to input subject headings into the library’s system along with a DDC and LC number and letter system in order to input new books for future searches.
2 – INFO 248: Beginning Cataloging and Classification: Cataloging Descriptive MARC Record Set (5 Books)
For my second piece of evidence with Competency G I will discuss cataloging and classification systems. A cataloging system like MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging) database is the language that librarians use to submit or search for specific authors, books, publishers, or subjects. I did a project where I was to input five books into the MARC database and add their information – the coded numbers to the left as well as entering to the right – the author, title, publisher, spine length, editions, publishing date, how many pages, copyright date, and whether they had pictures or not. Here is an example of what the cataloging system looks like for a book using the MARC system:
“Book 3:
040 CTA $b $e rda $c CTA
049 CTAA
245 14 $a Brujeria : $b The Ultimate Guide to Folk Magic and Witchcraft in Latin America / $c Mari Silva
250 First edition
264 1 $a Las Vegas, NV : $b [publisher not identified], $c 2022
264 4 $a ©2022
300 129 pages ; $d 22 cm
336 text $2 rdacontent
337 unmediated $2 rdamedia
338 no volume $2 rdacarrier
504 Includes bibliographical references”
As you can see it is full of codes that librarians get familiar with. It still confuses me a bit. But, MARC is used with OCLC and is the cataloging and classification system I used like a language. 245 would be the title and statement of responsibility or, book and author’s code. Which to me, is the most important part of the classification system.
3 – INFO 248: Beginning Cataloging and Classification: Beginning Cataloging and Classification: Access Points-Authority Control MARC Record Set (10 books)
For my third piece of evidence for Competency G I will focus on Beginning Cataloging and Classification: Access Points-Authority Control MARC Record Set (10 books). I used Machine Readable Cataloging or MARC to submit ten books into a database called OCLC or Online Computer Library Center. Each number to the left means something. 100 means the author information. While 100 $d stands for the author’s life and death date. 245 means the title of the book goes there. While 10$a stands for the main title. 250 is for the edition number. 264 $b is supposed to be for the publisher name. 264 4$ is the copyright year. 300 is the number of pages and 300 $c is the spine length in centimeters.
Book 10: Descriptive Cataloging Record Set
040 CTA $b $e rda $c CTA
049 CTAA
100 Ram Dass, Baba $d 1931-2019 $e author.
245 10 $a Remember: Be Here Now / $c Baba Ram Das or Dr. Richard Alpert, Ph.D
250 85th edition
264 1 New York : $b Harmony Books, $c 1978.
264 4 © 1978
300 121 pages : $b Lama Foundation ; $c 8 cm
336 text $2 rdacontent
337 unmediated $2 rdamedia
338 volume $2 rdacarrier
490 0 Spirituality
504 Includes bibliographical references
What was really interesting to me was the 490 number which is the subject of the book and how it is classified. Also interesting was that it had 85 editions! Which means it had been reprinted numerous times. All of this is like a language that I have yet to master. I can see why librarians enter new books into the OCLC system. However, there is some research that needs to be done before entering in new information into the system so there are no redundancies. This MARC information is strictly for librarians and not for library visitors.
Conclusion
Discussing classification systems like the Dewey Decimal System and vocabulary systems help librarians and library patrons narrow their searches. While cataloging systems like the Ohio College Library Center (OCLC) and Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC) help to organize metadata. And, I explained how metadata schemas, or vocabulary or subject trees, are specific terms and synonyms in language.
References
Bates, M. J. (1998). Indexing and Access for digital libraries and the internet: Human, database, and domain factors. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 49(13), 1185–1205. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4571(1998110)49:13<1185::AID-ASI6>3.0.CO;2-V
Bolin, M. (2024). INFO 248 – M. Bolin reading notes – Beginning cataloging and classification. [Google Doc]. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1coJGfozuhaq4wV3yhLmFcb9yFppNDchAtxZGlj8p9rg/edit?usp=sharing.
Herrera, L., Leatham, J., & Lopez-Gutierrez, X. (2024). Trends impacting Southgate Library. [Google Doc]. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UPfCnrrvT-KTSXTJokWX32s9jvumtDIJJx1NnoZDyho/edit?usp=sharing.
Leatham, J. (2024). Cataloging descriptive MARC record set (5 books). [Google Doc]. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u1QLB_BMjwK7fOnhFcnfg6Dc28WaZLvkz3A7o2qnT30/edit?usp=sharing.
Leatham, J. (2024). Access points-authority control MARC record set (10 books). [Google Doc]. https://docs.google.com/document/d/188Ye_qDdTKhlvjyM8n7uwGOgyiXs7DM-4x0pox_fAVg/edit?usp=sharing.
Leatham, J. (2024). How innovative is your local library? [Google Doc]. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_4GY3wJwaUCNF8mH_R1PS_GRKGAYxQpzQTnnE-lT8-E/edit?usp=sharing.
Leatham, J. (2024). Trends Impacting Southgate Library. [Google Doc]. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UPfCnrrvT-KTSXTJokWX32s9jvumtDIJJx1NnoZDyho/edit?usp=sharing.
Juanita Leatham e-portfolio 