ETL 505: Critical Reflection

Teacher Librarians (TLs) are responsible for supporting users to easily retrieve appropriate resources to meet curriculum needs (ALIA & ASLA, 2014).  The continued expansion of online resources, has reinforced the critical importance of a well-developed catalogue, incorporating carefully selected subject headings and applying controlled vocabularies to achieve this. Creating clear and accurate metadata, which is appropriately comprehensive yet functional, I believe, is vital to developing useful catalogue records. With the continued expansion of social tagging on global sharing sites, e.g. YouTube and Flickr, control through suggested tags to create effective metadata is vital. As the terminology users employ when searching can vary from that indexers use to create records, controlled vocabularies and cross-references which direct users to applicable terminology, can assist bridging this gap. 

Despite debate surrounding the level of cataloguing expertise TLs require, particularly given the benefits of outsourcing cataloguing through downloading SCIS records, it is important to remember that excellent practitioners demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of information management and retrieval standards (ALIA & ASLA, 2014). Effective information organisation is crucial to support access to and retrieval of relevant resources in the collection, both via the OPAC, and in the physical arrangement of items (Hider, 2012) (Blog post). TLs must be able to ascertain whether classifications provided by SCIS and WebDewey are appropriate to meet the school’s users and curriculum requirements.  This was evident working through Assessment 2, demonstrating Dewey classifications (DDC) sometimes require alteration to best fit school situations, as per the SCIS faithfulness principle (2013, p.3-7).  Combining local knowledge and understanding of cataloguing principles can underpin amendments and additions to SCIS subject headings in catalogue records, including how resources can best support the school’s particular curriculum and community needs.

Forum discussions regarding interpretation of RDA and WebDewey (Modules 3 and 5) reinforced the value of strong professional networks to learn from and support colleagues, particularly as schools face the daunting task of moving to RDA (Blog post). Despite support from the RDA Toolkit and SCIS, colleagues with similar collections and understanding of school library users, could assist addressing issues and promote standardisation.

Despite possessing prior knowledge of DDC and SCIS, working through the process and rationale for classification has proved invaluable for developing a deeper understanding of the classification process and collection items held. This knowledge serves to improve both my effectiveness as a TL in supporting users, and my appreciation for the work of colleagues, who are responsible for making cataloguing decisions. Just as TLs often discuss the need for a widespread understanding of the TL role, this is, I believe, critical to developing an excellent library team.

References

Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), & Australian School Library Association (ASLA). (2014). Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians.  Retrieved 14 March 2014, from http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.aspx

Hider, P. (2012). Information resource description: creating and managing metadata. London: Facet Publishing.

Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS). (2013). SCIS standards for cataloguing and data entry. Retrieved from http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/SCISCatStandards.pdf

RDA

The expansion of digital resources meant that new cataloguing standards were required to replace the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, second edition (AACR2), which were developed at a time of predominantly print-based resources. These new standards for creating bibliographic and authority records, Resource Description and Access (RDA), are based on user tasks identified by the FRBR model and provide guidelines “on recording data to support resource discovery” (RDA Toolkit, 2014, 0.0).  A useful video for understanding this new system is provided at ALCTS

FRBR identifies the following user tasks when searching for information resources:

·         find what is available; 

·         identify whether found items meet search criteria, 

·         select items of most use to addressing needs, and 

·         obtain or ascertain availability of chosen items (ALCTS, 2013).

To support this, RDA identifies the necessary elements, specifically, the bibliographic and authority attributes and the relationships between entities (ALCTS), required to identify resources and thus promote successful discovery.

Entities are classified hierarchically as either: 

·         work, representing the intellectual concept created; 

·         expression, representing the realisation of the work in a particular format; 

·         manifestation, relating to the physical embodiment of a particular expression; or 

·         item, representing the particular copy of a resource held by a given owner; and the relationships between them are identified (ALCTS).

Such identification assists users to find all resources where such relationships exist, whether or not the user was aware of such entities, and without the need for duplicated searching (ALCTS), reinforcing the user as the central focus of the resource discovery process.

The RDA Toolkit assists school libraries to adopt RDA which could create significant cost and staffing issues.  SCIS, a key provider of catalogue records for physical and digital resources for schools, has begun the transition to RDA standards in 2013 however postponements have been announced (SCIS, 2013).

RDA guidelines indicate core elements to include when creating resource descriptions, with other elements added as required, thus enabling information agencies to identify the particular attributes necessary to describe information resources and tailor the created bibliographic record to suit the specific needs of their users.  This means schools, with expertise in their collections and resources, can supplement these guidelines with additional descriptive elements in order to create metadata capable of maximising retrieval success for their users and learning management systems, considered best practice by Hider (2012, p. 87). 

References

Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS). (2013). RDA in 10 easy steps. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3hafSNH_3A&feature=youtu.be

Hider, P. (2012). Information resource description: creating and managing metadata. London: Facet Publishing.

RDA Toolkit. (22 April 2014).  Retrieved 16 August 2014, from http://access.rdatoolkit.org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/

Why organise information

Information is organised to assist identification of what is available in the collection, and facilitate searching and retrieval of relevant resources as required.  

The continued expansion in the quantity and format of information resources, has meant that effective organisation which enables identification and evaluation to support retrieval of the most relevant resources, in the most suitable format, is critical.  

School libraries, overseen by TLs, need to ensure that the bibliographic records in the catalogue provide students, teachers and teacher librarians, with ease of access to the most appropriate resources in the library’s physical and digital collection to enhance curriculum implementation.

To do this clear, accurate and consistent catalogue records must be created, which are comprehensible to both the creator and the user. Establishing a primary access point, according to the person or corporate body responsible for a work, for example, author, or the title if creative responsibility is not identifiable, serves as the main catalogue entry distinguishing resources and determining physical shelf location (Rowley & Hartley, p. 243). 

To achieve language standardisation and thus improve comprehensibility and effectiveness, vocabulary control is applied, with cross-referencing terms to refer users to the preferred term for similar subjects or spelling variations, when searching (Hider, 2012, p. 82). Consistent use of names, including names of subjects, people and organisations, assists correct identification and linking of resources.  The Library of Congress indicates preferred terms to use for subject headings to achieve consistency.

References

Hider, P. (2012). Information resource description: creating and managing metadata. London: Facet Publishing.

Rowley, J. E., & Hartley, R. J. (2008). Organizing knowledge: an introduction to managing access to information (4th ed.). Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing.

FRBR User tasks

Tasks users follow, namely to find, identify, select and obtain resources, provide the foundation for the Functional Requirements for the Bibliographic Records (FRBR) model, applied by the Resource Description and Access (RDA) standard for creating cataloguing entries. 

Libraries aim to improve accessibility of information resources in the collection for users, (the needs of teachers and students in the context of school libraries ) for information resources to support learning curriculum content. Argument exists for all information professionals, thus including teacher librarians, to develop an understanding of the cataloguing rules and processes applied to organising information, in order to effectively support users in successful information retrieval (Gorman (1992, p. 694), as cited in Hider & Harvey, 2008, p. 6). 

For libraries, this practice of bibliographic organisation refers to organising information through creating accurate catalogue records, which contain appropriate descriptions, labelling and metadata, to support user access to resources in the physical and online collection, through the online public access catalogue (OPAC).  For schools, the Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS) is an important source of such catalogue records.

References:

Hider, P., & Harvey, R. (2008). Organising knowledge in a global society: principles and practice in libraries and information centres (Rev. ed.). Wagga Wagga, N.S.W.: Charles Sturt University.

Metadata

Information organisation, Hider (2012, p. 11) notes goes beyond the physical arrangement of resources, to also include the metadata which facilitates information resource retrieval through indexes, such as the school library catalogue.  Defined simply as “data about data” (Rowley & Hartley, 2008, p. 42), metadata can be more accurately defined in terms of its function, that is, structured data that describes the content of information resources in order to support identification, description, selection, retrieval and management. Metadata facilitates information retrieval through providing intellectual access, by assisting users to identify appropriate information resources, as well as assisting physical access, by indicating the location of such resources (Hider & Harvey, 2008, p. 5). 

References:

Hider, P. (2012). Information resource description: creating and managing metadata. London: Facet Publishing.

Hider, P., & Harvey, R. (2008). Organising knowledge in a global society: principles and practice in libraries and information centres (Rev. ed.). Wagga Wagga, N.S.W.: Charles Sturt University.

Rowley, J. E., & Hartley, R. J. (2008). Organizing knowledge: an introduction to managing access to information (4th ed.). Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing.

Search engines

Search engine showdown has useful information on internet search behaviour, and changes to search engines and search functionality.

Google Search by image

Use Google Search by image to begin search using images rather than text. Click on the camera icon then drag and drop from computer or internet, upload image from computer, paste image URL or click image on the internet to search by image. 

This would be useful for art, geography of history students, for example, who have images they need to find out more about.

FRBR

The library catalogue needs to support users to find a resource to meet their information needs, then identify whether the resource found is useful for meeting this information need or if it is the correct resource being sought, then provide an adequate description to enable users to decide whether or not to select this resource, and finally provide the necessary information on how to obtain the resource, for example URL or physical location. 

Resources users are searching for can be described using the FRBR model.  FRBR classifies the products of intellectual creativity as either Work, Expression, Manifestation or Item, where the following relationships hold:

• Work represents the abstract notion of an intellectual or artistic creation, for example the characters or plot of a story. Reprints or translations which don't change the original are part of the same work, however parodies or adaptations are a new work.
• Expression is an abstract concept referring to the realisation of a work, ie, the story written down, for example a particular edition of a particular work. Reprints which exactly replicate the original are the same expression of the same work, however, additions, for example, adding illustrations whilst maintaining the original work, are new expressions of the same work. Exact translations which don't alter the work are considered new expressions of the same work. 
• Manifestation refers to the physical outcome of an expression of a work, for example the physical form of a particular edition (the expression) of a work, and
• Item refers to the actual resource that is owned by an individual or entity eg library

The following video explains the relationships between these in terms of an example:

References:

librarygeeky. (2009, September 11). Bram Stoker's Dracula in FRBR terms. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN0vKCFsXPE

National Library of Australia. (n.d.). The “FRBR family”: Functional requirements for bibliographic records, functional requirements for authority data, functional requirements for subject authority data. Retrieved from https://www.nla.gov.au/lis/stndrds/grps/acoc/.../FRBRandRDA.PPT

Information Resource Description - overview

School libraries need to support users effectively. Accurate and appropriate resource descriptions of information resources assist in facilitating information retrieval.  Metadata (data about data) refers to information resource descriptions, can facilitate information retrieval through providing users with descriptions of how to access information resources as well as descriptions which assist determining whether there is value in accessing particular resources.  Metadata contained in indexes, for example, the library catalogue or search engines, can indicate the existence of resources in the collection as well as assist access to components within particular resources.  The growth of digital resources poses questions for metadata creation and management, for example, who creates descriptions and which versions and which components of evolving digital resources should be described?

Reference: Hider, P. (2012). Information resource description: Creating and managing metadata. London: Facet Publishing.