Category Archives: ETL505

On completion of ETL505

Posted on by
Reply

What an enjoyable subject! Before beginning this subject, I really thought I had a handle on how our library’s classification system worked and could be used. Yet again, I was to find that what we don’t know that we don’t know is what it is all about. I have a new appreciation for subject headings and ScOT terms, a clearer (though admittedly still a little cloudy) idea of how Dewey Classifications are developed and how resource description can be.. I was going to write helpful, but really so very useful when done fully and correctly.

My students are also benefiting already. Because I understand not only what the information in the catalogue means, but how it was created and what other options there were (indicating not only what it is, but what it is not) I can help students to find or identify – in the non-FRBR sense – what it is that they need. I have a new appreciation for authority files and what can go wrong when they are constructed inexpertly. Having a look at the series classifications that come from SCIS now, compared with those that were downloaded a few years ago is one example of how these can be used effectively.

I find the SCIS website easy to use and the subject headings etc really quite simple. As long as one follows the rules, it is a straightforward enough process to identify what goes where and why. WebDewey, on the otherhand, I am still trying to wrap my head around. The concept of assigning a numerical representation to the topics or subjects of a resource seems simple enough, but when it comes to drilling down into the various options within each classification, I still get a little lost. The example of the motorbike repair given in the modules was a really good example. If you don’t know that there is a better option than the obvious one, how do you know to look for it? When should I spend time looking for other choices when what appears immediately seems an ok fit? This I am still pondering and I suspect the answer will lie in the realm of experience and becoming increasingly more familiar with the content.

I have very much enjoyed using the workbooks in this subject. I like that there is one correct answer and, if I understand well enough, I will be able to find it. And if I don’t find it, I can tell immediately that I have not fully understood and need to revise that topic. The practical nature of the subject, ie that it has to do with how the library actually works and is something I can put into practise right now, is an aspect of this type of learning that I have found very appealing.

ETL505 Module 1

Posted on by
Reply

This module introduces the 5 user tasks as set out by IFLA’s Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (1998). These are:

find: to discover that a resource exists within the collection (may result in a list of several possibilities, depending on search terms).

identify: when looking for a known resource, a user identifies the record of that resource and ascertains that it is the one they were looking for.

select: a user doesn’t know exactly what they want, but searches more generally eg by subject, then uses the metadata to choose the resource that best suits their purposes from a list of possible items.

obtain: to access the content of the resource, eg physically locate, download etc. Often achieved by hyperlink for digital resources or call number or instructions for accessing physical items.

explore: when a user finds a record based on its relationship to another, eg from a link within the record of another resource.

These user tasks do not appear to be linear or hierarchical but rather depend on the user’s needs. Different attributes or elements described in the metadata will assist to varying degrees in the search process dependent on the task the user is undertaking.

Beginning ETL505 – Describing and analysing educational resources

Image

Reply

The Interact2 site for my next subject, ETL505 was released today. So far, I have read the schedule and ordered the text book. I thought it might be instructive to record my initial thoughts about this subject before doing any reading or study, so that I might reflect and ruminate on my learning and how my understanding has changes over time.

This subject is about organising information and organising information resources such that someone who needs to use them will be able and likely to find them. This would, I think, have to do not only with physically locating a resource that is already known to the information seeker, but also to discovering of resources previously unknown, and determining their potential use and value to the users current information search. I hope that we shall learn about cataloging and the creation of bibliographic data. In my school library, Library management systems, such as Oliver, use the bibliographic information supplied by SCIS to create the catalog records that users search. But how do SCIS create those records? Sometimes, I change certain elements on the individual copies to enhance how I think my school community might locate and use the resource. For example, fairy tales often download as Junior Fiction, but in my library they are stored in Non-Fiction classified at 398.2 (folk and fairy tales) as most of the people who want them are not looking for a specific edition by a specific author, rather a more general need for the story, perhaps as part of a unit of work for the junior students. I hope that this subject will include some discussion of the impact of various choices when producing bibliographic data and perhaps how those choices enhance the ability and likelihood that they will be found and used.