Hello All,
I am teaching the core Organization of Information and the basic Cataloging & Classification courses at Kent State (we also have an advanced cataloging class for non-book materials) and I agree with most of you on the challenge to try fitting so many theories, processes, tools and practice in one semester.
Our core class is designed as an introduction to organizing information in different environments, so we cover most of the theory there and a number of metadata schemas in addition to AACR2/MARC combination (but it has a library bias). In my lecture on the future of library "cataloging" I discuss the changes FRBR brings in implementations, possibly user access to info, user interfaces, and cataloging and this then leads to RDA but we do not look at the rules.
I have started incorporating RDA in the Cataloging class; initially as future happening and more recently about half of a session of a 10-week class. I have students scan through the tool, look at some presentations available, and point to the different training materials available on the web if they would like to pursue it further. In the lecture I only point to pig picture differences (content-based, FRBR terminology, structure of RDA, importance of relationships) and some of the major differences in the rules (e.g. abbreviations, GMD vs. RDA vocabularies for the new elements for content, media, carrier, role in access points, more/richer authority info) - no practice from their part yet.
This summer, I plan to teach a workshop for students who have taken the Cataloging class or have AACR2 familiarity. I think for a while we need knowledge of both the old and the new. As a workshop, it will look at the rules, incorporate some practice on RDA data creation and, hopefully, beyond (e.g. linked data). After the decision to implement RDA is made, for fall or next spring semester the difficult decision will be on how much AACR2/ISBD one needs to cover in addition to RDA. I am trying to be realistic, even though I think the most important part of these classes are to learn the why we do things, and how to figure out the best ways to use these standards to create useful and usable data, eventually our graduates need to be able to do the work. The employers are willing to train them for local policies but they expect them do be able to catalog at some level. Providing access to the various tools is not a problem for our school; training them to do the jobs (looking at the job ads they need to know everything) they are applying for and making sure we train people who will be visionaries and will help shape the future within a not-so-lengthy program of study is the big challenge.
I would love to be able to cover topics Diane and others described but it looks to me like it may have to be in addition to "cataloging" and "metadata schemas." Maybe a class or workshop on Making Metadata Work, from modeling to standards, implementation, sharing, linking, and use and reuse.
Athena
--
Athena Salaba, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Library & Information Science, Kent State University
314 Library, PO Box 5190, Kent, OH 44242-0001
[log in to unmask] | 330-672-0023 | Fax 330-672-7965
________________________________
Folks:
One point I'd like to make as this conversation continues is that
incorporating RDA into the curriculum must go beyond teaching RDA as
rules. The real changes that RDA brings to the table are in the
potential for changes in the DATA we build and share, and that requires
looking at the RDA Vocabularies. The course that Nerissa took with me
was about RDA as data, and we looked at the rules but talked very little
about them.
I'm happy to share my syllabus and materials with anyone who wants to
take a look.
Regards,
Diane
On Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 12:23 PM, Kathryn La Barre <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Greetings. Just a heads up about an interesting thread on RDA-L presently
> about the teaching of RDA in LIS schools. (Reposting one message with
> permission)
>
> GSLIS@UIUC is planning an educator's summit (for all instructors at our
> institution) in March to make plans for teaching RDA at GSLIS, and for a
> full discussion of the current curriculum. Marjorie Bloss has told us (on
> the RDA-L) about what Dominican has been doing. I'd love to hear from more
> of you about your plans to incorporate RDA, and how you envision your
> beginning and advanced cataloguing courses. I'm hoping Nerissa joins in the
> discussion here as well.
>
> repost:
> I felt like I had to give my two-cents about teaching RDA at MLS/MLIS
> programs:
>
> It is interesting to hear that RDA isn't being taught yet at many of these
> programs. I personally think that this is unfortunate, because even if RDA
> is not adopted I think all cataloging students should at least be learning
> the fundamentals so they know why it is even being considered as a
> replacement for AACR2. I can understand why people who have worked in the
> field for many years are 'tired' as Mr. Weinheimer has mentioned. However,
> graduates from MLS/MLIS programs are going to be shaping the futures of
> cataloging/metadata departments of all kinds, and I think that educating
> them in RDA is just as important as teaching AACR2. I just finished my MLIS
> in June '10 from the University of Washington, and last spring they offered
> a course called RDA and Metadata taught by Diane Hillman. I gained a lot of
> insight from auditing this course that I wouldn't have otherwise if I stuck
> with just the regular cataloging courses. I see a trend across libraries at
> least in the US where cataloging departments are changing their names to
> things like cataloging and metadata department or just metadata services. I
> even applied for a position with the title: Resource Description and Access
> manager after I had graduated. I have heard stories about libraries who are
> hiring metadata librarians and not planning on replacing their catalogers
> when they retire. I do not feel qualified to state whether I think RDA is
> the best option or not, but I do know that any student hoping to make it in
> this field after they graduate better have at least a solid educational
> foundation about RDA.
>
>
> Nerissa
>
> Cataloging Librarian
> Texas A&M International University
>
>
> --
> Kathryn La Barre
> Assistant Professor
> Graduate School of Library and Information Science
> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
>
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