Part C – Critical Reflection
As information needs change and develop, the number of
resources available for library users will change and grow as well.
Information resource description is the information that
describes a resource to make it accessible to searchers and users. Information about a resource is called
metadata and it’s the quality of this metadata that makes information resources
more accessible to users. The function,
comprehensiveness, accuracy, clarity and consistency of metadata all determine
the quality of metadata and have considerable impact on the effectiveness of
information retrieval tools. Quality
metadata is required to make information resources more accessible to users. (Hider, 2012)
Resource description and cataloguing are the backbone of the
school library collection. They are two
elements that work together to bring you organised resources that can be
accessed easily. Through the use of
quality information resource description, Teacher Librarians open the gate to
resources that are easily accessible by the majority of library users. Every resource is different and offers the
user and the subject various levels of information. (Hider, 2012) The quality of information resource
description helps library users to access the most appropriate resource for
their needs.
Learning about RDA and the importance and benefits of user-friendly
systems of organisation. RDA is an
international cataloguing standard with the structure for recording date based
on the FRBR user tasks of find, identify, select and obtain. The first assessment item for this subject gave
me another perspective to the way information is recorded and organised within
a library setting. The organisation of
information isn’t just about having everything in order; it is just as much
about how easily library users can access the information they are searching
for. (Hider, 2012)
Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS) provide
catalogue records for an infinitesimal number of resources, to a growing number
of schools and educational services.
Catalogue records include SCIS Subject Headings and terms from the
Schools Online Thesaurus (SCOT) that are uniform across Australia.
Accuracy and consistency are vital to the implementation of
SCIS Guidelines and the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system. SCIS and DDC are complex cataloguing systems
that allow users access to the resources they are looking for through a variety
of search entry points. As well as the
consideration of subject headings, there are rules and regulations that guide
the classification of works so that they can be catalogued with like materials
and not placed where they will not be accessible to users. The majority of
library users would be oblivious to the complex nature of cataloguing and the
importance of accuracy, consistency and diligence when organising resources for
a library.
ETL505 has taught me a lot about the technical side of
Teacher Librarianship and the importance of guidelines and universal formats,
critical analysis and accuracy. I have
learned the skills of resource description, subject heading assignation and
resource classification. It is
interesting that now I have a greater knowledge and understanding of the nuts
and bolts of resource organisation, I have looked at the books on my bookshelf
at home and my mind has immediately begun to reorganize the resources away from
the physical attributes of the books to the content of the books.
References
·
Hider, P. (2012). Information Resource
Description Creating and Managing Metadata.
London, United Kingdom: Facet Publishing.
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