Beginning Cataloging and Classification
INFO 248

Dr. Lei Zhang
E-mail
Office Hours: Email or Zoom by appointment

Theory and practice of bibliographic control including the study of descriptive cataloging standards (RDA with reference to AACR2), online cataloging using MARC format and other standards, and subject representation using Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), and Library of Congress Classification (LCC).

Expectations

Students are expected to participate fully in all class activities. It is expected that students will be open-minded and participate fully in discussions in class and debate in a mature and respectful manner. Use of derogatory, condescending, or offensive language including profanity is prohibited. Disagreement is healthy and perfectly acceptable. Expressing disagreement should always include an explanation of your reasoning and, whenever possible, evidence to support your position. In accordance with San José State University's Policies, the Student Code of Conduct, and applicable state and federal laws, discrimination based on gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability is prohibited in any form.

Course Workload

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group; contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes) Supported

INFO 248 supports the following core competencies:

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Apply standardized cataloging tools to catalog and classify materials in different formats.
2. Describe the basic workings of automated catalogs and how the process of cataloging and classification impacts them.
3. Define the impact of cataloging decisions on user retrieval.
4. Identify current issues in cataloging, cataloging policy, and organization of new formats.
5. Describe basic cataloging and how it fits into the profession of librarianship.

Textbooks

No Textbooks For This Course.

Assignments cover topics that include:

• Descriptive cataloging (supports CLO #1, CLO #2, CLO #3, and CLO #5)
• Authority control (supports CLO #2 and CLO #3)
• Library of Congress Subject Headings (supports CLO #1, CLO #2, and CLO #3)
• Library of Congress Classification (supports CLO #1 and CLO #3)
• Dewey Decimal Classification (supports CLO #1 and CLO #3)
• Overall issues and policies involved in cataloging & classification (supports CLO #4)

All assignments are due by 11:59 pm Pacific Time on the due date. Please contact the instructor prior to the due date in the case of illness or emergency. There are also ungraded exercises and quizzes. 

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

• C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
• B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA);
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, BS-ISDA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation. You must repeat the class if you wish to stay in the program. If - on the second attempt - you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  
• A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

Per University Policy S16-9 (PDF), relevant university policy concerning all courses, such as student responsibilities, academic integrity, accommodations, dropping and adding, consent for recording of class, etc. and available student services (e.g. learning assistance, counseling, and other resources) are listed on the Syllabus Information web page. Make sure to visit this page to review and be aware of these university policies and resources.

A detailed course calendar is available from the course site on the first day of the semester. It is subject to minor changes with fair notice.