[Baynet] Infopeople's "Cataloging Fundamentals" online course

[Linda Rodenspiel]

Since some people who may be interested in this course might not receive 
this notice directly, we would appreciate it if you would print and post or 
route this announcement to staff and colleagues. Thanks!


Title:  Cataloging Fundamentals (Online Learning Course)

Dates:  October 10 - November 20, 2006

To register for this workshop:  Use the online registration form at
http://www.infopeople.org/WS/workshop/Workshop/283

Fee: Because of grant funding, California residents can take this course 
for the subsidized fee of $75.00. The out-of-state fee is $275.00


Cataloging Fundamentals is a beginning course for anyone who is new to 
library cataloging, as well as a MARC-demystifying update for anyone who 
has felt left behind since the card catalog disappeared and computers 
entered the library. Have you ever wondered:

--What are those strange codes in a MARC record, and can they be deleted if 
they don't make sense?
--When is it OK to make up subject headings?
--Why are MARC tags different for different items?
--Where does the added information in copy cataloging actually go, anyway?

This course will bring you up to date on MARC cataloging terms and 
displays, and will explain how automated systems use this information. At 
the end of six weeks you will see your library's MARC records with a new 
understanding. You might even get inspired to tackle those piles of 
uncataloged items with gusto!

Workshop Description: This six-week online learning course will provide an 
overview of library cataloging. Through individual and group exercises, you 
will trace the evolution of MARC and apply this knowledge to the types of 
problems that come up in copy and original cataloging. During the course, 
students will use the web to complete assignments on assigning MARC 
formats, tags, and subject headings to everyday materials. Participants 
will work on exercises and quizzes, and will also take part in online 
discussion forums as part of the learning process. The instructor will 
provide sample records, templates, cheat sheets and a bibliography, as well 
as practical cataloging tips that can be applied right away.

Note: Cataloging Fundamentals focuses on the MARC 21 record display and 
bibliographic standards. Neither integrated system vendor-specific displays 
nor OCLC-specific displays and member cataloging requirements will be discussed

Preliminary Course Outline: Using your web browser and your Internet 
connection, you will log in to the Infopeople online learning site and 
complete the following learning modules:

Module One: General Concepts
--General cataloging methods and terminology
--Cataloging conventions and practices for a card catalog
--Classification systems

Module Two: Retrospective Conversion from a Catalog Card to MARC
--Components of a MARC record
--Common fixed and variable tags

Module Three: Formats
--Eight MARC format categories
--Tags for each format
--Assigning one format to many items

Module Four: Copy Cataloging
--Copy cataloging defined
--What to look for in the bib record when copy cataloging
--Problems in copy cataloging and how to avoid them

Module Five: Original Cataloging
--Resources for original cataloging
--Cataloging for staff, users, and searching capabilities
--Required tags to catalog for each format

Module Six: Library of Congress Subject Headings
--Main headings and sub-headings
--Conventions
--Resources

Pre-workshop assignment: : The sixth week of the workshop concerns Library 
of Congress Subject Headings. Participants should try to obtain either an 
online or print version of one of the following: LCSH Free Floating 
Subdivisions, Subject Cataloging Manual, Cataloger's Desktop.

Workshop Instructor: Susan M. Sutch, MLIS.  Susan Margaret Sutch has spent 
ten years as a professional librarian teaching automation systems and 
cataloging skills to library personnel around the world. She has instructed 
cataloging and MARC records to school, public, and special library 
environments and emphasizes practical applied knowledge for each of these 
environments. When not working, you can find her browsing the Dewey 
classification 796.5 and 917 in the public library.

Online Learning Details: This six-week course will be taught online using 
the web. When you register, you will receive a registration confirmation, 
which will include the URL to get to the course, as well as a username and 
password.

Every student proceeds through the online learning modules at his or her 
own pace. However, students should expect to commit to spending a minimum 
of 2 to 2 ½ hours per week on this course in order to be successful. You 
can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night. 
However, you will be expected to log in to the course each week to do that 
week's assignment. We ask that you log in sometime during the first week of 
the course to begin the course work.

Your instructor will be available for limited consultation support for two 
weeks after the official end date of a course, and the course material will 
stay up for an additional two weeks after that, to give those who have 
fallen behind time to work independently on the course. However, you will 
be expected to accomplish the majority of the course in synchronization 
with your peers during the first six weeks.

Who Should Take This Course: Anyone from the library community with an 
interest in understanding MARC cataloging and how computer systems use 
components of the MARC record for display and searching. This course is 
suitable for support staff who are assigned catalog tasks, as well as for 
librarians and managers who need to update their understanding of catalog 
infrastructure. While this course is designed for those who have had no 
formal instruction in cataloging, it is also a useful refresher for staff 
whose training was some time ago.

Prerequisites: This course is taught over the web. You must:

--Have an Internet connection and Internet Explorer 5 or higher (some of 
the quiz functions do not work properly in Netscape).
--Be able to save Microsoft Word .docs or Adobe .pdf files to your computer 
and print them out. (For .doc files, a free Word Viewer is available at 
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en. Search for 
"Word Viewer." For .pdf files, a free Adobe Acrobat Reader is available at 
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html).
--Be comfortable navigating on the web and navigating back and forward on a 
website that uses frames.

System Requirements: The online learning product that Infopeople uses is 
called Angel. The following are minimum system requirements for using 
Angel. You will need access to a computer that has at least these 
specifications to participate in an online course:

Windows:
Internet Explorer 6.0 and above, Netscape 7.1 and above, or Firefox 1.5 and 
above

Macintosh:
Mozilla 1.4 and above (which is the same engine as Netscape 7.1), Safari 
2.0 and above, or Firefox 1.5 and above
OS X and above (OS 9 will NOT work with our online learning product)

If you are not comfortable with any of the above, please consider taking 
this course with a colleague who does meet these requirements.

To view a complete list of Infopeople workshops and for general information 
about Infopeople training opportunities, go to the main Infopeople 
Workshops page at http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop

If you have questions about registration or scheduling of workshops, please 
contact Linda Rodenspiel, the Infopeople Project Assistant, at 
assist at infopeople.org or by phone at 650-578-9685.