EDMD+7110-+Bibliographic+Design,+Organization,+and+Control

Semester: Summer 2010

 * Summary:** This course comprises of the policies and procedures for classifying and cataloging print and non-print material in the k-12 library media setting. Students learned to use the 14th Edition Abridged Dewey Decimal System and Sears Subject Headings in the course of copy and original cataloging. Students also learned about the various authoritative sources for copy cataloging (e.g., LOC) and how to evaluate the quality of MARC records based on MARC 21 and AACR2R guidelines.

Roles of the Media Specialist

 * Program Administrator:** I operated in the capacity of program administrator during this course because I was required to consider the policies and guidelines put in place for cataloging materials. By following MARC21 and AACR2R rules, I can ensure that my patrons will be able to access the MARC record of materials they are searching for in the OPAC. We were also challenged to think about the physical classification of the library via Dewey Decimal system and how this benefits our patrons. While we did not formally discuss the issue in class, we were asked to consider a scenario in which our administration required us to arrange the library by Accelerated Reader levels and not Dewey Decimal System. This scenario required me to think about how I will be challenged as a program administrator and how I must educate those outside the media center as to how and why things are done in the most respectful manner possible.


 * Information Specialist:** As an information specialist, I was required to consider how patrons would search for items when creating MARC records. This required me to focus on the main entry tag for author (100), the 245 tag, the notes fields (500's), the subject headings (600's), as well as including 700 tags when necessary. I also chose to include in the records for the cataloging project notes regarding Accelerated Reader since I will most likely be at a school that uses this program. During my time as a teacher, students often asked me to help them find books at their AR level so I know that this is one way they often search for reading materials.

Work Samples


The Sears subject headings and Dewey Decimal exercises were very challenging, but were worthwhile as they helped me learn the rules concerning these two areas. I have included the Dewey Decimal exercise as it demonstrates my ability to recognize the 10 main classes as well as when to use the different schedules to build the Dewey number. I often found myself changing my mind as I went back and looked over my answers. The in-class collaboration helped me to understand how an item could possibly be classified under more than one number and that when conducting copy cataloging, it is acceptable to change the Dewey number.



I selected the //Weird Weather// graphic novel copy cataloging record to represent my work from the final project because it was one of the most challenging records to complete. This book contained multiple copyright and publication dates because it had first been published under the title //Funny Weather//. The collaboration with peers and instructor in class helped to determine that the uniform title (240 tag) of the Sunlink record I chose to copy should be retained rather than use a varying title (246 tag). In the end, we concluded that the uniform title was correct because the original title was the authoritative title rather than a section of a title or different spelling that is indicated in the 246 tag. I learned from this activity that collaborating with fellow media specialists will be necessary to ensuring I am doing my job correctly. Union catalogs such as Sunlink demonstrate how media specialists can collaborate across distances to ensure the quality and standardization of their MARC records to provide patrons with the best possible access to library resources.