Libraries organize their collections to help library users find what they need. Organizing library collections may seem like a straightforward and streamlined process, but it can be quite complex, and there is a large body of theory and practice that shape and support this work. Learning about the organization of library collections can be challenging. Libraries have a long history of organizing their collections, there are many principles, models, standards, and tools used to organize collections, and theory and practice are changing constantly.



Written for beginning library science students,Organizing Library Collections: Theory and Practice introduces the theory and practice of organizing library collections in a clear, straightforward, and understandable way. It explains why and how libraries organize their collections, and how theory and practice work together to help library users. It introduces basic cataloging and metadata theory, describes and evaluates the major cataloging and metadata standards and tools used to organize library collections, and explains, in general, how all libraries organize their collections in practice. Yet, this book not only introduces theory and practice in general, it introduces students to a wide range of topics involved in organizing library collections. This book explores how academic, public, school, and special libraries typically organize their collections and why. It also discusses standardization and explains how cataloging and metadata standards and policies are developed. Ethical issues also are explored and ethical decision-making is addressed. In addition, several discussion questions and class activities reinforce concepts introduced in each chapter. Students should walk away from this book understanding why and how libraries organize their collections.

Gretchen Hoffman is an Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Womans University. She has been teaching there since 2007. Her teaching and research agenda centers on the organization of information, specifically library cataloging. Courses she teaches includeCataloging and Classification,Advanced Cataloging and Classification,Collection Development, andInformation Organization.

Before moving to Texas Womans University, Hoffman was a professional cataloger at the University of Kansas, specializing in complex and difficult cataloging, music cataloging (scores and audio recordings), and cataloging German-language monographs. Prior to that, she worked as a professional serials cataloger at Portland State University, specializing in federal government documents.

Part I: Theory of Organizing Library Collections



1: Purpose and History of Organizing Library Collections

Library Collections

How Library Collections are Organized: Theory

How Library Collections are Organized: Practice

Factors That Influence Organization in Libraries

Limits to Organizing Library Collections

History of Organizing Library Collections



2: Metadata and Encoding: Fundamental to Organizing Library Collections

Metadata

Types of Metadata

Purpose of Metadata

Metadata Standards

Metadata Created in Libraries

Encoding Standards and Markup Languages

Encoding Standards in Libraries: MARC

Encoding Standards in Libraries: Digital Collections



3: Describing and Providing Access to Library Collections

Descriptive Metadata and its Purpose

Descriptive Metadata in Libraries: Descriptive Cataloging

Resource Description and Access (RDA)

Other Content Standards

Metadata Schemas Used in Libraries



4: Providing Subject Access to Library Collections

Subject Analysis

Controlled Vocabularies

Uncontrolled Vocabularies

Controlled Vocabularies Used in Libraries

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Childrens Subject Headings

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms (LCGFT)

Sears List of Subject Headings

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Faceted Application of Subject Terminology (FAST)

Other Controlled Vocabularies



5: Classifying Library Collections

Classification

Library Classification

Library Classification: Construction Issues

Library Classification: Application Issues

Arranging Library Collections

Classification Schemes Used in Libraries

Dewey Decimal Classification

Library of Congress Classification

National Library of Medicine Classification

Superintendent of Documents Classification

Other Library Classification Schemes

Alternative Library Classification

Part II: Practice of Organizing Library Collections



6: Organizing Library Collections: Standards and Policy Development

Standardization

The System of Standards

Standards and Policy Development at the International Level

Standards and Policy Development at the National Level

Standards and Policy Development at the State and Regional Level

Cataloging Policy Development at the Local Level



7: How Libraries Organize Their Collections

Cataloging Practice

Monographs, Serials, and Electronic Resources

Organizing Books

Organizing Serials

Organizing Media and Other Formats

Government Publications

Metadata Practice

Issues in Cataloging and Metadata Practice



8: Organizing Collections in Academic, Public, School, and Special Libraries

Similarities and Differences Among Libraries

Academic Libraries

Public Libraries

School Libraries

Special Libraries



9: Ethical Issues inOrganizing Library Collections

Neutrality and Power

Ethics and Values Statements

The Role of the User

Less Customization

Bias and Marginalization in Subject Standards

Ethical Obligations of Catalogers and Metadata Specialists



10: Current Developments in Organizing Library Collections

Linked Open Data

Linked Data in Libraries

Identity Management

Electronic Resources

Metadata Work

Discovery Products