Life, as it does, has
thrown a couple of curve balls during the period of studying ETL 505 ‘Analysing
and Describing Educational Resources’. Prior to studying ETL 505 my knowledge
of the principles and processes of describing resources was very limited and
whilst my new understandings don’t place me in an expert category of describing
information resources, I believe that they provide a great insight to the
importance of effective resource description.
I have developed the
notion that information resource description is complex and diverse, one of
which I will never fully comprehend, however I do understand the necessity of
IFLA’s development of the conceptual models Functional Requirements for
Bibliographic Records (FRBR) (IFLA, 1998) and Functional Requirements for
Authority Data (FRAD) (IFLA, 2009) as they focus on what the user needs to
find, identify, select and obtain, contextualise and justify. The abundance of
information and growth of digital resources was the driving force for the
development of these conceptual models and the development of Resource
Description and Access (RDA) standards (Hider, 2012, p. 114).
I understand that the
development of such conceptual modules has led to the development of many
standards which are designed to increase the likelihood of users accessing
information resources. The standardisation of Metadata through controlled and
uncontrolled vocabularies is a major development in my understanding of
information resource description. The assignments and module activities of ELT505
have developed my understanding of the importance of such standards. These
tasks allowed for practical engagement with governing bodies such as SCIS,
using their Subject Heading database to complete activities, a highly effective
tool utilised by Teacher Librarians (TL) and other organisations that allow
organisations to effectively store and shelve information resources for easy
and effective access by teachers and students.
The future of
information resource description provides many challenges and opportunities for
TLs. The development of Semantic Webs and the ability to ‘tag’ resources
presents challenges involving the quality of Metadata, an essential key to
successful cataloguing but provides opportunities for end users to be
interactive with resources of interest. The rollout of Oliver V5 later this
year will provide opportunities for TLs to experience interactive catalogues
with capabilities of federated searches, an example of how catalogues will need
to continually develop and evolve as the needs of end users and technology
change. This continual change will also see the need for continual updating of
policies and procedures of standards to maintain the quality and integrity of Metadata.
The greatest
understanding that I developed during the study of ETL505 is that information
resource description and the vast aspects it entails, is an essential key to
the success of the school library. I previously viewed the library as a
repository of information, it is now viewed as an evolving organism where
knowledge of how resources are described, the use of vocabularies and an
understanding of information retrieval systems is essential. As research
suggests school libraries are fundamental in the success of students’ academic
achievement (Lonsdale &
Australian Council for Educational Research, p. 35.).
Knowledge of information resource description allows for an understanding of
principles and processes resulting in the systematic organisation of resources
in a school library. This contributes to student achievement through
effectively and efficiently progressing through the FRBR user tasks of find,
identify, select and obtain for all formats of information resources.
References:
Hider, P. (2012) Information Resource Description: Creating and managing
metadata. Facet Publishing.
International
Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (2009) Functional Requirements for Authority Data: a conceptual model, K.
G. Saur. Retrieved from http://www.ifla.org/publications/ifla-series-on-bibliographic-control-34
International
Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (1998) Functional Requirement for Bibliographic Records: final report, K.
G. Saur. Retrieved from http://www.ifla.org/publications/functional-requirements-for-bibliographic-records
Lonsdale, M., & Australian Council for Educational Research, V. a.
(2003). Impact of School Libraries on
Student Achievement: A Review of the Research.
