Organizing Library Collections

Gretchen Hoffman is an Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s 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 include Cataloging and Classification, Advanced Cataloging and Classification, Collection Development, and Information Organization. Before moving to Texas Woman’s 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 Collections1: Purpose and History of Organizing Library Collections Library CollectionsHow Library Collections are Organized: TheoryHow Library Collections are Organized: PracticeFactors That Influence Organization in LibrariesLimits to Organizing Library CollectionsHistory of Organizing Library Collections2: Metadata and Encoding: Fundamental to Organizing Library CollectionsMetadata Types of MetadataPurpose of MetadataMetadata StandardsMetadata Created in LibrariesEncoding Standards and Markup LanguagesEncoding Standards in Libraries: MARCEncoding Standards in Libraries: Digital Collections3: Describing and Providing Access to Library Collections Descriptive Metadata and its PurposeDescriptive Metadata in Libraries: Descriptive CatalogingResource Description and Access (RDA) Other Content StandardsMetadata Schemas Used in Libraries4: Providing Subject Access to Library CollectionsSubject AnalysisControlled VocabulariesUncontrolled VocabulariesControlled Vocabularies Used in LibrariesLibrary of Congress Subject HeadingsChildren’s Subject HeadingsLibrary of Congress Genre/Form Terms (LCGFT)Sears List of Subject HeadingsMedical Subject Headings (MeSH)Faceted Application of Subject Terminology (FAST)Other Controlled Vocabularies5: Classifying Library CollectionsClassificationLibrary ClassificationLibrary Classification: Construction IssuesLibrary Classification: Application IssuesArranging Library CollectionsClassification Schemes Used in LibrariesDewey Decimal ClassificationLibrary of Congress ClassificationNational Library of Medicine ClassificationSuperintendent of Documents ClassificationOther Library Classification SchemesAlternative Library ClassificationPart II: Practice of Organizing Library Collections6: Organizing Library Collections: Standards and Policy Development StandardizationThe System of StandardsStandards and Policy Development at the International LevelStandards and Policy Development at the National LevelStandards and Policy Development at the State and Regional LevelCataloging Policy Development at the Local Level7: How Libraries Organize Their CollectionsCataloging PracticeMonographs, Serials, and Electronic ResourcesOrganizing BooksOrganizing SerialsOrganizing Media and Other FormatsGovernment PublicationsMetadata PracticeIssues in Cataloging and Metadata Practice8: Organizing Collections in Academic, Public, School, and Special LibrariesSimilarities and Differences Among LibrariesAcademic LibrariesPublic LibrariesSchool LibrariesSpecial Libraries9: Ethical Issues in Organizing Library CollectionsNeutrality and PowerEthics and Values StatementsThe Role of the UserLess CustomizationBias and Marginalization in Subject StandardsEthical Obligations of Catalogers and Metadata Specialists10: Current Developments in Organizing Library CollectionsLinked Open Data Linked Data in LibrariesIdentity ManagementElectronic ResourcesMetadata Work Discovery Products

Dr. Hoffman has written a clear and understandable guide that demystifies the topic. In Organizing Library Collections, the author has succeeded in creating a text that navigates through the history and tradition of library cataloging while focusing on current practice and future trends. The book is highly recommended for adoption as a cource text in a cataloging and classification course.