Basic Cataloguing & Indexing

Programme Features

An introductory course on how to make records for all kinds of information-bearing materials for inclusion in catalogues and databases.

• Introduction
  • order from chaos - the purpose and principles and practice of cataloguing and indexing
• The starting point
  • the collection - what is in and what is out
  • the material - from books to Internet pages
• The cataloguing and indexing process
  • the description
  • access by title, creator, series...
  • access by subject
• The products
  • the catalogue
  • the collection, organised
  • the authority control files
• Automation aspects
  • the computerised catalogue
  • user interfaces (OPACs)
• Practical exercises
  • making simple records
  • representing subjects
  • building the computerised catalogue
  • locating records in online OPACs

Why you should attend:

This course is aimed at people who need to organise a collection of information but who have little or no knowledge or experience of how to do it. The collection may include books, periodicals, photographs, videos, computer discs, Internet page references and other material. The course will show beginners how to create and maintain control over this material so that required items and information can be retrieved. The emphasis is on practical cataloguing and participants are invited to bring typical material from their collections to form a group of items that can be considered in the practical sessions. The final section of the course considers how computers can assist in cataloguing and indexing, with practical demonstrations. However, no prior computer experience is needed for this.

On completing this course, you will be able to:

• identify the features of effective catalogues and indexes
• make simple catalogue records for different kinds of office and library materials
• identify suitable access points for catalogue records
• construct a simple authority file
• identify different systems for the representation of subjects
• imput and retrieve from a computerised catalogue
• organise a collection in a useful way for information retrieval

Companion Courses:
Cataloguing Practice
Classification Practice

Time: 09.45 - 17.00

A previous delegate has said: Most Impressed by:
"How James tailored the course to meet specific individual needs. I think I will benefit enormously from this course."
Laura Blount - LexisNexis