Digital Cataloging Course

Lesson 1 • Core Cataloging Principles

Introduces principles of consistency, accuracy, and user-centered description. These principles govern every decision made in later chapters.

Lesson 2 • Overview of Cataloging Standards

Maps the landscape of descriptive, subject, and technical standards. Students understand why standards exist and how they interoperate.

Lesson 3 • The Cataloging Workflow

Traces a digital resource from acquisition to discovery. Provides a process map that anchors all subsequent technical instruction.

Lesson 4 • Types of Digital Resources

Surveys the range of digital objects requiring cataloging. Connects resource type to appropriate descriptive treatment.

Lesson 1 • Record Completeness and Quality

Defines minimum and optimal completeness thresholds for descriptive records. Students evaluate and remediate incomplete records.

Lesson 2 • Language and Script Handling

Addresses multilingual and multi-script cataloging challenges. Students apply transliteration and language coding conventions.

Lesson 3 • Identifying and Recording Relationships

Covers how digital resources relate to other items, versions, and collections. Relationship recording improves navigation and context.

Lesson 4 • Metadata Concepts and Terminology

Defines metadata types and their functions within a catalog. Grounds students in precise language before hands-on record creation.

Lesson 1 • Controlled Vocabularies

Introduces thesauri, subject heading lists, and ontologies used in digital cataloging. Students select and apply appropriate vocabulary terms.

Lesson 2 • Genre and Form Terms

Distinguishes subject content from genre and form attributes. Students apply genre and form terms to enhance faceted searching.

Lesson 3 • Classification Schemes

Covers hierarchical classification systems used to organize digital collections. Students assign class numbers and understand notation logic.

Lesson 4 • Principles of Subject Analysis

Explains how to identify the intellectual content of a digital resource. Accurate subject analysis is the foundation of effective classification.

Lesson 1 • MODS, METS, and Complex Schemas

Covers richer bibliographic and structural schemas for complex digital objects. Students encode hierarchical and multi-part resources.

Lesson 2 • Dublin Core and Simple Schemas

Applies Dublin Core elements to describe digital resources concisely. Students understand its role in interoperability and aggregation.

Lesson 3 • Introduction to Metadata Schemas

Surveys widely used schemas and their intended use cases. Students match schema choice to collection type and institutional context.

Lesson 4 • XML-Based Encoding Fundamentals

Teaches XML syntax as the basis for most digital cataloging formats. Students read, write, and validate XML catalog records.

Lesson 1 • Authority Control Fundamentals

Explains why authority control is essential for name and subject consistency. Students distinguish authorized forms from variant forms.

Lesson 2 • Title and Work Authorities

Addresses authority control for uniform titles and works. Students link manifestations to authoritative work-level records.

Lesson 3 • Working with Name Authorities

Covers searching, selecting, and applying name authority records. Students resolve ambiguous names and create new authority records.

Lesson 4 • Introduction to Linked Data

Introduces RDF, URIs, and the linked data model as applied to cataloging. Students understand how catalog data becomes machine-readable web data.

Lesson 1 • Provenance and Custodial History

Teaches how to document the origin and chain of custody of digital resources. Provenance metadata supports authenticity and trust.

Lesson 2 • Rights Metadata Fundamentals

Covers the elements needed to document intellectual property status. Accurate rights metadata enables lawful access and reuse decisions.

Lesson 3 • Access and Use Restrictions

Covers how to encode access conditions and embargo periods in catalog records. Students balance openness with legal and ethical obligations.

Lesson 4 • Administrative Metadata Schemas

Applies PREMIS and similar schemas to encode preservation and rights data. Students integrate administrative metadata with descriptive records.

Lesson 1 • Batch Ingest and Metadata Loading

Covers techniques for loading large volumes of metadata records efficiently. Students prepare, validate, and load batch metadata files.

Lesson 2 • Workflow Automation and Scripting

Introduces scripting and automation tools to streamline repetitive cataloging tasks. Students write basic scripts for metadata transformation.

Lesson 3 • Metadata Editing in Repository Interfaces

Teaches record editing, versioning, and deletion within repository interfaces. Students perform common cataloging tasks in a live environment.

Lesson 4 • Repository System Architecture

Explains the components of a digital repository and how cataloging fits within them. Students map cataloging tasks to system modules.

Lesson 1 • Metadata Remediation Strategies

Teaches prioritization and execution of large-scale metadata cleanup projects. Students plan remediation workflows and track progress.

Lesson 2 • Metadata Quality Dimensions

Defines completeness, accuracy, consistency, and timeliness as quality dimensions. Students apply each dimension to evaluate real records.

Lesson 3 • Metrics, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement

Establishes key performance indicators for cataloging operations. Students build dashboards and use data to drive ongoing improvement.

Lesson 4 • Audit and Assessment Techniques

Covers sampling strategies and automated tools for collection-wide audits. Students produce audit reports with actionable findings.