Information organization (library and museum studies)

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The methods and techniques used to organize and categorize items in a library or museum collection.

Cataloging: The process of creating standardized descriptions of information resources to enable easy search and retrieval.
Metadata: Data that provides information about other data, such as the title, author, and date of publication of a book.
Classification: The system of arranging books or other resources on shelves according to subject in order to facilitate browsing and retrieval.
Indexing: The process of creating an alphabetical list of topics or keywords related to a collection of resources, to enable easy search and retrieval.
Archives: Collections of historic documents, records, and other primary sources that are preserved and made accessible for research purposes.
Preservation: The process of preventing or mitigating damage to information resources over time, through proper storage, maintenance, and repair.
Digital Libraries: Collections of digital resources that are organized, stored, and made accessible online, often through metadata and search tools.
User Services: The provision of assistance, guidance, and instruction to users of information resources, such as reference consultations or teaching information literacy skills.
Collection Development: The process of assessing user needs and selecting materials to acquire and add to a library or museum collection.
Information Literacy: The ability to identify, evaluate, and effectively use information resources, including understanding their context and ethical implications.
Classification: This is the process of organizing resources into categories based on their subject matter or topic.
Cataloguing: Cataloguing involves creating a detailed record of each item in a library or museum collection, including information such as title, author, publisher, and subject.
Metadata: Metadata is the data that describes other data. It is used to provide information about resources such as images, audio recordings, and video.
Indexing: Indexing involves creating an index of the terms used in a collection so that users can quickly find the information they need.
Information retrieval: Information retrieval is the process of finding information within a collection of resources, often using search tools like indexes or databases.
Preservation: Preservation is the process of protecting and conserving resources to ensure that they are accessible to future generations.
Access and circulation: Access and circulation involves establishing policies for how resources will be made available to users, including borrowing rules and access to digital resources.
Archiving: Archiving involves preserving and organizing historical materials, such as manuscripts or personal papers, with the goal of making them accessible to researchers and the general public.
Digital libraries: Digital libraries are collections of resources that are available online, often using digital storage and retrieval systems.
User services: User services involve providing assistance to library or museum patrons, such as reference help or educational programs.
- "In library and information science, cataloging (US) or cataloguing (UK) is the process of creating metadata representing information resources..."
- "Cataloging provides information such as author's names, titles, and subject terms that describe resources, typically through the creation of bibliographic records."
- "... books, sound recordings, moving images, etc."
- "The records serve as surrogates for the stored information resources."
- "Since the 1970s these metadata are in machine-readable form..."
- "...are indexed by information retrieval tools, such as bibliographic databases or search engines."
- "...such as bibliographic databases or search engines."
- "...it also produces other types of discovery tools for documents and collections."
- "Bibliographic control provides the philosophical basis of cataloging, defining the rules that sufficiently describes information resources..."
- "A cataloger is an individual responsible for the processes of description, subject analysis, classification, and authority control of library materials."
- "Catalogers serve as the 'foundation of all library service, as they are the ones who organize information in such a way as to make it easily accessible'."
- "Catalogers... description, subject analysis, classification, and authority control of library materials."
- "Cataloging provides information such as author's names, titles, and subject terms..."
- "The records serve as surrogates for the stored information resources."
- "...author's names, titles, and subject terms."
- "...defining the rules that sufficiently describes information resources, to enable users find and select the most appropriate resource."
- "...information retrieval tools, such as bibliographic databases or search engines."
- "Since the 1970s these metadata are in machine-readable form..."
- "...books, sound recordings, moving images, etc."
- "Catalogers serve as the 'foundation of all library service, as they are the ones who organize information in such a way as to make it easily accessible'."