Speaker 1: A major part of this class is based on the idea that doing research requires access to many resources and that most people don't have all the books, articles, and materials they need for their research. Most research requires the use of libraries and their collections. So it is important to understand how libraries are organized and the tools and services available to their patrons. First, recognize that there are four main types of libraries, described by the type of patrons. A local public library is the first library most people become familiar with, and their focus is on serving the interests of their community. Most public libraries have areas for children's materials and programs, in addition to materials and programs for adults, teens, and interest groups. School libraries develop their collections based on the curriculum. The programs of study as defined in the scope and sequence for each discipline. So if botany is introduced in second grade, the school library should have some botany materials for second grade students. Academic libraries are simply school libraries for institutions of higher education, so their programs, collections, and services are developed to support the programs of study at the institution. For example, since ISU has a strong health science program, we have a collection of materials to support the health science programs. Obviously, the more advanced programs of study have more advanced materials to support the programs of the institution. Special libraries are affiliated with a specific organization, such as a business, a law firm, or a church, and their collections and services are developed to support the interests of the organization. For instance, the INL Technical Library and the LDS Genealogical Library are local special libraries. In most libraries, there are three main staff groups, although there are many libraries with only one or two staff members. The public services staff are the people the community view as the library staff. Reference librarians provide assistance in locating and using the library materials. Circulation staff check materials in and out to patrons and maintain the order of materials on the shelves. Interlibrary loan staff locate materials in other libraries that have been requested by their patrons. Rare and local interest materials are restored and maintained by archivists in special collections. However, there are other staff members necessary for a library to function effectively. Behind-the-scenes staff include acquisitions, whose role is to process and track all the materials ordered until they are received by the library. Cataloging staff process the new materials, assigning call numbers, subject headings, and labeling the materials appropriately. Computer systems staff are responsible for maintaining the library software and hardware for patron and staff use. The administration role is a complex one of monitoring a budget and staff while providing patrons with the best materials and facilities. For years, libraries were known for their collections of books, but libraries also have periodicals such as magazines, journals, and newspapers. In addition, maps, archives, and rare materials are made available to the public in libraries, so libraries have much in common with museums. Also, most libraries provide computers for the public to use, and often games, artwork, and other non-print materials are available for their patrons. Each of these types of materials have to be classified and organized with tools to help locate them, since human memory doesn't always work to remember where materials are. Also, large libraries have many staff that need to be able to locate material quickly, so a system with consistent guidelines is essential for large collections. The library catalog is a database of materials the library owns. However, there are other databases that provide online access to magazines, newspapers, and journals. These periodical databases are developed by companies that decide the resources most people want to use. It does not reflect the interests of the community. This is similar to a grocery store accepting the products chosen by the national office, then having to sell them. The database executives study trends and interests, then expect library patrons to use what they have provided. Most of these databases include access to articles for many of the titles included, but full text is not guaranteed through a database. Each item in a library is included in a library catalog. Consider the catalog an index to everything in the library. You could look up materials by subject, but also by author and title. No matter how you look up the material, the information about each item will be the same. The call number tells the patron where the item is located and is assigned based on the subject or discipline, the author's last name, and recently many libraries added the year of publication to the call number. Most university and college libraries, also called academic libraries, use the Library of Congress classification system, which uses letters of the alphabet for 24 major divisions, then subdivides each with a second letter, and subdivides further with numbers. The second part of the call number is assigned based on the author's last name, or the title if it is an edited book, and, again, is a combination of letters and numbers. The last part is the year of publication. The Dewey Decimal Classification System is mostly used in public and school libraries. There are 10 divisions, the 0 hundreds, 100s, 200s, 300s, on up to the 900s. Each hundred has divisions in the tens place, which subdivides each division, and the subject is further divided into the decimal places. I don't expect you to learn all the divisions for either system, but it is important to recognize that both systems classify materials so titles in a subject area are together. Before library catalogs were computerized, all the information about a book was entered on index cards, then filed in card catalogs, and kept in large cabinets with long drawers. Each title had cards filed by author and title, and non-fiction titles also had subject headings. Many librarians used to spend hours typing and filing the cards, and patrons had to know how to use the card catalog to find their material. An entry from the Computer Library Catalog from ISU displays information about a title, and includes descriptive information such as subject headings, summary, and any notes to describe the content. Since the library catalog is a computer database of material in the library collection, each of these fields are common to most materials in the library. OPACs, or Online Public Access Catalogs, make it possible to enter a title once, and with the use of the fields in the database, titles can be searched by author, title, subject, or even keywords. In a similar matter, most library databases index periodical titles, with fields to retrieve articles by author, title, subject, periodical title, date of issue, and many databases can search by keyword. The United States government is the largest producer of information in the world, and most libraries have government documents in their collection. The SUDOC classification system was developed by the Superintendent of Documents at the Government Printing Office, or the GPO, for use with government materials. The SUDOC system assigns call numbers based on the agency responsible for the information, although these agencies change names occasionally, and therefore their call number would change. Many libraries also act as depositories for the state and the federal government, and maintain state and federal documents for public access. However, many government agencies have decreased the amount of material printed, they simply publish their reports and materials as online documents, therefore available to everyone. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I love helping people use libraries.