Program Overview

Introduction to the Cataloguing in the Digital Age Module

The Cataloguing in the Digital Age module, coded as RM50013, is a comprehensive program designed to delve into the core aspects of archival practice in a digital world. This module is part of the University of Dundee's curriculum, specifically under the School of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Law, and is categorized under the discipline of Humanities.

Module Overview

• Credits: 20
• Level: 5
• School: School of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Law
• Discipline: Humanities

The purpose of this module is to offer a deep dive into cataloguing as a fundamental aspect of archival practice, with a focus on the digital age. It explores the impact of evolving technologies, standards, and practices on the day-to-day work of archivists and researchers.

Topics Covered

The module covers a range of topics, including:

• Tools and systems for creating, managing, and presenting catalogue data
• The development and impact of data standards
• Arranging and describing born-digital and digitised material
• Sharing and linking data for greater visibility and discoverability
• User experience of online catalogues
• Crowdsourcing and user-participation

Learning Outcomes

In this module, students will:

• Understand the historical and current role of computers and their impact on archivists, records managers, and their users
• Learn about initiatives to provide digital access to archive collections, including collections of digitally created records and their development
• Gain an in-depth understanding of the application of descriptive standards in the digital environment, including the importance of metadata, the application of thesauri, and indexing standards
• Gain practical experience of using descriptive standards with electronic cataloguing systems, including XML/EAD solutions and an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses
• Have an appreciation of the current state of development of the UK National Archives Network and the problems of interoperability between its various strands

By the end of the module, students will be able to:

• Appreciate the historical and current role of technology in providing access to archive collections both in the UK and abroad
• Be aware of the needs of differing archive users and the challenges this poses in providing digital and remote access to archive catalogues
• Understand and confidently apply descriptive standards in digital environments, including being able to use XML mark-up
• Critically evaluate the options available for providing digital access to collections, including the selection of appropriate thesauri and indexing terms
• Understand how the current strands of the UK National Archives Network have developed and relate to one another, including the interoperability problems of bringing such a network together

Assignments and Assessment

The module is assessed through coursework (100%), which consists of:

• Essay (30%)
• Report (30%)
• Assessed tasks (30%)
• Discussion board participation (10%)

There is no final exam for this module.

Teaching Methods

The module is delivered through independent study (100%).