(please excuse cross posting)
Pedagogy, philosophy, and practice: Education for the cataloging and metadata information professions
Hill (2002) described cataloging and classification education as a pendulum swinging slowly from one extreme to another. Nearly a quarter of a century on the pendulum continues on, albeit much faster and with more mass, pushing our pedagogies, philosophies, and practices to sweep in wider and wider arcs.
This special issue of CCQ focuses on the present and future education for cataloging and metadata professions across libraries, archives, and museums. How do we prepare these information professionals to support the information needs of the people whose shifting information environments are fueled by unremitting technological change? How deeply affected are our pedagogies, philosophies, and practices and in what ways do we ensure the success of those we educate, especially at concerns their competency and adaptability to shifts in practice and policy? Which of our tools and skills are still viable, and what needs to change?
We solicit proposal for papers from the LIS faculty, adjuncts, practitioners, including those who work with practicum students and/or who hire or mentor new graduates. A list of possible topics is provided below, in no particular order, but we also welcome those beyond what is suggested. We ask that the proposals keep with the theme of pedagogy, philosophy, and practice:
Hill, J.S. (2003). Pitfalls and the pendulum : Reconsidering education for cataloging and the organization of information : Preface. In J. S. Hill (Ed) Education for cataloging and the organization of information : pitfalls and the pendulum (pp. xv-xix). Haworth.
We solicit proposal for papers from the LIS faculty, adjuncts, practitioners, including those who work with practicum students and/or who hire or mentor new graduates. A list of possible topics is provided below, in no particular order, but we also welcome those beyond what is suggested. We ask that the proposals keep with the theme of pedagogy, philosophy, and practice:
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Tools of the trade: Resource Description and Access (RDA)-Original and Official, Library Reference Model (LRM), BIBFRAME, MARC, DC, Authority Control, Classification, Subject Cataloging and controlled or uncontrolled vocabularies, Descriptive Cataloging
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Approaches to course syllabi, structure, and coverage, including historical and current trends, number of courses needed, what is core, etc.
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Pedagogies surrounding ethics or the problems of teaching ethics in information organization courses (e.g., cataloging, classification, metadata, etc.) and/or issues surrounding current social issues, concepts, etc.
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Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies
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Current state of information organization jobs (e.g., job titles, responsibilities, required and preferred qualifications, etc.) and its reflection in curricula
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Reflections on the future of catalogers and metadata jobs
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Bibliographic vendors response to Official RDA and BIBFRAME, role of MARC 21 records, etc., and the effect(s) on education and preparation of information professionals
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Pedagogical challenges caused by generational changes in student populations (e.g., lack of time students have to devote to 'homework' and class preparations, learning behaviors, perceptions of what is good information versus bad information, etc.)
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The tension between understanding principles vs. hands-on training for specific standards (e.g., how much knowledge of MARC or BIBFRAME, LCSH or FAST, RDA Original or RDA Official, etc. is actually needed?)
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Effects of the rapid pace of change in standards
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Innovations in addressing the current landscape (e.g., project-based learning or practica, etc.)
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Continuing education for professionals (i.e., advanced graduate certificates, professional certification, core competencies, etc.)
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Challenges to the desirability of a Master of Science in LIS, particularly its place in iSchools
Submission Instructions
Articles should be no more than 8,000 words (including footnotes and references) and written in accordance with the style guide and reference guide (Chicago endnotes and bibliography) provided by Cataloging & Classification Quarterly. Shorter papers may be considered, or authors may be encouraged to collaborate if they submit similar proposals. For an informal discussion about publishing in the special issue, contact
Bobby Bothmann (
bobby.bothmann@gmail.com).
In the first instance, please send a
500 words (maximum) proposal to
bobby.bothmann@gmail.com by
August 31, 2026. Include in the subject line of the email: CCQ Proposal
Proposals should contain a brief outline of the proposed article, up to five key words, a title and author affiliations.
All submissions will be double-blind peer reviewed prior to acceptance for publication. An invitation to submit an article does not guarantee publication in the final issue. All submissions should be presented in line with the Cataloging & Classification Quarterly
Instructions for Authors.
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Shawne Miksa
Professor
UNT
Shawne.Miksa@unt.edu------------------------------