LIBRARY AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
LIBT 100:
Essentials of Information Service 3 credits
Prerequisites: None
Transferability: None
This course provides instruction in some of the initial public services tasks in library work such as circulation, inter-library loans, displays and processing library materials. Library filing rules and Boolean searching are covered, and students learn to be effective searchers of library catalogues and other databases. Course content includes business procedures used in libraries, such as word processing, e-mail, and managing the telephone. Students learn how to conduct an effective employment search, and gain practice in writing resumes and covering letters. Communications and human relations in the workplace are discussed. An introduction to trouble-shooting business machines such as photocopiers and fax machines is included. Includes computer lab.
Note: This course is accepted as an elective in the UCFV Arts BA program.
LIBT 110:
Information and Society 3 credits
Prerequisites: none
Transferability: Langara College
This introductory course surveys the history of books, libraries, and the management of information. Current trends and issues in the book and information industries are examined, as is the role of the paraprofessional in these industries.
Note: This course is accepted as an elective in the UCFV Arts BA program.
LIBT 115:
Library Cataloguing Techniques 3 credits
Prerequisites: LIBT 100 (may be taken concurrently) and admission to the LIBT program
Transferability: Langara College
This course teaches cataloguing according to the latest edition of Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACRII), description of library materials, and MARC coding for bibliographic description of items in all formats. The course provides an introduction to Authority files, and assignment of access points, and to searching online systems for derived copy from national and other libraries. Skills learned in this course provide a basis for subsequent courses. Includes computer lab.
LIBT 120:
Library Technical Services 3 credits
Prerequisite: LIBT 115 (may be taken concurrently)
Transferability: Langara College
This course examines the technical services department of the library or information centre. It covers the process of acquiring all types of materials for a library or information centre, with attention to the use of standard selection tools, bibliographic verification using electronic and paper systems, acquisitions procedures, and control of acquisitions budgets using manual and spreadsheet systems. Cataloguing skills acquired in LIBT 115 will be reinforced through practice as students follow examples through the complete range of technical services. Includes computer lab.
LIBT 130:
Library Classification Systems 3 credits
Prerequisite: LIBT 115 (may be taken concurrently)
Transferability: Langara College (with LIBT 135)
The two major library classification systems used in North America are studied: Library of Congress Classification System, used primarily in college and university libraries, and the Dewey Decimal Classification System, used primarily in public and school libraries.
LIBT 135:
Library Subject Access 3 credits
Prerequisite: LIBT 115 (may be taken concurrently)
Transferability: Langara College (with LIBT 130)
In this course, which adds subject access to catalogue records, students will learn to provide correctly formatted subject headings, using Sears List of Subject Headings for items that have been classified using the Dewey Decimal Classification System, and Library of Congress Subject Headings for items classified using Library of Congress Classification System. A study of selected thesauri from subjects such as education, psychology, and technology will form the basis for a comparison of controlled vocabulary and keyword selection as methods of locating items in an online catalogue. Students will learn to provide suitable indexes and thesaurus entries. Students will also learn the correct MARC coding for adding subject headings to an online catalogue record.
LIBT 140:
Library Public Services 3 credits
Prerequisite: LIBT 115 (may be taken concurrently)
Transferability: Langara College
An introduction to working with the public in libraries and information centres. Topics include developing a philosophy of service, the variety of public services offered by different institutions, public relations, communicating effectively with patrons through the reference interview, dealing with difficult patrons, recognizing basic types of queries, recognizing when to refer patrons to professional staff or outside agencies, effective use of the library catalogue to extract information, and basic types of reference sources (primarily print) used to answer patron queries.
LIBT 145:
Internet Information Retrieval 3 credits
Prerequisite: none
Transferability: Langara College
This course will be of interest to students from all disciplines. Students will become effective searchers of the Internet, developing and refining search strategies to increase the relevance of the material gathered. Students learn how to evaluate the information they find, using standard criteria, and how to document electronic information sources using standard style guides. Issues such as the effect of the Internet on society, scholarship, and libraries, are discussed and debated. Resources specific to different subject areas such as business, government, health, arts, humanities, and social sciences will be explored.
Note: This course is accepted as an elective in the UCFV Arts BA program.
LIBT 160:
Site Visits, Practicum 3 credits
Prerequisites: LIBT 115, LIBT 140, and 45 LIBT program credits
Transferability: Langara College
Site visits are arranged for groups of students to visit libraries and/or records management areas to learn how these areas deal with their users and with the materials they manage. At the end of term, all students will work for a four-week period in a selected site, and be evaluated on their activities while performing the practicum. Every effort is made to match the interests of the student to the host site. Work in this course is evaluated as satisfactory/unsatisfactory and grades are not used in calculating grade point averages.
LIBT 210:
Database Organization of Information 3 credits
Prerequisite: LIBT 135 (may be taken concurrently)
Transferability: none
Students learn to create searchable databases to handle informational materials for a variety of purposes. Here they will use indexes and thesaurus entries to create access points for several informational database programs. They will learn techniques for writing abstracts, and develop simple instructions for others to use in searching their databases. Includes a computer lab.
LIBT 220:
Library Applications Software 3 credits
Prerequisite: LIBT 120 (may be taken concurrently)
Transferability: none
This course will include the evaluation and selection of library and information management software, its installation, set-up and use. Students will be introduced to local area networks, and will learn simple maintenance procedures. They will learn to locate reviews of software in print and online, and they will evaluate library software and write coherent reviews. They will also learn how to write procedures for other staff to follow when using library systems. Includes computer lab.
LIBT 230:
Library Services for Children 3 credits
Prerequisite: none
Transferability: Langara College
Students learn to use a wide variety of children’s literature to provide programs which will help children develop a taste for and a delight in the best materials available.
Note: This course is accepted as an elective in the UCFV Arts BA program.
LIBT 240:
Media in Libraries 3 credits
Prerequisite: LIBT 115 (may be taken concurrently)
Transferability: Langara College
This course covers the operation and simple maintenance of audiovisual equipment, and methods of locating, evaluating, organizing and handling audiovisual materials such as audio and video cassettes, microforms, graphic materials, computer software, pamphlets, etc.
LIBT 250:
Records Management 3 credits
Prerequisites: none
Transferability: none
This course provides an introduction to the systematic control of information in an organization. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy legislation will provide a context for establishing a records management program in an organization. Students will learn to analyze research and conduct inventories and audits of office systems. Also included are topics such as active/inactive records, the values and life cycles of records, schedules for retention, storage, retrieval and disposal of records, commonly used classification and filing systems.
Note: This course is accepted as an elective in the UCFV Arts BA program.
LIBT 260:
Automated Records Management 3 credits
Prerequisites: LIBT 250, CIS 100 (may be taken concurrently)
Transferability: none
Automated systems for managing records are taught in this course, along with creation and use of forms for specific purposes in the computerized environment. Here students will be introduced to use of magnetic and optical media for records storage and retrieval and will practise written, oral, and electronic communication skills. Students will use word processing, spreadsheet and database programs for simulation of records management tasks. Items classified using ARCS/ORCS will be entered into a database. Includes a computer lab.
LIBT 270:
Archival Techniques 3 credits
Prerequisites: none
Transferability: none
In this course, students will study the relationship between records management procedures and archival techniques. They will examine the field of archives, and recognize its national and local associations and organizations. The course will deal with the process of appraising and selecting items for archival retention, and will introduce simple conservation techniques, safe storage methods, and the concepts of original order and provenance. Students will develop methods of providing indexes, finding aids and security for archival collections. Includes a computer lab.
Note: This course is accepted as an elective in the UCFV Arts BA program.
LIBT 280:
Special Topics in Information Work 3 credits
Prerequisite: instructor’s permission
Transferability: none
LIBT 280 is offered on an occasional basis, to provide enrichment in an emerging area of study. It will be offered to both students and people from the information world who wish to study a topic under the direction of UCFV’s LIBT program.
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