Assessing Cataloging Curriculum Offered by LIS Program in Malaysia

Abstract

Abstract
The cataloguing courses offered vary in Library and Information Science (LIS) Programs in Malaysia. With the fast technological change, faculties are responsible in giving the most appropriate learning education in preparing their students with skills and competencies as well as ensuring what students need to know to do their jobs well. The objectives of this study are to identify the current practice of teaching and learning of cataloguing course in LIS program in Malaysia, to investigate the relevance of cataloguing course as perceived by educators toward professional career, to discover the required elements to improve the cataloguing courses offered and to identify the required skills and competencies of cataloguer in this technological era as perceived by the educators. A multiple case study approach is undertaken to identify the nature, level, and status of teaching cataloguing courses in five LIS programs in Malaysia. The interviews, document analyses as well as observations are used as methods for data collection. The findings from these cases lead the researcher to generate the factors for improvement of cataloguing course framework. In summary, current practice, educators’ perceptions toward professional career, elements for improvement and required competencies as factors in improving the cataloguing courses in all LIS programs in Malaysia. The findings also demonstrate that cataloguing is still relevant and will continue to be taught, and that it remains a core course even with the advent of information communication and technology (ICT) that revolutionized information organization in the past decade. The results of the study have provided input to the LIS programs in Malaysia in reviewing the course contents, examined the course offering as well as described teaching philosophy since the technology changes and give impact to the world of librarianship nowadays.

Keywords: Cataloguing, cataloguing practices, library and information science, cataloguing curriculum, malaysia