This course teaches how libraries describe and arrange their materials — cataloguing standards, the Dewey and Library of Congress classification schemes, MARC records, and metadata — so that anything can be found again.

It is the grammar of the library world: practical, precise, and surprisingly elegant once the logic clicks.

What you’ll be able to do

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• explain why cataloguing standards matter;
• read and assign a Dewey classification number;
• recognise Library of Congress call numbers;
• understand the structure of a MARC record;
• describe metadata and schemes like Dublin Core;

The lessons

1. Cataloguing Standards — shared rules (RDA) for describing materials consistently.
2. Dewey Decimal Classification — the ten-class numbering system for shelving.
3. Library of Congress Classification — the letter-based scheme for large research libraries.
4. MARC Records — the format that lets computers share catalogue records.
5. Metadata Basics — structured description, the idea behind it all.

How to study this course

Work through the lessons in order — each is a short read with a worked example, a quick exercise, and a hand-picked free resource. Use the Previous and Next buttons at the foot of each page to move along. There are no fees and no enrolment barriers; the course is open to everyone, and you can revisit it any time.

This courseware is provided free by FRELIP. Original text released under CC BY 4.0; linked resources remain under their own licences. Curated by the FRELIP Open Courseware editorial team.