By Jaythaleela K
MIRI, March 21: Staff of The Library & Learning Commons section of Curtin University Malaysia recently helped the Resource Centre of Sekolah Menengah Sains Miri enhance its library services by conducting a Cataloguing and Classification Workshop for two staff and 40 student librarians of the school.
The Library & Learning Commons staff comprised senior librarian Sorina Ramli and library technical services team members Diana Sengalang, Nurul Huda Ibrahim, Nora Tusan and Marina Samsudin.
The school staff and students were introduced to the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), an internationally applied decimal system of library classification that uses a three-figure code to represent the major branches of knowledge. It allows finer classification to be made by the addition of further figures after a decimal point.
They were also taught the use of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) developed and maintained by the United States Library of Congress. It is a controlled vocabulary used for indexing, cataloguing and searching for bibliographic records in library catalogues and electronic databases that has been adopted by modern libraries globally.
According to Sorina, the staff and students were now able to catalogue and systematically label books according to DDC standards and subject headings as well as share constructive ideas and solve problems encountered when doing cataloguing and classification.
In thanking SM Sains principal Dzulbadzli Abdullah and Resource Centre teacher Fiona Shu Chew for giving them the opportunity to conduct the workshop, Sorina said The Library & Learning Commons section would continue sharing knowledge and collaborating with SM Sains’ Resource Centre as it did with the libraries of several other schools and public libraries in Miri.
This workshop, which was carried out as part of The Library & Learning Commons’ community outreach programme, followed three Information Literacy Skills (ILS) workshops for staff and students of Sekolah Menengah Kerajaan Pujut, Sekolah Menengah Vokasional Miri and SM Sains Miri in January.
Curtin Malaysia has one of the most modern and innovative libraries among universities in Malaysia. Its Library & Learning Commons section serves over 4,000 students, and its extensive facilities include The Library occupying about 16,100 square feet on three floors, which is complemented by two common study areas across the campus.
The Library’s current collections consist of approximately 32,800 printed books, 4,300 audio-visual items, 500 print journals, 420,000 electronic books, 160,000 electronic journals and 600 online databases. With the latest digital technologies and Internet access, its online resources can be easily accessed by users anywhere and at any time. — DayakDaily
