Librarianship

The course aims to provide students with the basic knowledge of Library Science and introduce the tools for the library profession.
The mission of the library will be introduced, starting from the 5 laws of library science set out by S.R. Ranganathan, considering the different library models and their evolution, the sectors in which the library can be organized, the tools, the cataloging procedures and standards, the formats for the bibliographic data exchange, bearing in mind the historical path that led to the development of these standards and formats until to the Universal Bibliographic Control.
OPACs (Online Public Access Catalogs) and MetaOPACs concepts will be illustrated to the students, and the protocols that allow the circulation of data will be introduced; some solutions related to the social and inclusive role of the library will also be considered as a local access point to knowledge, freely accessible to all "regardless of age, race, sex, religion, nationality or social status" (IFLA / Unesco Manifesto on public libraries , 1994)
During the course, a guided tour of one or two public reading library in the Milan are, notable for organization and services, will be carried out.
Furthermore, by the knowledge acquired, the attending students will be asked to analyze a public reading library of their choice and to write a report of about 1,000 words, which describes its environments, tools, collections and services.

After the course, students will know the types, role and mission of libraries, how they organize collections and services, both basic and advanced, considering also the inclusion of readers with special needs. Students will be able to use both linguistic tools (appropriate professional language) and formats for the circulation of bibliographic data.
Students will acquire skills that will enable them to actively collaborate with staff in public and private libraries, in a library system, in cataloging procedures and in the activities related to the organization of collections and the preparation and provision of services, both basic and advanced.