sac-class: length of the LC classification course

[Lori Robare <lrobare@darkwing.uoregon.edu>]

Hi everyone,

I've been remiss in getting back to the discussions we began at
Midwinter, since I've been caught up in managing my library's migration
to OCLC Connexion.   We do need to get to work!

I'd like to start by hearing your thoughts on the length of the
course.   Here's an excerpt from the Midwinter
minutes:

****
- Length of the course: we did not reach any conclusions on
this.  There are a number of one-day LCC workshops available from
different providers.  Some members expressed reservations about
being able to cover the desired content of a basic course in a single
day.  One reason for keeping it to a single day is that it is much
more manageable for attendees and organizers and may reach more
people.  One suggestion is to design the course in a very modular
format, with a core component focusing on concepts that are widely
applicable throughout the schedules, and numerous distinct sessions
focusing on specific schedules.  Workshop organizers could decide to
host a single day workshop or a day and a half.

****

I'm intrigued by the idea of a very modular course and would like to run
it by people we report to in ALCTS and the PCC to get their thoughts on
feasibility.   I think it has some real advantages, but see
some potential nightmares for organizers too, at least in the way I'm
imagining it would go.  

Say we had a half-day option that included sessions on some more
specialized schedules like K, M, maybe G.   For a specialized
audience -- say, a group of law catalogers or a group of music catalogers
-- it should be fairly easy for organizers to determine what to
offer.  

For a general audience -- like those sponsored by ALCTS or through PCC
channels like state library associations or regional networks -- how
would the organizers approach it?  Offer all specialized sessions, I
would guess, and give people the option of registering for a single day
or day and a half.  But how many catalogers who work with law
materials would also want the specialized focus on music (and vice
versa)?   I've been on the organizing end of many such events
and I can't help imagining complaints about having to sit through
irrelevant sessions or hang around and wait for the relevant
session....   There certainly are generalists who would welcome
the opportunity to learn it all, but most catalogers I know, even at very
small libraries, don't have quite the range of responsibilities that
would encompass music and law.  And maybe it's a mistake to focus on
just those two schedules, but they have come up as logical components of
a day and a half course.

What are your thoughts about this, and preferences for the length of the
course?  

-- Lori