My thanks for the prompt and comprehensive replies to the above thread.
I must admit that I probably made the points more strongly than I had
intended to. As a former teacher and librarian myself, I entirely
sympathise with the need to use a wide range of search strategies to
locate appropriate materials and that often the best value is obtained
by relying on the professional expertise of other users.
As Jacqueline said: "Educational materials are usually targeted fairly
explicitly to an
audience". In these circumstances I have no concerns about the use of
an Audience tag. My query would be more related to the application of
an audience or pedagogy tag to an item such as a feature film that a
teacher/indexer thinks would be useful for say a year 7 class or as a
useful adjunct for a particular teaching methodology. The tag reflects a
particular point of view yet then sets a stamp on subsequent uses of the
resource.
I think what I'm really saying is that where information is reasonably
objective - whether it is the title, a specific subject entry or a
stated intended age level - the use of metadata is entirely
appropriate.
Stu Weibel made the point that DC "is not a cure for cancer", and as
such should not be a surrogate educational selection tool that
potentially demeans the professional ability of teachers to decide for
themselves the best use of a particular resource.
Cheers
Mike
--
Michael Currie
EdNA Project Officer (Higher Ed.) Ph. +61 3 9344 9578
University of Melbourne Fax +61 3 9347 9106
Parkville, Victoria, Australia Email [log in to unmask]
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