CARLI Instruction Committee- "Are you as conflicted as we are? Challenges with teaching subject headings and keywords"

Join us via zoom, Friday, February 11 at 1pm central for a discussion about teaching subject headings and keyword searching. We will provide a few brief stories about the inconsistencies we’ve encountered with subject heading indexing and how these findings challenged whether to teach students to use subject headings or keywords. Using polls and discussion prompts, we will learn from each other about how we teach database navigation and why.

Discussion Facilitators: Frances Brady (Adler University) and Alissa Droog (Northern Illinois University)

Discussion Questions:

• In what contexts do you teach subject headings/keywords? What levels, disciplines and what scaffolding do you use?
• What difficulties do you find in teaching subject headings or keywords?
• Tell us about any issues you’ve had with subject heading indexing.
• Have you collaborated with catalogers (or others responsible for description) to teach subject headings/keywords or to implement improvements that benefit users?
• How have you engaged students in thinking critically about outdated or insensitive terminology that they may encounter in catalogs and databases?
• Optional last question, if time permits: Do faculty preferences for subject headings/keywords influence what you teach?

To Register: Select the Register option above.

Connection details will be sent to registrants on February 10.

This session will NOT be recorded to foster a more open conversation.

Please send any questions to support@carli.illinois.edu