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Elements and Performance Criteria

Identify description requirements
Identify scope and likely uses of material
Assess customer requirements or expectations, including potential special needs
Determine appropriate type and structure of description
Analyse material
Use analysis and description tools, standards, precedents and techniques which are appropriate to the nature of the material
Analyse subject content of the material and clearly distinguish significant information from minor references
Integrate established general concepts and principles of description and knowledge of relevant standards and authorities
Ensure concepts derived from analysis of material are appropriate in the context of the subject field
Describe material and format description
Create description/s which represent concepts appropriately, and which reflect the overall purpose and intended use of the description
Conform format of description to general conventions and any special rules
Where required, develop accurate reference structure of descriptors to display relationships to assist customers
Where appropriate, enhance description to meet identified customer needs
Monitor and review analysis and description practices and procedures
In consultation with colleagues, undertake monitoring and review description practices and procedures regularly to ensure customer needs are being met and in response to industry developments
Take appropriate action within scope of individual responsibility to enhance description practices and procedures
Where required, check descriptions regularly for internal consistency and compliance with established structure, rules and authorities

Required Skills

Required skills

communication skills to accurately and appropriately describe a wide range of potentially complex information

critical thinking skills to apply analysis and description tools to a wide range of different information types of varying complexity

literacy skills to interpret and analyse a wide range of references

numeracy skills to work with indexing concepts

Required knowledge

principles of subject access

principles of thesauri used in indexing

types of indexes and abstracts

abstracting and indexing standards and methods including descriptions and cross referencing of access points and descriptors

allocating descriptors major and minor

ways of matching reference structure to suit customer needs

ways of enhancing subject access through indexing

monitoring and review processes for indexes and abstracts

copyright moral rights and intellectual property issues and legislation that impact on indexing and abstracting activities

Evidence Required

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the following is essential

ability to appropriately use tools standards and communication skills to analyse and describe material appropriately

knowledge of principles of subject access

demonstration of skills using current industry systems to analyse and describe a range of different materials

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure

access to relevant policies and procedures manuals

access to relevant thesauri and database programs

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge The following examples are appropriate for this unit

direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third party workplace reports of onthejob performance by the candidate

evaluation of appropriateness of descriptions created by the candidate and adaptations to suit different types of information

oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of standards and tools

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector workplace and job role is recommended for example

CULLBC Catalogue and classify material

CULLB506C Catalogue and classify material.

Range Statement


The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Scope and likely use of material may relate to:	subject matter available time available space probable types of users, e.g. professional, educational, recreational express brief or document format

Customer requirements or expectations for consideration may include:	access current awareness retrospective inquiry description of contents of materials translation from one language to another

Analysis and description tools, techniques and standards may include:	SCIS Subject Headings and thesauri LCSH Library of Congress Subject Headings

Description/s may be:	indicative informative critical assigned from a prescribed list or thesaurus, e.g. ERIC, AEI taken from pre-existing formulations derived from text or context formulated to meet identified customers needs

In manual indexes, entries may be ordered:	alphabetically numerically alphanumerically taxonomically chronologically according to traditional rules or conventions

General conventions may include:	bibliographic organisation/descriptions geographic descriptions

Monitor and review processes may include:	surveys customer feedback statistics