Library Cataloging
The Murky Bucket Syndrome by Roy Tennant appears in the latest Library Journal. He describes the problems of standardization of large historical datasets, like our catalogs. "As we try to do things programmatically, the structure and content practices really matter in ways they might not have before (FRBRization, data mining, etc.)?." However, greater uniformity in content pratices means more rules in AACR and greater granularity in structure means a more complex MARC. He has in the past argued that things are too complex already. The XML version of a MARC record is much larger and complex than the MARC version, for example. The experience of Dublin Core shows the probelms in trying to make something simple and easy to use. Those records are even more of a problem than our MARC records, and they have only been created over a few years not decades.
- Anachronistic Assumptions About Marc
Interpreting MARC: Where?s the Bibliographic Data? by by Jason Thomale appears in the latest code4lib Journal The MARC data format was created early in the history of digital computers. In this article, the author entertains the notion that viewing MARC...
- Marc
I was just listening to a podcast from Web Essentials 05, where the speaker was asking about old data archives. He was discussing the problems of data migration, and archiving. It occurred to me I have data from the mid-1980s that I use often. I've...
- Future Of Cataloging
Metadata Leadership by Roy Tennant appears in Library Journal this month. As always with his articles lots to agree and disagree with.You may not believe that our dependence on MARC alone limits our future (see "Building a New Bibliographic Infrastructure,"...
- Bibliographic Infrastructure
In Building a New Bibliographic Infrastructure Roy Tennant decides MARC should not to put to death but rather die a natural death.The point is we need to craft standards, software tools, and systems that can accept, manipulate, store, output, search,...
- Marc
LJ has the article MARC Must Die by Roy Tennant. He says that the numbered tags are a problem. I like to think of them as language independent. He suggests that XML may be a replacement. However, XML records are very much larger and XML only specifies...
Library Cataloging
Problems in the Catalog
The Murky Bucket Syndrome by Roy Tennant appears in the latest Library Journal. He describes the problems of standardization of large historical datasets, like our catalogs. "As we try to do things programmatically, the structure and content practices really matter in ways they might not have before (FRBRization, data mining, etc.)?." However, greater uniformity in content pratices means more rules in AACR and greater granularity in structure means a more complex MARC. He has in the past argued that things are too complex already. The XML version of a MARC record is much larger and complex than the MARC version, for example. The experience of Dublin Core shows the probelms in trying to make something simple and easy to use. Those records are even more of a problem than our MARC records, and they have only been created over a few years not decades.
I've been hitting on metadata issues hard in this column, especially in recent months. I am increasingly disturbed by our inability to get this right, at least given today's needs. The library profession seems fond of assuming that its bibliographic infrastructure is the best ever devised, worthy of respect and admiration. There is some truth to that but also some self-delusion. If this is the best bibliographic infrastructure ever devised, then we (and, more importantly, our users) are in trouble. We must fix it, and soon.
- Anachronistic Assumptions About Marc
Interpreting MARC: Where?s the Bibliographic Data? by by Jason Thomale appears in the latest code4lib Journal The MARC data format was created early in the history of digital computers. In this article, the author entertains the notion that viewing MARC...
- Marc
I was just listening to a podcast from Web Essentials 05, where the speaker was asking about old data archives. He was discussing the problems of data migration, and archiving. It occurred to me I have data from the mid-1980s that I use often. I've...
- Future Of Cataloging
Metadata Leadership by Roy Tennant appears in Library Journal this month. As always with his articles lots to agree and disagree with.You may not believe that our dependence on MARC alone limits our future (see "Building a New Bibliographic Infrastructure,"...
- Bibliographic Infrastructure
In Building a New Bibliographic Infrastructure Roy Tennant decides MARC should not to put to death but rather die a natural death.The point is we need to craft standards, software tools, and systems that can accept, manipulate, store, output, search,...
- Marc
LJ has the article MARC Must Die by Roy Tennant. He says that the numbered tags are a problem. I like to think of them as language independent. He suggests that XML may be a replacement. However, XML records are very much larger and XML only specifies...