Danielle,
Thanks so much for the response.
You said: "It's not so great to say people who don't do it your way
don't appreciate what you do. I can appreciate MARC at the same time
that I appreciate ONIX; since I work with and teach workshops on
"metadata"." (end)
I'd be interested in those metadata workshops! If you're ever up in
Minnesota...
Danielle, I understand you to be talking about metadata standards here
(programming structures and fields), something I know varies
widely(though cross-walks make much possible) - please know, I am not so
much talking about MARC structure as I am talking about key AACR2 ideas
- i.e., the importance of maintaining vocabulary control (or
"consistency" if you prefer). I do not see how it cannot be imperative
for libraries who want to cooperate with one another to do this if they
want to be effective - as well as being able to function well on the
ground in their particular circumstances. Therefore, library
investments must be targeted at traditional cataloging, to this extent
at least, in order for the profession to survive. I do not think MARC
has to be the standard, nor even AACR2 - but there must be some level of
fundamental agreement - as I think my message made clear.
I want libraries to be able to cooperate more widely and maintain the
valuable - and necessary function - of authority control.
Both "bigger pictures" are needed, I think.
When you talk about metadata, I know that in large part means retrieving
things at increasingly "granular levels" - all well and good. However,
if you have not read this article by Thomas Mann already, I urge you to
do so: http://tinyurl.com/yw3yar Here, he talks about a different kind
of retrieval here - "scope level" - the kind it takes effective,
agreed-upon, authority control to be able to do.
"both of which have the *promise* to permit collaborative authority
work, albeit in very different ways." (note my emphasis)
Danielle, I am following the Open Lib project as well - could you expand
on just how this potential collaborative authority work might take
place?
Regards,
Nathan Rinne
Media Cataloging Technician
ISD 279 - Educational Service Center (ESC)
11200 93rd Ave. North
Maple Grove, MN. 55369
Work phone: 763-391-7183
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion List for issues related to cataloging & metadata
education & training [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Danielle
Plumer
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 12:54 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Martha Yee's comments on LIS education (fwd)
Nathan,
I guess I just don't think that there is one right way or even one best
way for every person in every context. It's great that you love what you
do, and it's great to share that work with others. It's not so great to
say people who don't do it your way don't appreciate what you do. I can
appreciate MARC at the same time that I appreciate ONIX; since I work
with and teach workshops on "metadata," I in fact need to be able to use
a variety of metadata standards and schemes and see how they relate to
each other. I think that that ability to see the bigger picture is a
fundamental part of cataloging education.
As far as "making all our authority records web-pages (URIs), or
something like that," I'm following a number of projects including the
Open Library project from the Internet Archive
(http://demo.openlibrary.org/) and the Encoded Archival Context project
(see http://www.iath.virginia.edu/eac/, which is a bit out-of-date),
both of which have the promise to permit collaborative authority work,
albeit in very different ways.
Danielle Cunniff Plumer, Coordinator
Texas Heritage Digitization Initiative
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
512.463.5852 (phone) / 512.936.2306 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion List for issues related to cataloging & metadata
education & training [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Rinne, Nathan
(ESC)
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 11:32 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Martha Yee's comments on LIS education (fwd)
Danielle said:
"I think we all agree that we need more investments in cataloging and
metadata creation, not fewer, although those investments *will not and
cannot be targeted at traditional cataloging, the way we've 'always'
done it.* Yee and others would be much better equipped to argue against
outsourcing and eliminating cataloging practices if they recognized that
essential truth... I'm a medievalist by training..." (end)
Danielle, I think the way we've done it in the past 100 years is in
several ways the best way (not in all, to be sure), albeit the tradition
is not long as you say. I just posted the following on AUTOCAT:
|