Peter,

why reinvent the wheel? There are actually quite a few tools that import
MARC and some of them may accommodate the level of complexity that you are
looking for. There should be open source cataloging tools for libraries,
but I don't know any in particular. Definitely worth a look.

You could also check, for example, open source repository softwares, such
as those managed by DuraSpace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DuraSpace).
They are made not ONLY for cataloging, but they also catalog and they
should import MARC as well as other stuff.

maurice



On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 7:50 AM, Carla Arton <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Since you are interested in MARC, be aware that any investment you make now
> in a database that is MARC based may need additional investment if/when
> BibFrame is implemented as a replacement for MARC.
>
> http://www.loc.gov/bibframe/
>
> See the AV Modeling Study
> <http://www.loc.gov/bibframe/pdf/bibframe-avmodelingstudy-may15-2014.pdf>
> released this past year. It explores the relationships you mention between
> varying performers and performances on one album. You can also play with
> filling in fields they have proposed in their testbed editor
> <http://bibframe.org/tools/editor/>.
>
> There are other options as well, such as PBCore <http://pbcore.org/>. They
> just held a How-to <http://vimeo.com/109940772> webinar about a month ago
> which is available online.
>
> You may also consider contacting the ARSC Cataloging Committee
> <http://www.arsc-audio.org/committees/cataloging-committee.html>.
>
> Best, Carla Arton
>
> On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 7:31 PM, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> > See if you can make contact with the guy who writes Tag&Rename. He's
> > figured out how to hook into several sources including Amazon and
> AllMusic
> > to find tag information for music files. He might be able to port over
> what
> > he's done to fill in a catalog or database instead of writing tags into
> > FLAC, WAV and MP3 files. If he can grab info out of Amazon and AllMusic,
> I
> > don't think it would be a huge challenge for him to grab info out of
> MARC.
> >
> > If you want the database to fill faster, see if he can hook into a
> barcode
> > lookup system and use a barcode scanner on your CDs.
> >
> > -- Tom Fine
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Loftus Becker" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 7:27 PM
> > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Sound recordings cataloging software
> >
> >
> >
> > Peter,
> >>
> >> You might want to ask some database developers how much it would cost to
> >> develop a custom database that would do the job you want. It shouldn’t
> be
> >> terribly hard — I just looked up MARC record (I’ve never used them) and
> >> though they’re a little complicated they do seem to be pretty well
> >> described. Probably the cost would be more than you want to pay … but
> you
> >> might find enough other people interested that a group of you could get
> >> together. As I understand your needs you definitely want a “relational”
> >> database but those are available for Windows, Mac, and (I’m sure) for
> Linux.
> >>
> >> I do a lot of custom database programming for myself — quick and dirty
> >> things to get the job done (I teach law). My rough guess is that it
> would
> >> take me a day or so to get a functional, not pretty, version working,
> and
> >> I’m not nearly as good as a professional would be. Moving from
> “functional”
> >> to “pretty” and “elegant” involves a lot of work.
> >>
> >> I don’t know of anything available off the shelf. I’ll be following this
> >> thread to see if there is something.
> >>
> >> -Lofty
> >>
> >>
> >> On Nov 20, 2014, at 5:06 PM, Peter Hirsch <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> I think the area of software for cataloging a personal library of
> >>> recordings has had some discussion on the list but I don't recall that
> it
> >>> has come up recently and my recollection is that most of the programs
> put
> >>> forward did not readily allow for linking up specific performers with
> the
> >>> particular work they performed if there were multiple pieces with
> varying
> >>> artist groupings on a recording.
> >>>
> >>> I am interested in software that can download full MARC records and not
> >>> the
> >>> sort of program that uses crowdsourced info like GraceNote and cddb to
> >>> populate its records. I realize that even a MARC record has its
> >>> limitations
> >>> as far as what I want to accomplish is concerned but it is far better
> >>> than
> >>> the other system which tends to produce sketchy records at best and are
> >>> more involved with assigning genres than creating meaningful access
> >>> points.
> >>>
> >>> Is there such a product as the one I am seeking available at a
> reasonable
> >>> price (up to a few hundred $) out there?
> >>>
> >>> I have no exact count on the number of recordings that would need to be
> >>> cataloged, but I figure roughly 10-15K, so I don't think creating a
> >>> database from scratch without downloading records is a practical
> >>> reality. I
> >>> have some professional experience as a cataloger, though very little at
> >>> all
> >>> in the area of sound recordings, so I don't mind a system that gets a
> bit
> >>> technical (within reasonable bounds).
> >>>
> >>> Thanks,
> >>>
> >>> Peter Hirsch
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
>