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 Charles Pennell asked:
>>how are the LTIs
and Marcives of the world prepping themselves for a non-MARC future,
since we are talking about revenue streams here.  At the root of this
question is the question of how they are prepping themselves for a
world of linked data in which libraries link back to LC, NLM, NAL,
>>Getty, OCLC, BL, or LAC rather than to the vendors?

The primary thing we are doing is keeping current with all the discussions and developments. We do this by subscribing to various lists, attending ALA meetings, and participating in the process on committees and working groups. We cannot write programs and design services until the new BibFrame is defined, etc. Something we have been doing for years, and will do for years to come is upgrade/migrate records to the current standard or handle global changes to meet a library's local practices. Yes, we are aware that some standard services won't be needed in a world of linked data but we also know from experience that not everyone will migrate to the new practice right away. Libraries are still sending us their card catalogs to convert to MARC records and even still requesting cards so we imagine that for a long while we will have to help bridge the gap between MARC and non-MARC libraries. We imagine there will continue to be a demand for mapping of bib records from one format to another--the formats will change but the need for conversions will probably always be there. 


Mary L. Mastraccio
ALA-ALCTS-CaMMS Past-Chair
Cataloging & Authorities Manager
MARCIVE, Inc.
San Antonio, TX 78265
1-800-531-7678