The LibraryThing thread reminded me that as we continue this early
brainstorming phase, I'd like us also to think about how we generate
metadata that helps describe and organize our items. I'm thinking
particularly of enabling library systems to support alternate methods for
Dewey, LCSH, and other "hallowed traditions," and to include mechanisms that
allow for automated metadata extraction. Even if you believe in the value of
the human touch--and I do--I also think we need to put more pressure on
technology to assist in the hugely laborious "first draft" that machines are
reasonably good at a good deal of the time.
The scheme noted below is still just layered on a Dewey system, and I'd want
to know how they know that it's more effective. But when I bring this up to
librarians what they often talk about is whether they personally would like
such a system, not whether it would be more useful for their users and/or
easier and less expensive to maintain.
I know there's a program at ALA about FAST -
http://www.oclc.org/research/projects/fast/ . I hope someone from this list
goes (I won't be in NO until Saturday night).
If I were opening a library in the next five years, I'd want some choices to
do things differently than had been done before-such as bookstore
organization, simplified LCSH, support for social-software functions, and so
forth. Make the system friendlier, spend less money on hand-hewn metadata
and more on books and services, etc. I have to wonder if a tool such as
LibraryThing wouldn't support such a library's needs better than any
traditional ILS. "Oh, but it doesn't support [fill in blank]." Yeah, well...
what would it take to make [fill in blank] happen?
Karen G. Schneider
kgs_at_bluehighways.com
>Helping library browsers
># Claire Bott reports on More Readers Reading More
>
>THE TRADITIONAL ARRANGEMENT of libraries is off-putting to readers,
>Wiltshire's Lending/Communications Librarian Philip Tomes told an
>audience of librarians and publishers last week. Speaking at the launch
>of the Reading Agency's "More Readers Reading More", a title in
>celebration of the Reading Partners project which pairs up libraries
>with publishers for their mutual benefit, Tomes said:We're getting away
>from having ranks and ranks of Dewey Decimal System ordered books, and
>putting them into zones or categories that make it far easier for the
>reader. If you were after a relationship or self-help book, it would be
>very difficult to find in a traditional library.
>
>
>The re-organising of the Wiltshire libraries is part of a joint
>initiative between the local Library Authority and HarperCollins,
>undertaken as part of Reading Partners. HarperCollins, which has been
>having success in bookshops with the You Zone, an area devoted to Mind
>Body Spirit, suggested that this was an idea which could be used by
>libraries, and this sparked the concept of re-arranging the books by
>category. Within each section, however, they are still organised
>according to the Dewey Decimal System.
>A roll-out of You Zones across libraries throughout the South East is
>now being considered. Ruth Wells, Reading Development Co-ordinator at
>MLA (Museums, Libraries, and Archives) South East, said:The You Zone
>will provide libraries with a healthy space; within their service which
>puts the health and well-being of the reader at the centre of library
>services. MLA South East may apply for Big Lottery funding in order to
>put the scheme into operation.
>Another point to emerge at the event, which included much discussion on
>Reading Partners, is the value of libraries in building the elusive
>word-of-mouth factor. Clare Harington, Random House Group
>Communications Director, said: Publishers in marketing campaigns are
>always talking about creating a word-of-mouth buzz, and then looking
>round at each other and wondering how we do it. However, libraries were
>frequently embedded in their local community to an extent that made
>such a buzz considerably easier to generate.They have links to their
>reading groups, reading groups newsletters, links to local radio, and
>all of that can be exploited to the full, said Rebecca Ash, Random
>House Group Marketing Manager.
>The final speaker, Debbie Hicks, who looks after Policy and Strategy at
>the Reading Agency, made the point that libraries also get involved in
>direct sales of books more often than most people believed, with 81% of
>authorities selling in-print books at some point, often in connection
>with reading groups or author events. One of the suggestions put
>forward at the event, by Helen Johnstone, HarperFiction Publicity
>Manager, who worked with Tomes on the Wiltshire project, was that
>publishers could offer reading group discount hotlines for libraries.
># Copies of More Readers Reading More have been distributed to
>participating libraries and the publishing partners."
>
>Discuss this story at:
> http://public.lisnews.org/comments.pl?sid=06/06/01/1414218
Received on Mon Jun 19 2006 - 11:34:05 EDT