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From: Next generation catalogs for libraries
[mailto:NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Casey Durfee
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 1:24 PM
To: NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu
Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] Spiderable OPACs and the elephant in the library
lobby
Nor is it a huge technical issue -- most ILSes make it possible one way or
another to get your holdings data out. I think the *4Lib crowd could crank
out scripts for most of the major ILSes in a day or two.
The huge issue is, how do you get every single library in the world to send
you their holdings data?
And how do you keep that holdings data up-to-date with additions and
deletions? Many libraries (especially those in shared systems) have no way
of exporting records/holdings added since a given date, much less
records/holdings deleted since a given date.
Given the inconsistencies in the data in library databases, it is also not
so easy to machine-match records--OCLC has decades of experience with
batchload algorthyms and look at how many duplicate records they are adding
these days as they try to force load records that they used to reject as
'too many matches'. Just another plug for *trying* for consistency in
bibliographic data.
Deborah
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Deborah Fritz
MARC Database Consultant
The MARC of Quality
www.marcofquality.com <http://www.marcofquality.com/>
Voice/Fax: (321) 676-1904
Received on Wed Apr 25 2007 - 11:47:18 EDT