----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "K.G. Schneider" <kgs_at_bluehighways.com>
To: NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu
Received: 5/24/2007 8:24:41 AM
Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] Subject Access -- Costs
>Then again, if you think of all the catalogers distributed around the
>country, if the distributed SH were their work product, and they had
>realistic but rigorous deliverables and goals to meet, all it would "cost"
>would be what we shift to this effort from how we do things now.
>Imagine the hive cataloger mind humming. We wouldn't need a Ranganathan or
>Lubetsky; we'd have the collective brilliance of thousands of minds at work
>toward the same goal. it works for Wikipedia...
Amen. And the hive mind does a good job of disambiguation (cross referencing, more or less, for those who prefer traditional terms). For example, search for "Boise". You get Boise, Idaho, which makes sense, as it is the "biggest" or "best known" or "simplest" result. But you can click up the disambiguation link and find the county, the neighborhood in Portland, the ships, the forest, the city in Oklahoma, and so on. It even has a link to the ghost town of Boise, TX, which needs an entry created (and could be done from the information at texasescapes.com).
And all of that was undoubtedly done without the help of a single professional cataloger, a single person who knew LCSH from their backside,
If that much can be done without our professional wisdom and help, just think of what could be done WITH our help.
dan
Show Up, Suit Up, Shut Up, and Follow Directions
dan_at_riverofdata.com
Dan Lester, Boise, Idaho, USA
Received on Fri May 25 2007 - 15:40:26 EDT