Re: Calhoun at FoBC

We probably digress from the purpose of this list and yes indeed its a
huge debate but I kinda feel like going there for a moment ... of course
the point of description is access and the two should be equivalent but
they started to separate into two different things the moment keyword
searching of a catalogue became possible. I don't believe for a minute
that we have to throw in the towel totally but we need to concede that
being overly fussy about description isn't really helping our patrons
and they are the reason we do what we do.  I'll stop now, I don't think
there is much new to say on this topic, unless someone knows how to get
the two sides of the debate to come together (closer at least)???

Cynthia Williamson
Collection Management Librarian
Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology
Hamilton, ON
L8N 3T2

----- Original Message -----
From: Jonathan Rochkind <rochkind_at_JHU.EDU>
Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 3:22 pm
Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] Calhoun at FoBC

> Cynthia Williamson wrote:
> > shelves????  However the next generation catalogue finally looks and
> > operates, I know my patrons will judge it by how easy it is to
> use not
> > by how accurately we follow cataloguing rules.
> >
> >
> Of course, the idea that these are two different things is somewhat
> disastrous. The cataloging rules are supposed to be all about
> making the
> catalog easy to use for what patrons need it for, are they not?
> Whetherthey are currently succesful at this--and even how we know
> if they are,
> and if we have enough and the right kind of evidence to know if they
> are--is apparently a topic of great dispute.
>
> Jonathan
>
>
> > Cynthia Williamson
> > Collection Management Librarian
> > Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology
> > Hamilton, ON
> > L8N 3T2
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Karen Coyle <kcoyle_at_KCOYLE.NET>
> > Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 12:23 pm
> > Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] Calhoun at FoBC
> >
> >
> >> Erin Leach wrote:
> >>
> >>> The problem, as you point out, is that the records you might buy
> >>>
> >> aren't> as "good" as the work you might produce. I think that
> >> Calhoun would
> >>
> >>> argue that users want access to the information, even if the
> records>>> conveying that information isn't perfect. Calhoun might
> say that
> >>>
> >> users> don't care as much about subject access as they do about
> >> whether or not
> >>
> >>> the URL is in the record or if the record can be found at all.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >> Just back from the FoBC:
> >>
> >> Yes, this was the gist of her message, but also of the messages of
> >> manyother speakers as well. If you didn't listen to the webcast
> >> live, do
> >> listen to Rick Lugg's intro when it gets up online. He really
> set the
> >> tone for the meeting, and his point was that in order to
> function in
> >> this fast-moving world we are going to have to give up on the idea
> >> thatwe are creating "perfect" bib records. Many speakers made the
> >> point that
> >> we should accept copy from just about anywhere we can find it, and
> >> onlyfix anything that we think greatly hinders access. They also
> >> said that
> >> we should be spending much less time on regularly published
> works and
> >> more time on the unique items in our collections. As to Jonathan's
> >> pointabout sharing, there were a few "digs" at publishers and at
> >> OCLC for
> >> hindering sharing. This is an underlying issue that has not been
> >> broughtto the surface and I wonder when it will finally "hit the
> >> fan." We
> >> obviously can't rely on publisher data is a starting point for copy
> >> cataloging if we can't then share versions of that record with
> other>> libraries.
> >>
> >> I'll try to get my full notes up online shortly, but I really do
> >> recommend the webcasts when they appear, which should be in a few
> >> days.Especially the comments and questions, which were often more
> >> pointedthan the prepared speeches.
> >>
> >> kc
> >>
> >> --
> >> -----------------------------------
> >> Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
> >> kcoyle@kcoyle.net http://www.kcoyle.net
> >> ph.: 510-540-7596   skype: kcoylenet
> >> fx.: 510-848-3913
> >> mo.: 510-435-8234
> >> ------------------------------------
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
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>
> --
> Jonathan Rochkind
> Sr. Programmer/Analyst
> The Sheridan Libraries
> Johns Hopkins University
> 410.516.8886
> rochkind (at) jhu.edu
>


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