I think we've got to give up on some of this assumption that we all need
very different data from each other. Or at least examine it. An
unanswered question that it would be good to answer through research:
How much of local 'enhancement' really _is_ exactly the same as local
enhancement that many other people are doing too? How much local
enhancement are things that other people would be quite happy to have in
their records, even if they can't afford to have it themselves? And,
how much local enhancement is instead data that would mess up other
people's catalogs (assuming they have no way to simply configure their
displays to suppress it, if it's harmful).
I suspect that the answers to these questions would show that there is
quite a large amount of room for additional cooperative economies of
scale, beyond what we currently have. But it is just my suspicion, it
would be nice to have some kind of evidence.
Jonathan
Mark Ehlert wrote:
> Jonathan Rochkind wrote:
>> Ted P Gemberling wrote:
>>> Why should I make the record improvements Jonathan mentioned, if it's
>>> just out of the goodness of my heart?
>> I thought you said you were _already_ making them, for the presumed use
>> of your own users? If you are already doing that anyway, would you
>> really mind sharing it with others with no additional gain except the
>> benefit of the library community (and the fact that you will mutually
>> benefit from this strengthened community, in a sort of generalized
>> reciprocity).
>
> Beyond duplication of efforts, there's also the notion (fact?) that
> the needs of Ted's users may not be that of my users or your users,
> and thus adding data to shared records, though altruistic, isn't
> always a best route to take unless there is an understanding that the
> information added is of the kind one would find in a
> work/expression/manifestion record, not the item-in-hand record (to
> slip in FRBRese for a moment).
>
>
> --
> Mark K. Ehlert University of Minnesota Libraries
> Library Assistant 2 160 Wilson Library
> Technical Services 309 19th Ave. S.
> Phone: 612-625-4840 Minneapolis, MN 55455
> E-mail: ehler043_at_umn.edu
>
--
Jonathan Rochkind
Sr. Programmer/Analyst
The Sheridan Libraries
Johns Hopkins University
410.516.8886
rochkind (at) jhu.edu
Received on Thu Jul 12 2007 - 12:04:05 EDT