How very true! I think the approach is prevalent in how documentation for
metadata schemas is presented. Compare, for example, the MODS site
<http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/> vis-a-vis the PBCore site:
<http://www.pbcore.org>. Where MODS is oriented around mapping the schema to
MARC and DC, providing links to stylesheets and tools for implementation,
provides a few links to recent MODS presentations, states implicitly that
the standard is maintained by the Network Development and MARC Standards
Office with a "contact us" link at the far bottom right that directs you to
the generic LC Contact Us page, the PBCore site provides a project
background, info on training, what a metadata schema is and why you should
care, provides rss feeds for announcements, an archive of links to
presentations and resources, names of project director and Website manager,
and in large font from the front page: Take me to the PBCore Dictionary
Elements right now!
Overall, the PBCore site is oriented around building a community of
practice. The MODS site, on the other hand, assumes you know the secret
library handshake.
Andrea
*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*
Andrea Leigh
Metadata Librarian
UCLA Film and Television Archive
1015 No. Cahuenga
Hollywood, CA 90038
voice: 323-462-4921 x13
fax: 323-469-9055
email: aleigh_at_ucla.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: Next generation catalogs for libraries
[mailto:NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu]On Behalf Of Tim Spalding
Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 7:54 AM
To: NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu
Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] Elitism in libraries.
Agreed. Libraries are mostly in a "pre-Cluetrain" era, especially in
their web presence.
Down on the street everyone knows Jack the librarian. He's personable
and well liked—an important part of the community and a friend to all
booklovers. They know he has a puppy, Rupert and enjoys hockey. But on
the web he's reference_at_townlibrary.gov and if there's a blog post it's
got nothing personal in it and it's by "library."
I think that's one thing LibraryThing has going for it. We're more
than five people now, but all our content has a personal tone (with
jokes and oddities like the feature with a French name), we use our
names in email addresses, blog posts and so forth. Some of our
competitors have only one person, but everything on the site is the
official we with stuffy impersonality of tone, and the email address
is "contact@." How alienating.
Tim
>
Received on Fri Aug 03 2007 - 10:35:48 EDT