On 8/31/07, Sperr, Edwin <sperr_at_nelinet.net> wrote:
> You have repeatedly assured us that AI can *already* do everything
> that catalogers can.
Rubbish. You *argue* as if I have, though, but I suspect the heat of
the moment and the poignancy of the topic blows small claims up like
hot air balloons. I've said AI can do much, but certainly not
everything a cataloger can do. For one, it can't argue on this
mailing-list like you do. :)
> As to why we would want the cataloging machine to spit out 5 to 7 headings -- my big concern as we look at changing the way we do description is interoperability. If we are attempting to index a big pile of records, it would be easier if all of them looked somewhat similar (as opposed to one pile having subject headings and the other pile having vector scores).
There's some problems here. What *is* interoperability? Between who?
For what purpose? If the purpose is for libraries to share metadata,
why squeeze good metadata into a format that force us to reduce its
quality? (MARC can't hold structural models, for example) If we create
smarter systems that can create clusters, models, trained objects and
so on, should we discard the possibilities those bring just to reduce
it down to 5-7 subject headings?
I also asked because why subject headings? Why are subject headings
the goal? Surely there's better things to model if you've got the
tools to do it. Why aim low? Is it the law of conservatism? That pesky
reality?
> Again, nothing against technology or the knowledge domain of CS. But as T. Scott
> reminds us, AI has been just-around-the-corner for a long time now.
I think that reminder is false ; AI has delivered for many years in
different domains. It hasn't delivered much in our domain, but that's
not to say AI is forever almost-there.
Alex
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Project Wrangler, SOA, Information Alchemist, UX, RESTafarian, Topic Maps
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Received on Fri Aug 31 2007 - 17:27:59 EDT