At a former institution where I worked, I put a lot of our technical documentation online where it became available for free. Arguments were put forward that others were simply profiting from our work and we should demand some kind of payment, but the argument that won was a little different. We argued that by putting out a good quality product that others could use and learn from, they would do a better job in creating their records, which would also be better when they later shared with us.
I don't know if that was true, but it was certainly logical. The entire library edifice is built on sharing: sharing materials through ILL or other document delivery, allowing users of other collections to use our collection, etc. We do this because of the reciprocal benefits, and it's in the best interests of our users. When we stop sharing the whole system begins to crash down, and the users suffer.
I think similar arguments can be made in these more technical realms, e.g. we would certainly benefit from a freer flow of high-quality metadata records, and if we can increase our own productivity and efficiency, that benefits our users. Sharing is by definition reciprocal, and of course, some people and institutions will benefit more than others, but that's just part of the game.
Jim Weinheimer
> I have a question about Z39.50 record downloading.
>
> Our library system recently made the decision to close down Z39.50 access to
> our MARC records from our catalog. The primary reason being that in
> our system, about half the libraries are a part of the ILS system, and pay for
> our cataloging costs through the payment of their consortium
> fees. There are other libraries in our system, which are not part of
> the automated consortium, who would like access to our MARC records via Z39.50,
> but as they do not pay the consortium fees, we felt we needed to protect those
> records for the members of the ILS consortium.
>
> Since shutting down the Z39.50 access, we've had inquiries from 2 libraries - 1
> out-of-state, and 1 in our system (but not part of the ILS)- about no longer
> being able to download our records.
>
> In theory, I'm absolutely in favor of allowing the access to our records, but I
> understand that the system feels that it is not economically feasible to share
> the records.
>
> I know this issue has been discussed before, but I'd be interested in others'
> perspectives on the economic issues surrounding Z39.50 access.
>
> ----------------------------------------------
> Nicholas T. Bennyhoff
> CMC Cataloger
> Lewis and Clark Library System
> 2765 Goshen Rd.
> Edwardsville, IL 62025
> (618)656-3216 ext.107
> nicholasbennyhoff_at_lcls.org
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________
> Sent via the WebMail system at mailman.lcls.org
Received on Fri Mar 28 2008 - 10:07:00 EDT