A fundamental question we seem to be dancing around

From: Dobbs, Aaron <AWDobbs_at_nyob>
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:20:47 -0500
To: NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU
What is "the catalog"?
Which, to me, breaks out in at least the following three directions:

Should/can the catalog be a broad discovery layer?
-Inclusive of all of an individual libraries informational holdings?
-Inclusive of [all or many or a distinct subset of] libraries information?
-Inclusive of article/chapter/phrase level data?
-Inclusive of availability data?

Should/can the catalog be an authoritative inventory tool?
-Inclusive of authoritative known-item searches down to every MARC tag level?
-Inclusive of all of an individual libraries informational holdings?
-Inclusive of [all or many or a distinct subset of] libraries information?
-Inclusive of article/chapter/phrase level data?
-Inclusive of availability data?

Should/can the catalog be a one-stop tool for both discovery and inventory as described above?

-Aaron
:-)'

PS also not rhetorical questions :)

Success is getting what you want. 
Happiness is wanting what you get. 
-Dale Carnegie
Received on Fri Feb 13 2009 - 09:24:11 EST