Tim Spalding wrote:
> 2. The Wikipedia flip is clever. But, of course, this would be a
> different argument if OCLC were only asking for *attribution*. There
> is a vast universe of such data, which is still fundamentally open for
> requiring some minimal notice. In this case, there aren't good grounds
> for attaching Creative Commons licenses—which is based on Copyright
> law, which doesn't apply here. But few would object if OCLC just want
> a link.
I have nothing against giving "attribution" so long as it is true. Here are some definitions of "attribution:"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attribution_(copyright)
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attribution
In both cases, the author is the one getting the attribution. I know that I have made thousands of records that have ended up in the OCLC database, many of which I busted my a** on. I must say that I got help to make my records through the other records in the database, all made by other catalogers working at other institutions. In all of these cases, OCLC did not create any of those records. They provided a network whereby the authors of these records could share their work, but they did not create the records in the database. I willingly cede the "authorship" of my records to whatever institution was paying me, and other catalogers have as well.
Therefore, OCLC wants attribution to materials they did not create, or in other words, they are claiming authorship over materials really authored by others.
Now, I teach information literacy to my students and one big point we discuss are correct citations and plagiarism. I tell them what plagiarism is (claiming that you created or wrote something that was really created or written by someone else) and that plagiarism is so serious they can get expelled if they are caught.
If attribution is so important, then it should go to the real creators of these records and not to those who didn't do anything in their creation. Therefore, we could use the 040 field, not the 996(? correct) field that OCLC wants since one provides the true information.
Jim Weinheimer
Received on Mon Apr 20 2009 - 02:57:45 EDT