Rinne, Nathan (ESC) wrote:
> Well, I say the first choice. Yet, even if I couldn't work as a librarian, I'd hope there would be others who would be able to serve the whole public at large. What if, in the end, its not an either-or, and choice number 1 can't really be accomplished to the degree it is today, without choice number 2 (understood not as libraries per se, but at least as library-like-institutions set up to serve the general public)? This seems likely to me...
>
Sure. That may be the solution. But if it isn't, we still shouldn't
stand in the way of what works for people.
>
>
> "If we keep everything to ourselves and expect that everyone will seek us out for our knowledge and our 'superior data' I think we are sadly mistaken."
>
> I think this is right. But maybe OCLC thinks: with superior data and some innovation that approximates the "cutting edge", we will still be needed (perhaps not sensed by everyone, but by enough to make what we do somewhat viable in an increasingly algorithm-governed and technocratic world)?
>
I don't see the options as "wide-spread metadata" v. "OCLC" -- I think
OCLC has some key services that libraries need and probably will
continue to need. That shouldn't mean, though, that we can't share our
metadata.
What we don't have from OCLC are the calculations that they made that
lead to a conclusion that the data must be protected or OCLC will cease
to exist (which is what they implied in the language of the policy). And
since we aren't privy to those calculations that OCLC has made, we can't
have a conversation with OCLC or among ourselves about the trade-offs we
might have to make to support both open data and centralized services.
The options we are being given are "OCLC as it exists today" v. "no
OCLC." I won't accept those as the only options on faith alone -- I want
to see the data, I want us to make an informed decision as a community.
kc
--
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Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
kcoyle@kcoyle.net http://www.kcoyle.net
ph.: 510-540-7596 skype: kcoylenet
fx.: 510-848-3913
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Received on Tue Jul 14 2009 - 11:58:53 EDT