Re: Why don't non-librarians value library data as highly as we do?

>I would not be shocked if Google had simply decided that the
work/resources >required to try to pull useful data out of the OCLC
corpus in a >sophisticated way was not worth the gain.

I'd argue that it wouldn't be hard at all.  To Flip OCLC records to MARC
XML and grab what they want and enjoying munching it six ways to Sunday
should all be child's play for the average Google programmer!

But that takes us back to defining "the gain".  
Would that be more accurate data?  Almost certainly YES.
Or 
Would that be higher advertising revenues? Almost certainly NO.

And this takes us back to the crux of the problem. Google has different
priorities from libraries. These might be quite legitimate from Google's
perspective, but we would be foolish to imagine that they will always
correspond with ours (libraries and librarians) and/or the "public
good", that we're supposed to be promoting.

JJ


**Views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent those of
the Queens Library.**

Jane Jacobs
Asst. Coord., Catalog Division
Queens Borough Public Library
89-11 Merrick Blvd.
Jamaica, NY 11432
tel.: (718) 990-0804
e-mail: Jane.W.Jacobs_at_queenslibrary.org
FAX. (718) 990-8566




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From: Next generation catalogs for libraries
[mailto:NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Jonathan Rochkind
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 12:20 PM
To: NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: Why don't non-librarians value library data as highly as we
do?

B.G. Sloan wrote:
> I think there's a different reason why some of those in the
"non-bibliographic world" undervalue or ignore library data. They
perceive library data as being created *by* librarians, *for*
librarians, to help manage library collections. 

And I don't think this is an _entirely_ inaccurate perception.  It's not

entirely accurate either. And it was never our collective _intent_ to do

that. But that's largely what we've ended up with, and it doesn't serve 
us well anymore even just for ourselves.

I would not be shocked if Google had simply decided that the 
work/resources required to try to pull useful data out of the OCLC 
corpus in a sophisticated way was not worth the gain.

Jonathan