James Weinheimer wrote:
>
> One of the basic ideas he discusses is that, while you may work to put up a
> site that works the way you want it to, that isn't what others want today.
> Others want to have the same information but want to use it in other ways
> that you, as the initial creator, haven't even dreamed of.
>
For a very long time, there was just one publication mode: print on
paper, there was just one mode of taking in recorded knowledge: reading,
and there was just one method of accumulating and conveying information
about recorded knowledge: bibliographic description, and consequently,
consultation of catalogs and bibliographies was the predominant way
(besides informal, personal communication) to find recorded knowledge
and navigate the universe of it.
This entire scenario has profoundly changed. All aspects of it have
diversified which doesn't mean everything has become easier for the
end-user. It has, though, become easier to deceive them into thinking
that. (In Germany, a recent study has revealed a 30% level of
frustration with electronic media navigation and information seeking.)
It is not clear if and when the semantic web will take over and become
the dominant scenario. (If and after having come into existence in
the first place, of course.)
> The catalog records (the actual data) are obviously of
> prime importance (format as well), and while I think the catalog
> itself can play a highly important role, I'm still not sure how.
For the time being, print on paper and catalogs remain the only means
for some intents and purposes as long as lots of old and new stuff still
exists and is accessible in no other way. This needs to be made clear.
As to how we should go on providing catalog information, there is no
brief answer yet, but there can be no question that openness is of the
essence.
After all, libraries have always stood for free access to information.
And access to card catalogs, when those were all we could do, was
never fee-based and we (or some of us) did make efforts to make them
transparent as well, however difficult that was. If Sir Tim could come
up with semantic web approved and accepted standards of identification,
citation and data linking for network resources, that might be helpful.
B.Eversberg
Received on Mon Oct 19 2009 - 06:44:28 EDT