URIs from id.loc.gov

Greetings,

It's great to see this conversation on NGC4LIB, and attention to id.loc.gov 
project!! ;) <--wink!

I believe this project is remarkable and forward thinking in many respects.

For decades we "librarians/catalogers" have spoken about the absence of 
interoperable vocabularies, their development in silos, and the issues of 
"cost" (upkeep and the labor intensive requirements in their use)--all of which 
have kept us from accessing multiple vocabularies in a single system, and 
limited the ability to enrich subject and name heading access.

The LC Future of Bibliographic Control report urges the development of 
vocabularies in interoperable formats, and the id.loc.gov provides this model, 
and presents a framework where data can be linked in new creative ways, 
allowing for reuse.  I believe that, in time, will see cost-savings and a 
positive ROI from such developments.

The LC work in this areas is bringing together library science and the semantic 
web community; shows tremendous value and support for the systems librarians 
have developed; and underscores the validity and usefulness of these systems 
and library cataloging practices in the larger global web.

Pardon me if I sound as though I'm on a soap box, but James W...you know me.. 
I'm an optimist!  Even so, people are in fact using the LC vocabulary in this 
rendering, and we are at a time of exploration and experimentation; and why 
not...why shouldn't we push ahead and see what is possible in the linked data 
environment.

At the risk of sounding a bit self-promoting, I do want to call attention to 
the HIVE project, which stands for Helping Interdisciplinary Vocabulary 
Engineering (https://www.nescent.org/sites/hive/Main_Page).  "To HIVE" or 
"hiving" is a verb, pulling relevant concepts automatically from SKOS encoded 
vocabularies at the time of metadata generation, and I can share more details 
on this project if anyone would like.

I believe there are many legacy practices, pre-computer or part of early 
mechanization, that are invaluable!! And, yet, the web has presented us with a 
new information environment, and the id.loc.gov project and other initiatives, 
such as the SKOSing of vocabularies like MeSH, NBII Thesaurus, and AGROVOC 
provide new tools and frameworks for cataloging within the library, and 
outside....in the larger web.

It seems the opportunities being presented reflect, at least some degree, what 
earlier visionaries have dreamed of..like Otlet and La Fontaine and UBC, and 
Vannevar Bush--and his Memex.  Today, we have fodder to explore these visions, 
and it behooves us to consider new options, test and experiment, and see how we 
can expedite and improve our services for patrons within the library.  And, it 
also seems important to explore and better frame how the skill, talent, and 
knowledge of "the cataloger" is significant within and beyond the library.

Sure, linked data/semantic web enabling technologies may not have it all 
"perfectly" right...RIGHT at this moment, but is anything ever perfect?! There 
is little to gain if we keep at our work, same as before always..., OR if 
catalogers toss away all that we know, and try to embrace entirely new ways.

IMHO:  Identifying what is good, powerful, and works with legacy ways is an 
important step; and, at the same time... we should be forging ahead 
experimenting in new areas.

The id.loc.gov project as providing an opportunity here.  (And, I hope Diane 
Hillmann, Karen Coyle, or someone will comment on this in relation to 
RDA...unless they have..and I have not read it yet!).

Thanks to anyone who read this too long message!  Again.. great to see this 
discussion underway on this list.

all good wishes and peace! jane greenberg