So who are these people vetting user entries on the Notable Names Database?
How do we know this is an authoritative source? I can't find much
information about this group to tell one way or the other. Has anyone else
had more luck with this?
Samantha Johnson
Moore Memorial Public Library
Texas City, Texas
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:46:50 +0100
From: Weinheimer Jim <j.weinheimer_at_AUR.EDU>
Subject: Notable Names Database
To keep apprised of some of the newer developments in library-related techn=
ology, I thought people might be interested in the Notable Names Database h=
ttp://www.nndb.com/. It claims to have over 37,000 names and the closest ot=
her work I can relate it to is the old Century Cyclopaedia of Names (here's=
a link to the 1954 ed. in the Internet Archive http://www.archive.org/deta=
ils/newcenturycyclop012564mbp)
Here is the record for Leo Tolstoy http://www.nndb.com/people/817/000024745=
/, and it is interesting what metadata they associate with him: Place and c=
ause of death, Religion, Sexual orientation, "Risk factors." But the intera=
ctive part is all of these maps that can be made among them. For example, t=
here is a map of Katherine Graham's funeral. http://mapper.nndb.com/start/?=
map=3D402
I can't say that I understand the purpose of this, but it is an example of =
how our information could be used and transformed to help people do what th=
ey want. At least, the "bibliography" part of Leo Tolstoy's record could be=
improved by orders of magnitude.
James Weinheimer j.weinheimer_at_aur.edu<mailto:j.weinheimer_at_aur.edu>
Director of Library and Information Services
The American University of Rome
via Pietro Roselli, 4
00153 Rome, Italy
voice- 011 39 06 58330919 ext. 258
fax-011 39 06 58330992
------------------------------
Received on Tue Feb 23 2010 - 10:05:53 EST