Thomas Krichel wrote:
<snip>
I understand this probably incredibly naive, but why don't libraries
just dump their records on MARCXML on OAI-PMH servers? Surely, this
is a once and for all cost to develop the gateway and a small price
to pay for the server? It could by paid for by dropping a single
journal subscription...
</snip>
You have just asked the question that has been on everyone's minds. Z39.50 transfer of ISO2709 records is just obsolete, pure and simple. In addition, doing this from a single database is a remnant of 1970s thinking based on the technology available at the time, and does not take advantage of the tools we have today. I am sure that dumping into MARC-XML records on servers that are open would allow for far more than only record sharing, and allow for all kinds of experiments as well, such as innovative APIs.
OCLC is a vital company in that we need a "think tank" for libraries that can do advanced experimentation, think up new projects and so on. But the fact is, this love affair with Z39.50 record transfer is a dinosaur and is probably one of the main reasons holding libraries back.
James Weinheimer 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 Fri Mar 05 2010 - 02:56:50 EST