Kyle,
Anyone can freely access and download the MARC records in the NLM database, and they are updated on a regular basis. See http://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/catser.html for details on how to get the records.
Diane Boehr
Head of Cataloging
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
301-435-7059
boehrd_at_mail.nlm.nih.gov
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kyle Banerjee" <kyle.banerjee_at_GMAIL.COM>
To: NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 7:46:02 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] OCLC and Michigan State at Impasse Over SkyRiver Cataloging, Resource Sharing Costs
> Any ILS worth its weight in salt has an export function. To expose one's records the under-the-hood process is the same from ILS to ILS:
>
> 1. find all records
> 2. dump as MARC
> 3. move the result to an HTTP server
> 4. share the URL
Technical issues aside, getting libraries to agree to share their data
is harder than you think. Several years back, I asked a bunch of
libraries for data because I was interested in developing tools that
could find related subject headings, call numbers, etc. The instant
you ask for data, people start voicing concerns (for all our whining
about publishers, I remember the word "copyright" being tossed around
alot) and you get shut down. A couple people can be counted on to
quietly just give you some data, but that's not most institutions.
For example, since this is so easy, I request any library that has at
least several hundred thousand bibs to mount such a MARC file on the
web. I promise not use it for anything illegal or to circumvent any
process. I will only use it for research purposes and maybe to develop
widgets that are not available on our local catalog. I will share
anything I develop with the library community.
If people mount these files, I will download them and do exactly as I
state, but I'd be surprised to get even a half dozen.
> I saw an announcement that a new policy had been developed and was being
> reviewed by various levels of the OCLC structure:
>
> http://www.oclc.org/worldcat/catalog/policy/council/update/default.htm
>
> But it sounds like you have seen the new policy? True? Can you share?
I haven't, but I've talked to enough people to believe that those
working on it have a pretty good grip on the issues and are genuinely
committed to something that make sense. My point was not that it was
already fixed, but rather that if OCLC screws up, they have to answer
to the membership.
If the members feel MSU is being jacked, they should express that. I
personally feel that the real issue is not how much records cost, but
how to provide cataloging and resource sharing in a cost effective
manner at a time when library services are in flux. If it's all about
money at the local level, individual libraries can try save money by
getting records from free sources, contributing nothing to worldcat,
not listing holdings or deflecting requests, and borrowing only from
libraries that don't charge for resource sharing. I think libraries'
survival depends on working together as a community, and we need to
find a way to do that in a way that makes sense at all levels.
kyle
--
----------------------------------------------------------
Kyle Banerjee
Digital Services Program Manager
Orbis Cascade Alliance
banerjek_at_uoregon.edu / 503.999.9787
Received on Mon Mar 15 2010 - 19:57:20 EDT