Bernhard Eversberg wrote:
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What has also become obsolete is copyright on a standards document. Like, for instance, the text of a cataloging code of rules.
The text of laws, like the US Code: http://www.house.gov/house/laws.shtml are not copyrighted. These texts are open for anyone to read, and anyone can copy them and include them in publications, like commentaries, that provide added value but do not of course change the text of the law itself.
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The ISO standards are not available for free http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc.htm. But these are genuine standards, often enforced by legislation, so there is no choice but to buy them.
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This is what one should expect, in fact demand, for the text of cataloging rules. For today, we habe better ways of creating added value than writing introductory textbooks or commentaries on paper. But to do so, we need the text. No matter how fabulous a device RDA-online may become, it is not acceptable if the structured rule text file as such and in its entirety is kept under lock and key and the de-facto property of a commercial entity turning it into a monopolist product. This isn't said for the first time here, but I'm not aware of any statement from those responsible in the matter.
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Completely agreed. If people are supposed to follow standards, there must first be a reason, and if in addition, you expect them to pay real money for this "privilege," there had better be a fabulous reason for doing so--especially since I don't think we can expect any specific cataloging rules to be enforced by legislative action any time soon like the ISO standards are.
Although I don't think I can be accused of not wanting changes in cataloging, I have yet to see a good reason for adopting the model of RDA (based on FRBR, which is based on 19th-century models of information and use), and there is even less reason for spending a budget I do not have to get to the rules in the first place. My library is not the only one facing this, and it's a matter of how many fewer materials do I buy for my users, or how many staff hours do I cut? It's a completely different world out there now. (By the way, I think it's obvious that the entire idea of "copyright" needs to be completely reconsidered, but that is just another more example of outrageous suggestions!)
Jim Weinheimer
Received on Mon Apr 12 2010 - 06:09:16 EDT