On Fri, 30 Jul 2010, Jonathan Rochkind wrote:
> Who is "we"?
Librarians working in libraries.
> If (enough?) catalogers aren't involved in these projects, why not?
Good question. What is budgeted locally (e.g. catalogers' time) stays
local (i.e., in the local library, rather than throughout the library
community)?
> Some of "we" are spending a whole lot of energy trying.
And some are spending a whole lot of energy just listening to sales
pitches.
> Although if you think the project is solely fitting the systems to the
> existing rules, and doens't involve necessary changes to the rules,
> standards, unwritten rules--then it's a non-starter for me.
In that context, which would more likely be a "non-starter" for you: III,
Evergreen, or OCLC?
Any such project (we are talking about OPAC design, etc.) involves
built-in flexibility to immediately adapt to changes in the "rules". Who
better to design such projects that the gatekeepers as the people who
write the rules, or who better to participate in revising the rules that
the designers of projects like OPACs, matching one to the other?
> The professional cataloging community ought to be really well placed to
> understand what the rules (many unwritten) are ...
It is. Publishers and commercial vendors of catalog records (etc.) are
frequently not. Good central point: it's the *placement*, not the
executive competence, that counts.
> There is actually some respectable software development going on ...
Is that enough?
> ... whether you are aware of it or not ...
Was that meant as an expletive?
> but who's doing the next generation metadata control work?
Librarians ought to be doing it, collaboratively. I doubt they are they
just sitting back and accepting whatever comes along (and then griping
about it). Gatekeepers, one would assume, could be taking complete
responsibility for redesigning the gates. If not, who and why? (and
when?).
Cheers!
jgm
John G. Marr
Cataloger
CDS, UL
Univ. of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
jmarr_at_unm.edu
jmarr_at_flash.net
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Received on Fri Jul 30 2010 - 15:25:29 EDT