>
> Rick Mason has an interesting blog post where he brainstorms on the
> possibility of breaking up OCLC into two organizations: OCLC.org and
> OCLC.com. I find it to be an interesting idea, and more information about
> revenue and expenditures would make this a particularly intriguing
> conversation.
>
> http://www.libology.com/blog/2010/08/02/one-possible-oclc-solution.html
>
>
Everyone makes a big deal about the bib records, but that's the least
interesting part of the system. If all that data became free tomorrow, geeks
and vendors alike would download it for use in their cool interfaces. But
from a user perspective, these would just be search engines that didn't
actually get you to what you thought you found.
Without a continuously updated holdings database, the bib info loses a huge
amount of its value. Even with the holdings database, a growing percentage
of what people want is electronic. Just as an inability to get beyond card
catalog thinking hamstrung ILS development, our obsession with the book is
crippled our thought process and by extension, the ability to develop useful
things.
We dedicate very disproportionate amounts of energy to a shrinking subset of
the resources people need. We depend on Balkanized systems, workflows, and
processes. At a time when all other industries are consolidating to survive,
we seem to think we need to do the opposite.
When we fight over crumbs, we all lose and patrons will take their action
elsewhere.
kyle
Received on Fri Aug 06 2010 - 18:34:39 EDT