I think it's an interesting and good idea. I suspect it could not
become the only 'library (catalog) interface', but it would be a very
useful service, providing more access to our resources from the wider
world. And I agree that if done right, along the lines you specify, it
would enhance rather than clutter wikipedia itself, and wikipedia
shouldn't mind. (Wikipedia already does other kinds of linking out to
third party databases).
Keep in mind though that not every "name" in our name authorities (or
our catalogs) is ever going to be included as an article in wikipedia
-- we can include any author (anyone who's created something that was
published) at all in our catalogs (and try to include all of them in our
authorities), while wikipedia will include only 'notable' ones.
We would need a central broker, as you mention. And OCLC is a logical
entity to serve such a role, and is already experimenting in that
direction. But sometimes I think OCLC is reluctant to link back out of
the OCLC software universe to individual libraries -- especially
libraries that have not paid for Worldcat Local or FirstSearch WorldCat
or other OCLC services (let alone libraries that are not OCLC members at
all), which raises some concerns about monopolization of these services.
Jonathan
On 5/18/2011 6:44 PM, Steve Casburn wrote:
> Jonathan Rochkind on the possibility of using Wikipedia as an authority file:
>
> http://bibwild.wordpress.com/2011/05/17/using-wikipedia-as-an-authority-file/
>
>
> Jonathan's idea dovetails with a question I've had: When a Wikipedia
> entry matches a name or subject heading, then can we connect that
> entry to library resources which share that heading, so that Wikipedia
> can serve as (among all of its other functions) a discovery layer for
> library resources?
>
> Given that so many more people start their information searches in
> Wikipedia than in a library catalog, such a connection could help the
> library serve relatively many patrons where THEY are, rather than
> serving relatively few patrons where WE are.
>
>
> It looks like someone at OCLC is experimenting with a similar idea,
> and what they are doing (although it is broken at the moment)
> illustrates how this concept might work in practice.
>
> First, go to the External Links section of the Wikipedia entry for
> Abraham Lincoln:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln#External_links
>
>
> In that section there is an "Authority Control" infobox that has a
> link (currently broken) to the WorldCat Identities page for Abraham
> Lincoln (the link below works):
>
> http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n79-6779
>
>
> Now, to segue from what it looks like someone at OCLC is experimenting
> with to my idea:
>
> If OCLC would add to each Identities page a prominent link that says
> "Find Resources at Your Local Library", and if the local library can
> be determined either by IP address or by a user-defined cookie, then,
> voila! Two clicks from a Wikipedia entry to a list of local library
> resources related to that entry.
>
> This change would be a win for Wikipedia because it would add depth to
> the information that Wikipedia provides to its users.
>
> This change would be a win for local libraries because it would allow
> them to serve more patrons.
>
> This change would be a win for library patrons because this work could
> be done at Wikipedia speed (start immediately, experiment, learn from
> mistakes, get a lot of people involved, and steadily improve and
> expand) rather than at library speed (wait two years as a working
> group is created, wait two years for its report, wait several more
> years as the report gets picked apart or ignored, allow no one but a
> small group of librarians to do the work, and end up either with
> nothing done, with a solution that satisfies librarians but not
> patrons, or with a solution that is already obsolete).
>
>
> What do people think? I would be particularly interested in hearing
> from anyone at OCLC. (And a big thanks to Jonathan Rochkind for
> letting me baffle him in his blog's comments section while I figured
> out how to explain this idea clearly.)
>
>
> Steve
>
>
> --
> Steve Casburn
> ILS Coordinator
> Multnomah County Library
> Phone: 503.988.4549
> stevencm_at_multcolib.org
> <http://www.multcolib.org/>
>
Received on Thu May 19 2011 - 11:00:25 EDT