Friday, February 26, 2010

Cataloging: Where are we now? Where are we going?

The College of DuPage Press has made available streaming video of a recent 90-minute webcast entitled, "Cataloging: Where are we now? Where are we going?" Originally broadcast on February 19, 2010, the webcast was presented by Renee Register, Senior Product Manager at OCLC, and Karen Coyle, consultant and leader in the area of digital libraries. The presenters review current cataloging practices and discuss the future of metadata, the MARC record, the Resource Description and Access standard, and the librarian's place in online information organization and access. Both high bandwidth and low bandwidth streaming video links are available at: http://www.dupagepress.com/index.php?id=4250.

From Autocat, Feb. 24, 2010


Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Understanding the Semantic Web

The rise of a new information environment—the World Wide Web—has revealed the downside of the long history that libraries have with metadata. We must figure out how we can best transform our data so that it can become part of the dominant information environment that is the Web. This issue of Library Technology Reports, authored by Karen Coyle, examines how this transformation can occur, and what can be done to help facilitate it.

From Library Technology Reports, January 2010

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Classify: a FRBR-based research prototype for applying classification numbers

Classification schemes are used by libraries to provide a systematic arrangement of materials. The classification numbers applied to books and other materials are used to arrange items physically on shelves and to support browsing, filtering and retrieval of bibliographic information in online systems. The Classify prototype is designed to help users apply classification numbers.

Classify is a FRBR-based prototype designed to support the assignment of classification numbers and subject headings for books, DVDs, CDs, and other types of materials. This project applies principles of the FRBR model to aggregate bibliographic information above the manifestation level. Bibliographic records are grouped using the OCLC FRBR Work-Set algorithm to form a work-level summary of the class numbers and subject headings assigned to a work. You can retrieve a summary by ISBN, ISSN, UPC, OCLC number, author/title, or subject heading. A Classify record for a work contains the most frequently assigned DDC, LCC and NLM class numbers, as applicable, based on holdings counts.

The Classify database is accessible through a user interface and as a machine-to-machine service.


From OCLC NEXTSpace, January 2010

Thursday, February 11, 2010

2010 Horizon Report

2010 Horizon Report. Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium, January 2010, at: http://www.educause.edu/ELI/2010HorizonReport/195400.
Abstract:
The annual Horizon Report is a collaborative effort between the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) and the New Media Consortium (NMC). Each year, the report identifies and describes six areas of emerging technology likely to have a significant impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression in higher education within three adoption horizons: a year or less, two to three years, and four to five years. The areas of emerging technology cited for 2010 are: Time to Adoption, One Year or Less: Mobile Computing and Open Content; Two to Three Years: Electronic Books and Simple Augmented Reality; Four to Five Years: Gesture-based Computing and Visual Data Analysis.

Social Tagging in Historic Australian Newspapers

Holley, Rose. "Tagging Full Text Searchable Articles: An Overview of Social Tagging Activity in Historic Australian Newspapers August 2008 — August 2009" D-Lib Magazine 16(1/2)(January/February 2010), at: http://www.dlib.org/dlib/january10/holley/01holley.html
In November 2008, National Library of Australia provided users the ability to tag full-text searchable articles in the historic Australian Newspapers service. The one-year experiment proved to be quite successful and Holley presented her analysis of the tagging activities, user behavior, and outcome. The Library will extend the tagging functionality to their entire collections.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Webinar: RDA Toolkit: A Guided Tour!

Re-posted from AUTOCAT:

Date:    Thu, 4 Feb 2010 10:57:05 -0500

From:    Troy Linker

Subject: RDA Webinar - RDA Toolkit: A Guided Tour!

 

RDA Toolkit: A Guided Tour!

Join Troy Linker from ALA Publishing for an introductory guided tour of the RDA Toolkit website.  If you were at ALA Midwinter in Boston, you may already have taken this tour at the RDA Update Forum, the CC:DA meeting, or on the exhibit floor--but please feel free to join us again.   

The webinar will be recorded and posted for anyone that is unable to participate live.  Details for accessing the recorded webinar video will be emailed to registries and posted widely.

The tour includes:

·          Description of the RDA Toolkit

·          Overview of the RDA Toolkit contents at launch and beyond

·          Tour of the RDA Toolkit interface including Search, Browse, Bookmarks, Workflows, Maps, and more

·          Launch timeline

·          Details of the Complimentary Open Access period

·          RDA Toolkit pricing for the US

·          Linking from external products to the RDA Toolkit

Join us on February 8, - 21:00-22:00 GMT | 4:00pm-5pm EST | 3:00pm-4pm CST | 1:00pm-2pm PST

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/639494355

OR

Join us on February 9, - 16:00-17:00 GMT | 11:00am-12pm EST | 10:00am-11am CST | 8:00am-9am PST

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/991492442

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Did the iPad start a publishing revolution? Wait and see.

Check out the latest NISO blog posting about apple's iPad and specifically its use of standards. According to Todd Carpenter, NISO Managing Director, 
"what remains to be seen are the impacts on our industry of the new e-book distribution channel, the iBookstore; Apple's adoption of the EPUB format; and how DRM might be used. A lot will depend on the device's adoption curve." 

Read the full blog here: http://www.niso.org/blog/?p=94

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Results of Marshall Breeding's International Survey of Library Automation

Marshall Breeding's third annual International Survey of Library Automation was posted to the Library Technology Guides website on January 22nd. This annual survey collects data on how libraries rate their current integrated library system, the company involved, and the quality of customer support. The survey also aims to gather data regarding attitudes regarding interest levels in open source ILS products.


One of the most interesting, to me, top trends that Breeding identifies is that "except for the libraries already using an open source ILS, the survey reflected low levels of interest, even when the company rates their satisfaction with their current proprietary ILS and its company as poor." 


Check out the rest of his survey results and analysis here: http://www.librarytechnology.org/perceptions2009.pl


(http://www.librarytechnology.org/)