Examining FRBR

Many of us (actually, hopefully all of us) have been paying attention over the past decade or two as FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Description) has become increasingly prominent in cataloging theory. In fact, the FRBR conceptual model underlies much of RDA and is the reason for many discussions about Jane Austen’s various works, expressions, manifestations, and items during RDA training. However, I know I am not the only one disappointed in the fact that RDA isn’t fully realized in our current online catalog environment, where the catalogs have yet to be “FRBR-ized” and therefore remain unable to demonstrate some of the touted benefits of RDA.

Karen Coyle’s forthcoming book “FRBR, Before and After: A Look at Our Bibliographic Models” promises to examine this exact topic: the promises and pitfalls of the (current) leading conceptual model. Personally, I am excited to see a detailed discussion of where we’ve been, where we are now, and where we seem to be headed in regards to bibliographic models. Also of note is the book's inclusion of a discussion of technology and its effect on library data and data modeling.

Also of interest is that while the book will be released in print in November 2015, it will also be released in early 2016 as open access. It will be interesting to watch this publishing model and see if it is viable, not just for the publisher, but for the book’s audience. For more details on the book, check out Coyle’s announcement and the book’s afterword.

Law Libraries, Looseleafs, and Print - Oh My!

Source: Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository

Few law librarians these days are sheltered from the battles of print vs. electronic waging war across our lands.  A common site for skirmishes is the "Land of Looseleafs" - do we get an adequate return on the investment we make in these materials? Take a look at what our neighbors north of the border at Slaw have to say about the pains and gains of loose-leaf publications in a world that's becoming increasingly digital:

• Louis Mirando starts out the conversation with his keen observation that although the keynote speakers at the Canadian Association of Law Libraries in May all had their own unique vision about "The Future of Legal Publishing", they all converged at one particular place: "there is no future for loose-leaf publications, a publishing format on life support that should have died a natural death years ago."  He details the curse of loose-leaf through history, succinctly summarizing the imbalance of perks for publishers and drawbacks for librarians and their patrons.
• Gary P. Rodrigues chimes in next and builds on this framework from his perspective as a publishing industry consultant. He clarifies the message and appeals to his colleagues:  "The time... has come for Canadian legal publishers to listen to their customers and act on what they hear."
• David Collier-Brown, a guest poster from the computer science industry, paints a crystal clear picture of what end-users really want from their 'continually up-to-date' professional publications, as well as what they'll pay for. "In effect, I need looseleafs, except I really don't need them on paper in three-ring binders."
• Susan Munro, Director of Publications of Continuing Legal Education British Columbia, revists these earlier posts and weaves them together into a usable premise for legal publishers to hold on to as they plan their future steps: "The print version doesn't need to be up to the minute, but the online version does." 

For a more in-depth look at what North American law libraries are currently spending and plan to spend on print materials, including loose-leafs, you can order the Primary Research Group's recent publication "Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection".  

Incidentally, the sample sets of statistics provided in their press release caused one DePaul law librarian, Mark Giangrande, to make an interesting observation: "We in the academic business try to prepare students for the tools that they can expect to use in practice. If law firms are buying less print... why are academic libraries still buying at a much higher percentage?"  Why indeed, Mark? Why indeed?

References:

• Loose-Leaf Redux
  http://www.slaw.ca/2015/09/03/loose-leaf-redux/
  Munro, Susan. Slaw: Canada's Online Legal Magazine.
• The Curse of Loose-Leaf Law Books
  http://www.slaw.ca/2015/07/22/the-curse-of-loose%C2%AD-leaf-law-books/
  Mirando, Louis. Slaw: Canada's Online Legal Magazine.
• Loose Leaf Pain No One's Gain
  http://www.slaw.ca/2015/07/24/loose-leaf-pain-no-ones-gain/
  Rodrigues, Gary P. Slaw: Canada's Online Legal Magazine.
• The Only Thing Wrong with Looseleafs Is They're Printed on Paper
  http://www.slaw.ca/2015/07/28/the-only-thing-wrong-with-looseleafs-is-theyre-printed-on-paper/
  Collier-Brown, David. Slaw: Canada's Online Legal Magazine.
• Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection http://www.primaryresearch.com/view_product.php?report_id=561
  Primary Research Group.
• Study Examines the Shrinking Print Collection in Law Libraries
  http://llb2.com/2015/08/31/study-examines-the-shrinking-print-collection-in-law-libraries/
  Giangrande, Mark. Law Librarians: Thinking Out Loud in the Blogosphere.

MarcEdit 6.1 (Windows/Linux) & MarcEdit Mac (1.1.25)

Many AALL TS-SIS members use MarcEdit in their daily work. Terry Reese the developer of MarcEdit has been working on an OS X version for most of the summer of 2015; but has also worked on some major features for the Windows version.

The OS X version has recently moved into "release" and Terry wrote about some of the major features and how much functional parity there is between the OS X and Windows/Linux versions: http://blog.reeset.net/archives/1791

For the Windows release there are two major features one is a "Build new field" tool and a access point (heading) validation tool. Be sure to check out the new headings validation functionality in the Windows release! Terry posted about how he expects the validate heading feature to work at: http://blog.reeset.net/archives/1775

The changelog for this recent release follows:

****************************
** 1.1.25 ChangeLog
****************************

Bug Fix: MarcEditor — changes may not be retained after save if you make manual edits following a global updated.
Enhancement: Delimited Text Translator completed.
Enhancement: Export Tab Delimited complete
Enhancement: Validate Headings Tool complete
Enhancement: Build New Field Tool Complete
Enhancement: Build New Field Tool added to the Task Manager
Update: Linked Data Tool — Added Embed OCLC Work option
Update: Linked Data Tool — Enhance pattern matching
Update: RDA Helper — Updated for parity with the Windows Version of MarcEdit
* Update: MarcValidator — Enhancements to support better checking when looking at the mnemonic format.
If you are on the Windows/Linux version – you’ll see the following changes:

*************************************************
* 6.1.60 ChangeLog
*************************************************

Update: Validate Headings — Updated patterns to improve the process for handling heading validation.
Enhancement: Build New Field — Added a new global editing tool that provides a pattern-based approach to building new field data.
Update: Added the Build New Field function to the Task Management tool.
UI Updates: Specific to support Windows 10.

Re-Envisioning the MLS

On August 1, 2015, the University of Maryland iSchool released Re-Envisioning the MLS: findings, issues, and considerations, an attempt to predict the future of the MLS. Reading through the document, it is hard to see where those of us working with traditional metadata- MARC catalogers - fit into this vision of the future. The report is a product of the iSchool's Re-Envisioning the MLS initiative, launched in August 2014, and is intended to answer questions such as "What is the value of an MLS degree?", "What should the future MLS degree look like?" and "What are the competencies, attitudes, and abilities that future library and information professionals need?"

Key findings listed in the executive summary are listed:

• The shift in focus to people and communities
• Core values remain essential
• Competencies for future information professionals
• The MLS may not be relevant/necessary in all cases
• Access for all
• Social innovation and change
• Working with data and engaging in assessment
• Knowing and leveraging the community
• Learning/learning sciences, education and youth
• Digital assets and archival thinking

The "core competencies" for future information professionals include, "the ability to lead and manage projects and people; to facilitate learning and education ...  Additionally, information professionals need marketing and advocacy skills; strong public speaking and written communication skills; a strong desire to work with the public; problem-solving and the ability to think and adapt instantaneously; knowledge of the principles and applications of fundraising, budgeting, and policymaking; and relationship building among staff, patrons, community partners, and fundraisers."

Perhaps our work is described in a deeper level of the report. Reading through the detail under "core values remain essential", one finds, among others, the concept of "Preservation and Heritage". This is described as "providing current and future access to records, both analog and digital." Another piece of our work seems to be categorized under "Working with Data and Engaging in Assessment", with a stated need for professionals who can "manage data assets and understand digital curation techniques." Under "Digital assets and archival thinking", the importance of information professionals who can help communities manage, curate  and preserve their digital assets is mentioned.

Finally, in a table intended to summarize key topical areas of a future MLS curriculum, one of nine suggested content areas is "Digital Asset Management", described as the "ability to create, store, and access digital assets." Skills listed in this area are metadata, information organization, data storage and access/retrieval systems. It is interesting to note that the skills we think of as "cataloging" are only seen as applying to digital resources. Although this document is focused on the future, one feels a need to say "I'm not dead yet!" on behalf of more traditional metadata and resources.

Updates to the LC's Recommended Formats Statement

During the summer of 2014 the Library of Congress published the Recommended Format Specifications to identify characteristics of creative formats in both analog and digital formats. One of the goals of these specifications was to maximize the chance of survival of a given item by providing insight into formats that currently have the potential for a long shelf life. While the statement was geared for internal use within the Library of Congress, it was publicly published to help the creative and library community address the need for best practices for the sake of preservation and long term access of content.

These formats are addressing a very complex issue in trying to manage the complex changes occurring in materials formats. Formats are in a constant state of fluctuation and thus, the standards need to be updated on a continual basis. Recently the Recommended Formats Statement was updated to reflect feedback the Library had received in the past year. A brief synopsis of the changes can be found in this article from The Signal. And to address the continued need for updates, a period for comment for next year’s revisions will open in the near future. 

LC makes BIBFRAME training materials available

In preparation for its much-anticipated BIBFRAME cataloging pilot project, the Library of Congress has developed training materials for staff involved in the pilot, and made the first of three modules available online at http://www.loc.gov/catworkshop/bibframe/. Module one is divided into two sets of slides, plus supplementary reading/viewing assignments and brief quizzes. The training materials are designed for experienced catalogers and do not assume prior knowledge of linked data concepts.

The first set of slides provides a brief introduction to the concepts behind the Sematic Web and linked data, and the evolution of the World Wide Web from a web of documents to a web of data. It explains the need to move bibliographic data out of its MARC silo and onto the Semantic Web.

The second set of slides delves into the principles underlying RDF (Resource Description Framework), the “language of the Web.” Detailed, clearly presented examples of RDF triples provide a concrete visualization of what bibliographic data structured in RDF looks like.

Although I found a number of typos in the slides (I AM a cataloger, after all!), I found the training materials very helpful in confirming and deepening my knowledge of linked data and the Semantic Web. 

Conversations about RDA

LJ INFOdocket reports that the Library of Congress has released an new series of training videos, "Conversations about RDA".   Topics include:

• Compare and contrast: AACR2 and RDA in the bibliographic record
• Undifferentiated personal name headings
• Cataloger judgement and statement of responsibility
• Capitalization, abbreviations & numbers
• Exercising judgment in the statement of responsiblity

The videos average 20 minutes and provide focused looks at a topical areas. The videos are linked from the Library of Congress Webcast page within the Science and Technology category.