JSC responses to proposed RDA treaty instructions available

In May 2013, John Hostage, the AALL representative to CC:DA, issued a 36-page revision proposal for RDA's instructions for treaties (http://alcts.ala.org/ccdablog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/aall2013-1.pdf). John's proposal clearly and thoroughly documents the problems law catalogers have with the RDA treaty instructions and suggests revisions. In anticipation of the November 2013 meeting of the Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA, JSC constituents' responses to the proposal have been made publicly available at: http://www.rda-jsc.org/working2.html#6ala23. LC's response (http://www.rda-jsc.org/docs/6JSC-ALA-23-LC-response.pdf), while generally supportive of the proposed revisions, questions whether the element "Signatory to a treaty" would still belong in chapter 6 ("Identifying Works and Expressions") if the proposed revisions were to be implemented. LC's response also includes some suggested changes to the proposal and a number of questions concerning the proposed revision to 6.19.2.7 and its recommendation to record as the preferred title "a short title or citation title used in legal literature." Stay tuned for developments in this important area of law cataloging.

OCLC presentations from the American Library Association's annual conference

Recordings  and slides from presentations sponsored by OCLC at the American Library Association annual conference June 28-July 1, 2013 are available via the OCLC website.  Sessions include:

OCLC Americas Regional Council Member Meeting and Symposium
Results and Revelations from OCLC WorldShare Management Services Libraries
Library Analytics to Inform Decision-making and Measure Impact
The Future of FirstSearch: More Visibility for your Library and its Resources

Putting the "E" in Interlibrary Loan

Launching Online Special Collections using CONTENTdm: Perspectives from Library Staff
WorldShare Partnerships that Engage End Users
OCLC's Next Generation Metadata Management

All of the presentations are under an hour.

Additionally, a Ted Talk on "Culturnomics" and Google's Ngram Viewer associated with the OCLC Symposium on Culturnomics is also linked from this page.

 

 

 

 

Copy Cataloging Using RDA

A fairly recent addition to LC's extensive collection of RDA training materials (http://www.loc.gov/catworkshop/RDA%20training%20materials/LC%20RDA%20Training/LC%20RDA%20course%20table.html) is the set of materials that focuses on copy cataloging using RDA. Issued in May 2013, the materials were developed by Tim Carlton, Les Hawkins, Hien Nguyen, Margaret Wayne, Kay Guiles and Dave Reser of LC.  Although created primarily for LC copy catalogers, with an emphasis on LC policies and practices, the training materials contain a great deal of information that will be of value to copy catalogers at other libraries as well. According to the course summary, "[t]his course focuses on helping trainees develop the ‘cataloger judgment’ necessary to evaluate copied records to determine which elements are acceptable ... and which elements should be edited or adjusted." The course materials include an instructor manual, a trainee manual (with exercises) and a separate document with the answers to the exercises. The materials are up-to-date and reflect current LC copy cataloging practice.

Metadata and Linked Data: Not That Scary

Many people will cringe when they hear the word 'metadata'. It's been getting a lot of play in the media with the NSA scandals. Metadata, and an outgrowth of metadata, linked data need not be scary.

It's not hard to create metadata. Programs like PicturePark and Adaptive's Metadata Manager provide ways to not only add metadata, which you can do in many common text editors, but allow you to structure the schema in a way to which even the least code-proficient user can easily add the metadata to a file.

It's when the metadata is used in concert with other metadata that the real utility becomes apparent. Roy Tennant has been publishing a very interesting series of pieces on the Post-MARC era and on data issues in general.

There's more and more everyday on how metadata plays a role in our lives. If you've not been paying attention, now's the time.

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NASIG approves Core Competencies of Electronic Resources Librarians

NASIG has announced that their Board approved and adopted “Core Competencies of Electronic Resources Librarians” as NASIG policy at their June 2013 meeting in Buffalo, New York.  The core competencies are organized around the life cycle of electronic resources, the technology required to provide and maintain access to electronic resources, evaluation and assessment of e-resources use, and communication of information concerning electronic resources, their evaluation and use.  The changing landscape of electronic resources is acknowledged. Commitment to professional development, flexibility, a high level of tolerance for complexity and ambiguity and a focus on customer services are emphasized.

The full text of of the NASIG Core Competencies of Electronic Resources Librarians is available through NASIG's Core Competencies Task Force web site.

5th ed. (2013) of ANSI/NISO Z39.7 Data Dictionary now available

The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) recently published the 5th edition of the standard ANSI/NISO Z39.7, Information Services and Use: Metrics and Statistics for Libraries and Information Providers – Data Dictionary. The purpose of the Z39.7 Data Dictionary is to assist the information community in the identification, definition, collection, and interpretation of statistical data used to describe the current status and condition of libraries in the United States. 

Originally published in 1968 with the title Library Statistics, the standard has evolved through its subsequent editions, culminating in an online data dictionary and new title in the 2004 edition. In 2008, NISO moved the standard from periodic to continuous maintenance and established the Z39.7 Standing Committee to maintain the standard.

The Z39.7 Data Dictionary is available in open access on the NISO website at http://z39-7.niso.org/. A downloadable PDF version of the standard is also available. Users of the standard are encouraged to submit suggestions to the Z39.7 Standing Committee at any time. Information on the continuous maintenance process is available from the Committees’ webpage at www.niso.org/workrooms/z39-7.

See the full press release here: http://www.niso.org/news/pr/view?item_key=4bab6c0503ed5d9f392f862e9d32ce346eef6c69

Textbooks in Google Play Store

Google recently announced that they will be offering textbooks through their Google Play store. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/07/textbooks-coming-to-the-google-play-store/

Users will be allowed to rent them for six months and for up to 80% off of their purchase price. This is a variation on Apples "Textbooks for iPad" program. http://www.apple.com/education/ibooks-textbooks/