Brave New World

Framing the Conversation

Examining our changed environment

Charting our course forward

Incorporating new library standards

Finding new frameworks for building services

User participation--enlarging the metadata footprint

Open data—a necessity for building innovative services

1/25/09 2Hillmann--ExLibris Seminar

What Do We Know?We are no longer the first place our users go for

information, yet: We still manage many silos of information

important to themBooks, serials subscriptions and licenses, archival

materials, institutional repositories, other project materials

We will need to keep inventory-level information to support acquisitions and circulation

The notion of integrated back room and OPAC seems irreparably broken

What do we do now? 1/25/09Hillmann--ExLibris Seminar 3

What We Must Leave Behind

A view of metadata based on catalog cards

Library software that can’t sort search results better than “random” or “alphabetic”

Search interfaces even Librarians hate (and we know the data!)

Clunky static HTML pages that don’t attract our user’s interest, or guide them well

One silo for books, others for journal articles, images, digitized books, etc. (explain that to a user!)


Acronymia, We Are HereRDA: Resource Description and Access

FRBR: Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records FRBRoo: Object Oriented FRBR (harmonized with

CIDOC CRM)

FRAD: Functional Requirements for Authority Data

FRASAR: Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Records


Standards UpgradeType of Standard

Old Standard New Standard(s)?

Bibliographic Model

None FRBR, FRBRoo

Metadata Content AACR2 RDA

Metadata Structure

MARC21 Bibliographic

RDAVocab

Name Authority MARC21 Authority FRAD

Subject Authority MARC21 Authority FRASAR, SKOS

Encoding MARC21 XML, XML/RDF


The RDA You’ve Heard About …

2nd quarter calendar 2009 – RDA content is finalized

3rd quarter calendar 2009 – RDA is released

3rd and 4th quarters calendar 2009, possibly into 1st quarter calendar 2010 – Testing by national libraries

1st and 2nd quarters calendar 2010 – Analysis and evaluation of testing by national libraries

3rd-4th quarters calendar 2010 – RDA implementation ?


Under the RDA HoodA FRBR-based approach to structuring

bibliographic data

More explicitly machine-friendly linkages (preferably with URIs)

More emphasis on relationships and roles

Less reliance on cataloger-created notes and text strings (particularly for identification)

Less reliance on transcription


Example: The XC Project An example of iterative, flexible development

in an unstable world Focus on managing data from a variety of

sources, intended for a variety of purposes “Added value” important at every level

Built an XC Schema to move forward despite the gaps in current standards activities--without carving data decisions in stone

Services operate independently, improvements and upgrades don’t require “central system” changes; new services can be added with little impact on other activities1/25/09Hillmann--ExLibris Seminar 9

What You Might Not Have Heard

JSC has gradually backed away from their original stance that RDA could be expressed easily in MARC21 Full integration of FRBR entities into RDA has

made that problematic

RDA has been developed explicitly to take advantage of the Semantic Web (although there are still residues of past practice)

IFLA is working on formal, persistent registration of FRBR entities and relationships


RDA & FRBR: Registered! RDA Elements:

http://metadataregistry.org/schema/show/id/1.html

RDA Roles: http://metadataregistry.org/schema/show/id/4.html

RDA Vocabulary: Base Material http://metadataregistry.org/vocabulary/show/id/35.html

FRBR Relationships (Sandbox version) http://sandbox.metadataregistry.org/vocabulary/show/

id/90.html

Registered schemas and vocabularies will be available as part of the released RDA tools this summer


1/25/09Hillmann--ExLibris Seminar 12

RDAToolkit

NSDLRegistr

y

Vocabulary data, schemas, APs

Workflows

Applications, repositories,

etc.

Sample records

Supporting Innovation

Building New Frameworks

Flexible metadata management is essential for building systems in an “uncooked” world Must accommodate multiple “formats” for input

and output Cannot wait for the library world to “settle down”

(it may never do so again!) Will accommodate MARC as one (of many) input

formats and as only one of the output options Must be sustainable as a service, without

commoditizing data output


Building New ParadigmsBased on better use of machines; limiting

human intervention to where it makes the most sense

Understanding the changed world of metadata, and where the Semantic Web will be pushing it

Accommodating a variety of “packaging” and transport mechanisms

Collecting and mashing up data from various sources to provide better functionality for users

Supporting innovation from users and others1/25/09 14Hillmann--ExLibris Seminar

Attracting User Participation

The end of descriptive objectivity (social networks = subjectivity)

No more “one size fits all” applications

Learning from Amazon and other successful services Users will participate if they get some value back

Passive participation also important Usage data, circulation (popularity) data,

connections with course management systems, etc. Aggregated data mitigates privacy concerns


The Semantic Web LurksPrefers open linked data as a basis for operation

Artificial or proprietary boundaries around data will build disincentives to important innovation OCLC’s proposed record reuse policies very

troublesome

Vendors have challenges in this new world, but maintain an important role in developing new products and services The rewards will go to those who are early out of

the gate, build flexibility into their products, and carefully examine their old assumptions


Diane I. HillmannDirector of Metadata Initiatives, Information Institute of Syracuse

Contact: [email protected]


Brave New World

Technology

rda frbr

rda vocabulary

rda content

rda roles

rda elements

rda youve

rda implementation

problematic rda