Tuesday, May 27, 2008

xOCLCnum

A new service from OCLC:

Just as xISBN allows you to find all related editions of a book by entering its ISBN, xOCLCnum does the same thing using OCLC number.

xOCLCnum is queried using a simple URL format, and returns an XML response with both related OCLCnums and related ISBNs (if any). It is designed to be easily built in to your library application, so you can expand queries, find all related editions, or do whatever creative thing you want to do.

Background: ISBNs have been assigned since 1970, to most but not all books published.OCLC numbers are assigned whenever a record is added to WorldCat, OCLC's global union catalog. These records cover a large portion of all books, old and new, held by any library in North America and, increasingly other regions worldwide.

So the coverage range of OCLC numbers is far greater than that of ISBNs: in WorldCat, for example, around 100 million OCLCnums compared to about 20 million ISBNs.

See website: http://xisbn.worldcat.org/xisbnadmin/xoclcnum/index.htm

(Catalogablog)

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Subject Heading Validation Records in Class Web

In May 2007, the Cataloging Distribution Service (CDS) began distributing a series of subject authority records that were created solely for the purpose of allowing for machine validation of commonly used subject strings consisting of established headings combined with free-floating subdivisions. (Further details about these records can be found in the CDS announcment at http://www.loc.gov/cds/notices/2007-05-25-Subject_Authority_Validation_Records.pdf)

As of this date [May 22, 2008], over 29,000 of these so-called "validation records" have been distributed, and they are continuing to be distributed at an accelerated pace.

The LC Subject Search screen in Class Web was recently restructured to allow users the option of excluding or including these validation records in their search results. Since most users who search for LC subject headings in Class Web wish to retrieve only standard subject authority records, not these special validation records, the default setting for searches is to exclude validation records. Users who wish to include validation records may override the default setting for a specific search by checking the box for this purpose that appears under "Display Options" on the search screen. Those users who wish to change the default setting to always include validation records in their searches may do so via the account preferences screen which is accessible from the Class Web Main Menu screen. On that screen ("Update Account Information"), a checkbox may be selected to always include validation records in subject heading searches. The checkbox can be found under the caption "LC Subject Heading Validation Records."

Paul Weiss
Cataloging Policy and Support Office
Library of Congress

(class-web-announce e-list)

Demystifying Library Standards Webinar

Webinar
June 18, 2008
1:00-2:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)

The first in a series of webinars on standards in the library environment, this overview session will place standards in context. Speakers will address why standards are important to libraries and not just in the traditional technical services areas. As libraries are changing and evolving in an increasingly digital world, so are standards. This webinar will explain how standards are critical to the developments in such areas as e‑resources, user access, description and metadata, licensing, and preservation. Some specific standards, both published and forthcoming, will be touched on as examples and as lead-in to the other webinars in the series, which will discuss those and other standards in more depth. Participants will learn how they can become actively involved in standards development.

Sponsored by NISO and ALCTS. For details and registration see:

http://www.niso.org/news/events/2008/webinars/alcts08

(LITA-L e-list)

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The Law Librarian on BlogTalkRadio May 23rd

This Friday, May 23, 2008, 2 - 4 PM, Central Time, will be the second segment of The Law Librarian, a call-in internet radio talk show on BlogTalkRadio

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thelawlibrarian/ or, http://tinyurl.com/4gtr57

We are welcoming back our special guest from the first segment, Ken Svengalis, author of the Legal Information Buyer's Guide. The show is scheduled for two hours this Friday to give callers a better opportunity to talk with Ken.

Our first segment had over 300 listeners, including 30 call-ins and about 100 people who used the chat room to send us questions. It was a little unnerving to have so many people descending on us all at once in so many directions - with only an hour to talk, we ran out of time. So, if you plan to join us, please follow these guidelines and we should have lots of fun.

1. You can listen to the show, either on you computer's speakers, or use headphones on your computer. This is the preferred method, from the hosts' point of view.
2. You can also listen in on your phone, by calling in on the call-in line. This is not the preferred method. My show's call-in number is, 347-945-7183. When you call in, you can stay on the line and listen to the whole show. However, when you listen in this way, I will think that you are a caller and will pick up your line to see if you have a question. If you choose to listen in this way, please send me an email with your phone number, or chat with us during the show to tell us that you are just listening in. But I need you phone number to tell listeners from callers. If I do pick up your line and ask if you have a question, but you are just listening, please just say, "Just Listening" quickly, so I can move on to the next caller.
3. If you have any questions ahead of time that you want us to address with Ken, please send me an email.
4. If you have ideas for future show topics or guests, please let me know.

I look forward to you joining me this Friday for a chat with co-host Brian Striman and our guest, Ken Svengalis.

Richard Leiter

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

OCLC/Google Agreement

OCLC and Google Inc. have signed an agreement to exchange data that will facilitate the discovery of library collections through Google search services.

Under terms of the agreement, OCLC member libraries participating in the Google Book Search™ program, which makes the full text of more than one million books searchable, may share their WorldCat-derived MARC records with Google to better facilitate discovery of library collections through Google.

Google will link from Google Book Search to WorldCat.org, which will drive traffic to library OPACs and other library services. Google will share data and links to digitized books with OCLC, which will make it possible for OCLC to represent the digitized collections of OCLC member libraries in WorldCat.

Full announcement at: http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/200811.htm

(OCLC Abstracts)

Monday, May 19, 2008

IFLA Satellite Meeting on RDA

The Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA (Resource Description and Access) in consultation with the IFLA Section on Cataloguing is pleased to present a satellite meeting on RDA, Resource Description and Access. RDA will be a new standard for resource description and access, designed for the digital world and will be the successor to Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition.

The meeting will be held on Friday, August 8, 2008 (just before the IFLA Conference) at the Hotel Chateau Laurier in Quebec City. The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. and will continue until 4:30 p.m. Registration is $100.00 (Canadian) and will include breaks and lunch.

The speakers and program topics will include the following.

Barbara B. Tillett (JSC member): An overview of RDA development to include its history and development using the FRBR/FRAD conceptual models and relationship to the IME ICC

Deirdre Kiorgaard (Chair of the JSC): RDA structure and content

Gordon Dunsire (RDA Outreach Group member): RDA vocabulary and concepts, to include relationships with ONIX, Dublin Core and Semantic Web Communities

Christine Oliver (RDA Outreach Group chair): Demonstration of RDA Online

Anders Cato (Chair, IFLA Section on Cataloguing), and Renate Goempel (Deutsche Nationalbibliothek): The international community's reaction to RDA

Pamela Gatenby (Member, Committee of Principals): Future plans for RDA

For additional details and registration information, see:

http://www.cla.ca/source/meetings/app_rda.cfm

(AUTOCAT e-list)

New Issue of Digital Preservation Newsletter

The May 2008 issue of the Library of Congress Digital Preservation Newsletter from the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program is now available. It provides program updates and news from the Library and its partners.

http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/news/newsletter/200805.pdf

(D-Lib Magazine)

MARC 21 Full Formats Online

The Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office is pleased to announce that the Full versions of all five MARC 21 formats are now available online at www.loc.gov/marc/, along with the Online Concise.

The "full" version of a format contains detailed descriptions of every data element, along with examples, input conventions, and history sections--all of the information from the printed formats. There are no textual differences between the Online Full and the printed documentation. The Concise still contains all of the elements and enough description to serve many lookup needs. Changes from the most recent update of the formats are indicated in the text of both the Online Concise and the Online Full.

Comments concerning the usability of these web documents or suggestions for improved usability are welcome at ndmso@loc.gov.

(TS-SIS e-list)

Friday, May 16, 2008

Reconfiguring the Library Systems Environment

Think of some of the ways that the environment in which library users operate has changed in recent years. Behaviors and expectations have been reconfigured in a network environment as more of what people do enters a network space. One of the main issues facing libraries as they work to create richer user services is the complexity of their systems environments: the classic ILS, the systems framework emerging around licensed materials, and several repository systems for "digital" resources. In each system, we see a backend apparatus for managing collections, each with its own workflow, systems, and organizational support, and each with its own—different—front-end presentation and discovery mechanisms. What this means is that the front-end presentation mirrors the organizational development over time of the library backend systems, rather than the expectations or behaviors of the users. In this article, Lorcan Dempsy discusses his observations, issues, and considerations regarding the current systems environment and suggests some possible directions to better align libraries’ capacities to the changed user environment.

(Dempsey, Lorcan. “Reconfiguring the Library Systems Environment.” in portal: Libraries and the Academy (Apr. 2008) at: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/v008/8.2dempsey.html)

Thursday, May 15, 2008

eXtensible Text Framework

"The California Digital Library (CDL) is pleased to announce a new release of its search and display technology, the eXtensible Text Framework (XTF) version 2.1. XTF is an open source, highly flexible software application that supports the search, browse and display of heterogeneous digital content. XTF offers efficient and practical methods for creating customized end-user interfaces for distinct digital content collections."

http://www.cdlib.org/inside/projects/xtf/

(Catalogablog)

New Issue of D-Lib Magazine Available

The May/June 2008 issue of D-Lib Magazine (http://www.dlib.org/) is now available.

This issue contains four articles, a conference report, the 'In Brief' column, excerpts from recent press releases, and news of upcoming conferences and other items of interest in 'Clips and Pointers'. This month, D-Lib features the "University of Maryland Libraries Digital Collections" contributed by Susan Schreibman.

The articles include:

*PREMIS With a Fresh Coat of Paint: Highlights from the Revision of the PREMIS Data Dictionary for Preservation Metadata
Brian F. Lavoie, OCLC Online Computer Library Center

*A Year of Selective Web Archiving with the Web Curator Tool at the National Library of New Zealand
Gordon Paynter, Susanna Joe, Vanita Lala, and Gillian Lee, National Library of New Zealand

*Considering the User Perspective: Research into Usage and Communication of Digital Information
Kellie Snow, Perla Innocenti, and Seamus Ross, Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute (HATII); Birte Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jens Hofman Hansen, Michael Poltorak Nielsen, Jorn Thogersen, Statsbiblioteket; and Bart Ballaux and Hans Hofman, Nationaal Archief

*Adding Value to the Library Catalog by Implementing a Recommendation System
Michael Moennich and Marcus Spiering, Karlsruhe University Library

The Conference Report is:
Strands of a Global Web of Knowledge Come Together at the Third International Open Repositories Conference 2008
Carol Minton Morris, Cornell University

(PACS-P e-list)

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

NASIG Guide to Working with Vendors

A NASIGuide called A Beginner's Guide to Working with Vendors by Wm. Joseph Thomas is available at:

http://www.nasig.org/publications/guides/WorkingVendors.pdf

(NASIG-L e-list)

Friday, May 9, 2008

Changes to OCLC Record Loads

OCLC has been notified by the Library of Congress that a major upgrade of their Voyager system will take place beginning on Friday, May 9, 2008 and continuing through Sunday, May 18, 2008.

During that time, OCLC will not receive the various daily and weekly files of bibliographic records and subject authority records that are normally loaded on receipt. Distribution of these files is expected to resume on Monday, May 19, and OCLC will resume loading files at that point.

During the upgrade, the Library of Congress will continue to receive the NACO contribution files which OCLC sends each day but those files will not be processed until May 19. As a result, NACO participants can expect new and updated authority records which they have contributed to remain locked for longer than normal periods of time.

Glenn E. Patton
Director, WorldCat Quality Management
OCLC
6565 Kilgour Place
Dublin OH 43017-3395
Phone: +1.800.848.5878, ext. 6371 or +1.614.764.6371
Fax: +1.614.718.7187
Email: mailto:pattong@oclc.org

(OBS-OCLC e-list)

Outcomes of April Meeting of JSC for Development of RDA

Outcomes of the April 2008 meeting of the Joint Steering Committee
for Development of RDA have been mounted on the JSC Web site:

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/jsc/0804out.html

Nathalie Schulz
Secretary, JSC
N.Schulz@btopenworld.com

(AUTOCAT e-list)

Followup to Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control

Letter from Deanna Marcum, dated May 1, 2008:

"The Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control submitted its final report, On the Record, to me on January 9, 2008. I have distributed the document to three groups within the Library of Congress for analysis and comment. I expect to respond formally to the report in early June."

For rest of letter and Joint Statement of the Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine, and the National Agricultural Library on Resource Description and Access, see:

http://www.loc.gov/bibliographic-future/news/RDA_Letter_050108.pdf

(TS-SIS e-list)

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Harvard Law Faculty Votes for 'Open Access' to Scholarly Articles

"In a move that will disseminate faculty research and scholarship as broadly as possible, the Harvard Law School faculty unanimously voted last week to make each faculty member’s scholarly articles available online for free, making HLS the first law school to commit to open access."

http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2008/05/07_openaccess.php

Monday, May 5, 2008

LISWire--The Librarian's News Wire

"LISWire is a brand new idea from the guy behind LISNews & LISHost, Blake Carver. The plan is to allow member companies and organizations to use LISWire to send their full-text news releases and multimedia content to librarians, journalists, library professionals and the general public. We're going to build a network to distribute this information world wide."

http://liswire.com/

(Tame the Web)

Friday, May 2, 2008

Material from OLC Technical Services Retreat

Choosing our Tools for Tomorrow: The Ohio Library Council 2008 Technical Services Retreat at Mohican State Park.

Handouts from this conference featuring presentations by Janet Swan Hill, John Sluk, Glenn Patton, Brenda Block, Brian C. Gray and many others are now available for download at


http://www.personal.kent.edu/~mbmaurer/Choosingourtoolsfortomorrow.html

(AUTOCAT e-list)

LCSH Blog-a-Thon Suggestion Results

"The following is a round up of the subject headings (24), cross-references (6), and subdivisions (2) suggested to the Library of Congress during our LCSH Blog-a-Thon. Included is anything that was legitimately tagged with rr_lcsh2008 on del.icio.us. Thanks to everyone who helped promote this effort, and huge thanks to everyone who participated.

Members of Radical Reference hope to work with catalogers, particularly those from the RADCAT discussion list to SACOfy suggested headings that haven't previously been submitted to LC in a formal manner. However, we also think that it would be nice if the form weren't the barrier that it is for non-cataloging librarians to contribute subject heading ideas."

http://radicalreference.info/lcsh/2008/reportback

(RADCAT e-list)

Interview with Ken Svengalis

Live Interview with Ken Svengalis - May 2nd, 3:00 PM Central Time

May 2nd at 3:00 PM Central Time, Brian Striman and I, Rich Leiter, (U. of Nebraska) will be hosting an hour-long live internet radio call-in program. Ken Svengalis, of Legal Information Buyer's Guide fame, will be our special guest. Please tune in.

To listen in to the show, please point your browser to: http://tinyurl.com/4m6a6x

You can call-in at 347-945-7183. Chat will also be available so you can ask questions or make comments without calling.

This is the maiden voyage of Brian's and my experiment with BlogTalkRadio.com. At this point, we have no plans to carry it on beyond tomorrow, but, if it is a success, we may offer the show once a month, on the first Friday. The topic, of course, is legal bibliography and law library issues. We're newbies at this medium, so I expect a few awkward moments (although we are taking measures to keep them to a minimum).

We hope to discuss pricing practices of legal publishers and their effects on law libraries and legal researchers. Ken will also discuss the new edition of the Buyer's Guide and we'll speculate on implications of the Thomson-Reuters merger. We hope to hear from private, public and academic libraries - and publishers. We also expect to have time to take calls and comments on any topics of interest to listeners.
--
Richard Leiter
Director and Professor
Schmid Law Library
University of Nebraska College of Law
402.472.5737
rleiter@unl.edu

(TS-SIS e-list)