Are We There Yet?A Look Back at The Future of Bibliographic Control

Robert WolvenJune 18, 2010

On the RecordReport of

The Library of Congress Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control

January 9, 2008

Framing Vision

(Re)Defining Bibliographic Control(Re)Defining the Bibliographic Universe

5 Major ThemesIncreasing efficiency of record productionEnhancing access to unique and special

materialsPositioning our technology for the futurePositioning our community for the futureStrengthening the library profession

On the Record: what it is, and is not

Commissioned by the Library of CongressRecommendations to LC and to the library

communityGroup effort, consensus reportGlobal scope, US focus

All libraries, not just academicBroad scope, but not all metadata

Redefining Bibliographic ControlWhen books were books …

20th Century Research Process

Library as metadata repository

Library as content repository

Indexes

Bibliographies

Finding AidsResearch

Question

Library Catalog

Archives

Journals

Books

Metadata

Content

Research

QuestionLibrary Catalog Books

Research

Question

Library CatalogBooks

WebSearch

Digital Collections

Data News Books Articles

Digital Collections

Data News Books Articles

Google Search: Shakespeare tercentenary

Google Search: Shakespeare tercentenary

ConferencePaper

Google BookPreview

IA Book

NY TimesArticle

JournalArticle

Google BookFull view

Research

Question

News Articles

Digital Collections

Library Catalog

Books

WebSearch

Digital Collections

Data News Books Articles

Digital Collections

Data News Books Articles

Library Super-Catalog: Web-Scale Discovery

Articles, News, Images, Data,

Chapters …

Name Authorities, Subject Headings …

Increase the Efficiency of Bibliographic ProductionWhat we said:

Re-use data from other sources (ONIX, IMDB, etc.)

Automate processes (CIP submission)Share responsibility more broadlyExpand the Program for Cooperative

CatalogingIncrease incentives for record creationReduce barriers to sharing

Increase the Efficiency of Bibliographic ProductionWhat’s happening:

OCLC pilot use of ONIX dataMore, better records from book vendorsR2 study of bibliographic marketplace

Increase the Efficiency of Bibliographic ProductionBut:

Economic downturn, stable or decreased production

Metadata as commodity, increased competition OCLC policy on record use Sky River Merging of content provision and discovery

Expansion of e-resources from journals (CONSER) to books

So …

Enhancing Access to Rare, Unique and Special MaterialsWhat we said:

Increase priority, resources allocatedStreamline processes, standardsIntegrate access with other materialsEncourage digitization

Enhancing Access to Rare, Unique and Special MaterialsWhat’s happening:

“More Product, Less Process” (Greene-Meissner report)

Adding OAIster, digital collections to WorldCatRLG, ARL initiativesFlickr Commons

Enhancing Access to Rare, Unique and Special MaterialsBut:

Limited opportunity for growthControversy over streamliningIntegration exposes differencesDigitization transforms “unique” to

“ubiquitous”

So …

Google Search: Shakespeare tercentenary

Position our Technology for the FutureWhat we said:

Replace MARCSuspend RDA

Use Web infrastructureIncrease use of identifiersImprove the standards process

RDA: What’s a Code For?What’s happening:

Longer process, more examination, discussionCoordinated plan for testing and evaluationFormal definition of RDA vocabulariesMARC format changes

Some questions:Integrating data from external sourcesSelective use of RDA elementsRelationship to larger bibliographic universe

From MARC to … ?What’s needed:

Separation of carrier from presentationExpression within common web standardsConsistent coding of actionable data

What’s happening:Merger into “common data format(s)”Development of use cases for non-MARC

applicationsWhat’s likely:

Increase Use of IdentifiersNames: VIAF, ISNI, ORCHID, ResearcherID

…xISSN, xISBNEver-more-OpenURLLinked Data applicationsGIS applicationsORE, Memento,

Moving data vs. Linking data vs. Parsing data

Improve the standards processRigorous cost/benefit analysis early onIntegration of standards development with

testing and evaluationModular development and deployment of

“big” standardsEngagement of software engineers

throughout

So far …

Position our Community for the FutureWhat we said:

Let everyone do it (user-contributed metadata)Let the computer do it (computationally

derived metadata)

LCSH: subject analysis is important, could be better

FRBR: really? No, really?

User generated metadataExplicit: flickr Commons, WorldCat Lists,

tags, reviews, …Imported: delicious tag groups, LibraryThing

APIDerived: recommender services based on use

Issues of screening, sharing, privacy, intelligence derived from user attributes

Attracting interest – competing with Amazon for attention

Subject analysisBridging communities of practice (linking

vocabularies)Navigating massive result sets (facets)Terminology vs Taxonomy (subject headings

vs classification)Machine-assisted analysis

Minority view: abandon LCSH

LCSH, LC Classification, FRBR and Web-Scale Discovery

Articles, News, Images, Data,

Chapters …

Subject Headings, FRBR …

Strengthen the Library and Information Science ProfessionEncourage more and better researchBuild solid evidence on which to base

decisionsIncrease communication between libraries

and LIS educatorsFurther develop continuing education

opportunities

Focus on Content:Analog to Digital

From: units in which resources are managed(published, purchased, stored …)

To: units in which resources are accessed(chapter-level DOIs, i-Tunes, article-linking …)

Library focus on content (cont’d)

From: published vs unique (shared cataloging, standards vs local access,

practice)

To: limited access vs open access(outsourced responsibility vs no responsibility?)

When the print is no more …E-Neuroforum

Only Koninklijke Bibliotheek

PaladynErasmus University RotterdamKoninklijke Bibliotheek

The case of Refugee WatchWorldCat:

LC: no. 32CRL: no. 24/25, 28-30, 32UConn: no. 5/6-8, 15-16Oxford: no. 2, 4Sydney: no. 31-34IISH: no. 4

On the Web:No. 1-33 available to download“online edition” as a blog

Library focus on content (cont’d)

From: mediated access via metadata(metadata as surrogate)

To: searchable content vs viewable content(metadata as supplement)

Library focus on metadata creation and managementFrom: emphasis on discovery

To: emphasis on access

From: design for homogeneous, controlled environment

To: design for blended, web-scale environment

Some implications for metadata practiceDesign metadata for primary audienceDeprecate consistency as a valueUse identifiers to compensate for lack of

consistencyMaximize use of linked data

Apply expertise based on mission, not ownershipFocus on metadata to bridge communities of

practiceFocus on improving ability to parse large results

Some challenges:Consistent discovery across heterogeneous

objects

Defining appropriate “targets” of discovery

Enhancing retrospective metadata

Parsing ambiguous data to improve retrieval

Who Will Shape the Future?

Whose technology?Whose standards?Whose research?Who’s responsible?

How fast is fast enough?