Update from OCLC ResearchUpdate from OCLC Research

Eric ChildressConsulting Project ManagerOCLC Research

AgendaAgenda

• OCLC Programs and Research overview

• OCLC Research

• RLG Programs

• Brief descriptions of work themes and sample projects

• Updates on OCLC Research projects

• Crosswalk Web Service

• Terminology Services

• WorldCat Identities

• VIAF (Virtual International Authority File)

OCLC Programs and Research (PaR)OCLC Programs and Research (PaR)

OCLC Research

A leading research center devoted to supporting OCLC’s public mission on behalf of libraries

Conducts applied research

Prototypes new systems/services – some prototypes are eventually integrated into OCLC products and services

Active in standards development – OR has been instrumental in the development of key technologies & standards:

• PURLs (Persistent URLs)• Dublin Core• OAI (Open Archives Initiative)• SRU/W (Search & Retrieve)

RLG Programs

Provides a venue and focus for collaboration, problem-solving, and the development of new standards, products, and services among research institutions

Staff with deep expertise in academic research libraries, archives, and museums.

Partnership of ~140 libraries, archives, and museums in 14 countries with:

• Deep, rich research collections

• Mandate to make collections accessible

• Commitment to exploit technology

• Commitment to collaboration

• Commitment and capability to contribute to ‘commons’ (collections, expertise, infrastructure)

OCLC PaR OrganizationOCLC PaR Organization

Lorcan Dempsey

Jim Michalko OCLC Research staff

RLG Programs staff

OCLC PaR OfficesOCLC PaR Offices

University of Washington (1)OCLC San Mateo (13)OCLC Dublin (29/3)

University of St Andrews (1)OCLC Leiden (1)

RLG Programs & RLG PartnersRLG Programs & RLG Partners

The RLG Partnership comprises about 140 libraries, archives and museums in 14 countries

RLG Program meetings and activities are open to RLG Partners

Presentations, reports, other work are made openly available to the entire community

Agenda is informed by the Partners, the RLG Program Council and oversight is provided by the BOT RLG Committee

Australia

Canada

Egypt

France

Germany

Ireland

Italy

Japan

New Zealand

Spain

Switzerland

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

coffee mug version talking points version

PaR themesPaR themes

Brief descriptionsBrief descriptions

- Explore issues and opportunities for gaining value from shared collections

sample activities:

- NYARC Collection Analysis -characterizing aggregate collection of selected art libraries

• Exploring opportunities for evidence-based collaboration

Last copies – characterizing content and distribution of unique book holdings

• Examining system-wide holdings for shared collection and community profiles

- Consider economics of metadata creation and utility of metadata in a networked environment

sample activities:

- RLG Programs Descriptive Metadata

Practices Survey Results

Managing the Collective Collection Renovating Descriptive & Organizing Practices

Brief descriptions (cont’)Brief descriptions (cont’)

- Understand user behaviors

sample activities:

- Seeking Synchronicity: Evaluating Virtual Reference Services from User, Non-User, and Librarian Perspectives (IMLS-funded work with Rutgers)

- Supporting usability work for WorldCat.org and WorldCat Local interface design

- Address changes to support infrastructure for scholarship

sample activities:

− Investigate scholarly needs & expectations (e.g., data-mining of digital text)

− Personal collections

− Library-Archive-Museum (“LAM”) relationships

Measurements and Behaviors Supporting new modes ofscholarship

Brief descriptions (cont’)Brief descriptions (cont’)

- Work towards shared understandings, common architecture

sample activities:

- Supporting work for Developer’s Network and WorldCat API

- Creating a special version of OAICat for museum use

- Contribute to standards development and implementation

sample activities:

- OAI-ORE (Open Archives Initiative Object Reuse and Exchange)

- OASIS Search Web Services Technical Committee

- NSF Blue Ribbon Task Force on Sustainable Digital Preservation and Access [NYT article]

Modeling New Service Infrastructure Architecture & Standards

Updates on selected research projectsUpdates on selected research projects

Crosswalk Web Service

Terminology services

WorldCat Identities

VIAF (Virtual International Authority File)

Crosswalk Web ServiceCrosswalk Web Service

Goal: Develop technology to improve the quality and efficiency of translation of metadata from one scheme to another

Delivered:

• An innovative and novel approach to the problem

• New technology (SEEL [a new programming language], modular design, new code)

• Being integrated into OCLC systems (e.g., Connexion, batchload)

• Part of technology under the NextGeneration cataloging services

111

File of records in format X

555

222Transform to intermediate form

STRUCTURAL TRANSFORM

Translate input semantics to CORE

333

CORE

SEMANTIC TRANSLATION

Transform to output format Y

STRUCTURAL TRANSFORM

Translate CORE to output semantics

444

SEMANTIC TRANSLATION

Terminology ServicesTerminology Services

Goal: Offer accessible, modular, web-based terminology services

Deliverables:

• Enhanced, modernized versions of controlled vocabularies in MARC XML, SKOS, more

• Addressing identifier issues

• Adding cross-vocabulary mappings

• Web services to leverage power of disciplinary (‘subject’) thesauri (e.g., DDC, LCSH, MeSH, TGM I and II, FAST, more)

Highlights of prototype serviceHighlights of prototype service

• Search descriptions of controlled vocabularies

• Search for concepts/headings in a controlled vocabulary

• Retrieve a single concept/heading by its identifier

• Retrieve concepts/headings in multiple representations including HTML, MARC XML, Zthes, and SKOS.

• Search using SRU CQL syntax

VocabulariesVocabularies

WorldCat IdentitiesWorldCat Identities

• Using data mining techniques OCLC builds a summary page for persons and corporate bodies referenced in WorldCat bibliographic records (25 million+)

• Data is derived from bibliographic data and authority records and holdings in WorldCat

• Special features such as a publication timeline included:

VIAF (Virtual International Authority File)VIAF (Virtual International Authority File)

Primary objectives:

1. Identify the same person or organization in multiple national authority files

2. Link the corresponding authority records

Value:

• Potentially lowers the cost of authority work

• Multiple authorized forms may co-exist

• Better data-mining (including FRBR) and searching

• VIAF will made available on the Web for wide use by libraries, search engines, others

VIAF (cont.)VIAF (cont.)

How VIAF works:

1. National libraries supply OCLC with national bibliographic filesand authority files

2. OCLC-developed software:

• Identifies key relationships (e.g., author name to works, to co-authors, to subjects)

• Matches same author with different names

• Distinguishes same name but different authors

3. Links between matched authority records are generated and stored

Recent reports & related articlesRecent reports & related articles

• Lavoie, Brian, and Günter WaibelAn Art Resource in New York: The Collective Collection of the NYARC Art Museum Libraries.

• Proffitt, Merrilee, Arnold Arcolio, and Constance MalpasCopyright Investigation Summary Report (March 2008)

• Smith-Yoshimura, Karen. RLG Programs Descriptive Metadata Practices Survey Results (November 2007)

• Kaufman, Peter and Jeff Ubois. "Good Terms—Improving Commercial-Noncommercial Partnerships for Mass Digitization; A Report Prepared by Intelligent Television for RLG Programs, OCLC Programs and Research." D-Lib Magazine, 13,11/12. November 2007.

• Payne, Lizanne. Library Storage Facilities and the Future of Print Collections in North America (November 2007)

• Erway, Ricky, and Jennifer Schaffner. Shifting Gears: Gearing Up to Get Into the Flow (October 2007)

Sharing and CommunicationSharing and Communication

PARcasts: http://www.oclc.org/programsandresearch/parcasts

Mark Dimunation, Chief of the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress - The Value of Physical Artifacts in an Increasingly Virtual World

Jeremy Frumkin, Head of Emerging Technologies, Oregon State University - Moving Toward the Network Level

Jenn Riley, Metadata Librarian, Digital Library Program, Indiana University - Why Shouldn't the Library Catalog be an Encyclopedia?

Ricky Erway and Jennifer Schaffner, Program Officers, OCLC Programs and ResearchOut of the Stacks and onto the Desktop: Rethinking Assumptions about Access and Digitization

Constance Malpas, Program Officer, OCLC Programs and Research - Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection: Preliminary Results from a Study of WorldCat

©2008 OCLC, Inc.