Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Open Data Access

English: Open Data stickersImage via WikipediaMake your open data even more open with CORS (Cross Origin Request Security).
Currently, client-side scripts (e.g., JavaScript) are prevented from accessing much of the Web of Linked Data due to "same origin" restrictions implemented in all major Web browsers.

While enabling such access is important for all data, it is especially important for Linked Open Data and related services; without this, our data simply is not open to all clients.

If you have public data which doesn't use require cookie or session based authentication to see, then please consider opening it up for universal JavaScript/browser access.

.data TLD

Stephen Woldram, of Wolfram|Alpha and Mathematica, has proposed a top level domain .data.
But what would be the point? For me, it’s about highlighting the exposure of data on the internet—and providing added impetus for organizations to expose data in a way that can efficiently be found and accessed.

In building Wolfram|Alpha, we’ve absorbed an immense amount of data, across a huge number of domains. But—perhaps surprisingly—almost none of it has come in any direct way from the visible internet. Instead, it’s mostly from a complicated patchwork of data files and feeds and database dumps.

But wouldn’t it be nice if there was some standard way to get access to whatever structured data any organization wants to expose?

Friday, January 13, 2012

VAIF Webinars

OCLC has made available the recordings of the VIAF Show and Tell Webinars.
The Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) now comprises almost 20 million records from 24 different sources. In the last two months VIAF had over 70,000 visits from 147 countries/territories, with two-thirds "returning visitors." In addition, VIAF sees 6 million hits per month from automated systems such as Web harvesters or other programs retrieving VIAF information.

The "show and tell" VIAF demonstrations you'll see in this webinar recording include:
  • Using VIAF as the primary reference for LC/NACO authority work to differentiate names—Spencer Anspach, Indiana University
  • Using VIAF to create a record in Fihrist, a multi-institutional Islamic manuscript catalog, incorporating the URI to an author's VIAF page—Alasdair Watson, Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
  • How VIAF helps researchers—Magda El-Sherbini, Ohio State University
  • Using VIAF to identify provenance of rare books and adding VIAF links to images of bookplates, inscriptions and other marks of ownership in Flickr—Regan Kladstrup, University of Pennsylvania
  • Using VIAF to identify issues in the VIAF matching process and how to respond and report them—Stephen Hearn, University of Minnesota

AACR2 Rule Interpretations

The Rule Interpretations for AACR2 have been made available online. This is co-operative work, so join in the fun. Thanks to all involved. And thanks to the site where I saw this at A portal to my Cataloguing Aids website.

New Music Cataloging Book

A new book for music catalogers, Directions in Music Cataloging.
a new title in the Music Library Association’s (MLA) Technical Reports Series, Directions in Music Cataloging, edited by Peter H. Lisius and Richard Griscom. In Directions in Music Cataloging, ten of the field’s top theoreticians and practitioners address issues affecting the discovery and use of music in libraries today. The roots of today’s issues lie in the past, and the first part of the volume opens with two articles by Richard P. Smiraglia that establish the context of modern music cataloging through research conducted in the early 1980s. The second part explores cataloging theory in its current state of transition, and the concluding part looks to the future by considering the application of emerging standards. The volume closes with a remembrance of A. Ralph Papakhian (1948–2010), the most prominent music cataloger of the past thirty years—a figure who initiated many of the developments covered in the volume and who served as a teacher and mentor for all of the contributors. Sue Ellen Stancu’s remembrance and H. Stephen Wright’s introduction provide a context for the volume in relation to Papakhian’s legacy.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

ALA Midwinter

While at ALA Midwinter in Dallas spin your cares away at the North Texas Traditional Dance (i.e. contra dance). Sat Jan 21, 8-11 pm

The main kind of dance we do is called Contra Dancing. It is a form of American folk dance derived from English Country Dancing. It has no fancy footwork, so is easy (and fun) enough for beginners to enjoy almost immediately, especially with occasional help from our friendly experienced dancers.

By far our most popular activities are the Community Dances we hold almost every week: English Country dances on 4th Saturdays, and Contra dances on most other Saturdays. These are open to the public and feature live music in a smoke- and alcohol-free environment. No experience is needed, because all the dances are taught. You don't need to bring a partner. We encourage everyone to change partners for each dance.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

MARBI News

The 2011 Annual MARBI Meeting minutes are now available.

Discussion Paper 2012-DP01: Identifying Titles Related to the Entity Represented by the Authority Record in the MARC 21 Authority Format

A final discussion paper (2012-DP02) will be posted next week.

The MARBI ALA Midwinter Conference 2012 agenda is available.

Friday, January 06, 2012

MARBI Paper Available for Review

The following paper was revised by the Music Library Association and resubmitted for review:

Proposal 2012-01: New Data Elements in the MARC 21 Bibliographic and Authority Formats for Medium of Performance

Please use the link at the end of Section 2 to see additional examples.

Cataloging Webinar

The Incredible Shrinking Cataloging Department: How to Do More with Less

January 11-12, 2012

Hosted by Xiaoli Li and Wade Wyckoff

Please join us for an e-forum discussion. It’s free and open to everyone!
Registration information is at the end of the message.

Each day, sessions begin and end at:

Pacific: 6am – 4pm
Mountain: 7am – 5pm
Central: 8am – 6 pm
Eastern: 9am – 7pm

Description

With the current economic downturn, many cataloging departments have experienced or are facing staff reductions. With fewer catalogers around to process materials, those departments have to come up with ways to deal with the situation. Some have struggled while others have been more successful. Some have even managed to do more with less.

This e-Forum will be an open discussion about options, choices, strategies used in various cataloging departments. Please be prepared to share your own ideas and solutions. We are hoping we all will have a great and productive year ahead with the collective wisdom offered through this forum. The topics to be covered include:
  • Outsourcing options
  • Cooperative cataloging exchanges between libraries
  • Managing foreign language materials
  • Improving efficiencies in cataloging workflow
  • Stopping tasks that are less value-added
Xiaoli Li is the Head of Cataloging and Metadata Services Department at the University of California, Davis General Library. Her department has had an approximately 20% reduction in staffing since 2008 when the department was formed as a result of the reorganization of technical services at Davis.

Wade Wyckoff joined McMaster University Library in 2006, where he is currently Associate University Librarian, Collections. Previously, he held appointments as Cataloguing Policy Librarian and Collection Services Librarian with the University Library. Before coming to Mac, Wade was an Archivist with the U.S. Navy’s History and Heritage Command. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in History and an M.L.S., all from Indiana University.

*What is an e-forum?*

An ALCTS e-forum provides an opportunity for librarians to discuss matters of interest, led by a moderator, through the e-forum discussion list. The e-forum discussion list works like an email listserv: register your email address with the list, and then you will receive messages and communicate with other participants through an email discussion. Most e-forums last two to three days. Registration is necessary to participate, but it's free. See a list of upcoming e-forums at: http://bit.ly/upcomingeforum.

*To register:*

Instructions for registration are available at: http://bit.ly/eforuminfo. Once you have registered for one e-forum, you do not need to register again, unless you choose to leave the email list. Participation is free and open to anyone.

Taken from the email announcement.

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Linked Data and Libraries: What? Why? How? (NCompass Live)

On Wednesday, January 11, 2012, 10-11:00 a.m. Central Time NCompass Live presents the webinar Linked Data and Libraries: What? Why? How?
In October of 2011, the Library of Congress released a statement outlining its efforts to move away from the MARC 21 format and toward another carrier for library data. According to the statement, “Linked Data principles and mechanisms” will be the focus of this project. You may be wondering, what is Linked Data? What could it mean for our library catalogs? How do we create Linked Data? In this session, Emily Nimsakont, the NLC’s Cataloging Librarian, will answer those questions and more.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Additions to Source Codes for Vocabularies, Rules, and Schemes

The source code listed below has been recently approved. The code will be added to the applicable Source Codes for Vocabularies, Rules, and Schemes list. See the specific source code list for current usage in MARC fields and MODS/MADS elements.

The code should not be used in exchange records until 60 days after the date of this notice to provide implementers time to include the newly-defined code in any validation tables. Subject Heading and Term Source Codes

The following source code has been added to the Subject Heading and Term Source Codes list for usage in appropriate fields and elements.

Addition:
ntids
Norske tidsskrifter 1700-1820: emneord (Oslo: Nasjonalbiblioteket)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

MARBI Paper Available for Review

A logo of the Unites States Library of Congres...Image via WikipediaProposal 2012-01: New Data Elements in the MARC 21 Bibliographic and Authority Formats for Medium of Performance.
As noted in Discussion Paper 2011-DP05, medium of performance is a critical piece of information for music retrieval. Following current LCSH practice, catalogers assign subject headings which often combine genre/form and medium information into a single heading. As work continues on developing Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials (LCGFT), it has become clear that medium of performance vocabulary is out of scope for LCGFT and is a separate facet in its own right. The ability to move forward on implementing music terms in LCGFT is dependent on finding a place in the MARC Formats to accommodate medium of performance data in a separate field.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Information Standards Quarterly

The latest issue of the Information Standards Quarterly (ISQ) is now available. Articles include:
  • Staff Cost Savings from Implementing the NISO Circulation Interchange Protocol (NCIP) by Mary E. Jackson
  • Scholarly iQ and SUSHI: A Case Study by Gary Van Overborg, John Milligan, and Michael Lee
  • Implications for a Medium-Sized Publisher in Using SERU: A Shared Electronic Resource Understanding by Mary E. Marshall
  • Innovation and Standardization: Friends not Foes by John Sack
  • NISO Launches Two New Initiative to Develop Standards and Recommended Practices: Digital Bookmarking and Annotation Sharing and Open Discovery Initiative by Nettie Lagace

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

MARC Tool

MARCgrep.pl is a PERL tool for analyzing MARC records.
The Library of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross delivers an open source utility for analyzing MARC ISO2709 bibliographic records.

MARCgrep.pl is a Perl script to filter or count bibliographic records based on condition built upon tag name, indicators, subfield, field value (or tag, positions, value for control fields 00x).

Functional Requirements for Sharing Tag Data

TagCommons has the Functional Requirements for Sharing Tag Data.
The TagCommons effort is operating something like a software project. The process is very lightweight, but has an important step that is often forgotten in discussions about ontologies and formats: for what purposes are we designing this? These days, a good way to look at functional requirements for software is to identify use cases and then derive engineering requirements. This was the first outcome of the working group, and the results are summarized here. We will describe the use cases first and then the requirements.

Monday, December 19, 2011

SCATNews

Basic Group 1 entities and relations of the FR...Image via WikipediaThe latest issue of SCATNews is now available. It is the newsletter of the Standing Committee of the IFLA Cataloguing Section. News from the US, China, Japan, etc. Articles like "FRBR and Linked Data at the French National Library" and "The Principles on Open Bibliographic Data."

Friday, December 16, 2011

Librarian Running for Texas State Board of Education

University of North Texas logoImage via WikipediaDavid Scott, running for District 6 (Houston) of the Texas State Board of Education, has a Masters of Library Science from the University of North Texas in Denton.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Additions to Source Codes for Vocabularies, Rules, and Schemes

The source code listed below has been recently approved. The code will be added to the applicable Source Codes for Vocabularies, Rules, and Schemes list. See the specific source code list for current usage in MARC fields and MODS/MADS elements.

The code should not be used in exchange records until 60 days after the date of this notice to provide implementers time to include the newly-defined code in any validation tables.

Subject Heading and Term Source Codes

The following source code has been added to the Subject Heading and Term Source Codes list for usage in appropriate fields and elements.

Addition:
thesoz
Thesaurus for the Social Sciences

OCLC Releases FAST as Linked Data

OCLC has released FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Terminology) as Linked Data.
FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Terminology), an enumerative, faceted subject heading schema derived from the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), is now available as an experimental Linked Data service (http://id.worldcat.org/fast/) and is made available under the Open Data Commons Attribution License.

The FAST authority file, which underlies the FAST Linked Data release, has been created through a multi-year collaboration of OCLC Research and the Library of Congress. Specifically, it is designed to make the rich LCSH vocabulary available as a post-coordinate system in a Web environment.

"Linked Data" is an approach to publishing data on the Web which enhances its utility by making references to persons, places, things, etc. more consistent and linkable across domains.

The release of FAST as Linked Data provides FAST headings that support both human and machine access. FAST incorporates links to corresponding LCSH authorities. In addition, many of the geographic headings have links to the GeoNames geographic database (http://www.geonames.org/).

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Accident

Eight years ago today I was in an auto accident. I was able to stand for the first time on Christmas day. I got out of the hospital sometime after New Years. At that point I was counting how far I walked each day in feet. I was in a wheelchair for the better part of the day for a couple months. Then I was using a walker. After three months I was able to go back to work half time. Six months after the accident I was able to work full time and was using a cane. I could put on my own socks without using a device. About eight months after I was working on advanced mobility in physical therapy, things like using a ladder and stepping up over the curb. I graduated physical therapy in September.

Now I still take more medicine than I thought possible and live with pain. But life is pretty much back to normal. I can walk without a limp. I can still dance, but no dawn dances for me anymore; a couple of hours is all I can stand. I can swim, but I'm a lot slower and swim about 1/2 the distance I could before. Most people would not what I know I had been through.

Part of my recovery is due to having some excellent medical support. The physical therapy people in the hospital worked with me every day including Christmas and New Years. The physical therapist I had after the hospital, Hope Rehab, was also excellent. Thanks Gretchen and all your staff. I had a recovery doctor, there aren't many around who worked on controlling pain and building my strength back. The pulmonary doctor who did the initial work on the blood clots was excellent. So many nurses and doctors and technicians and ... Thanks to all.

An auto accident is a life changing event. You can smoke or have high cholesterol, or any number of things that will, over time, affect your quality of life. An accident changes things in an instant. Take care this holiday season.