The Chronicle's take on next gen catalogs--mentions everything but OLE

Discusses various alternatives to Amazon API for ISBN, metadata and covers images.  

"The Web 2.0 environment provides the opportunity for innovative use of freely available datasets and, not least in the UK, there is increasing interest from Government in making information created by public sector organisations more widely available for re-use, in order to generate greater economic benefit, social gain and improvements to public services.

These developments are creating a complex landscape for the creation and use of the traditional bibliographical data"

"The digital revolution has brought changes in the processes through which records are created and made available for use
along this chain. Each actor has its own motivations, aligned to its particular business model, in creating, adding to, using or reusing bibliographic data; and each uses models and formats that suit its purposes. These formats are then frequently modified to meet the needs of those further along the chain.

This report looks at how bibliographic records for content held by UK academic and research libraries are created and distributed, for printed and electronic books, and for scholarly journals and journal articles; and at how they are utilised by all involved in the
supply chain, from the publisher to the final end user."

"This new report summarizes the findings of research conducted by OCLC on what constitutes quality in library online catalogs from both end users' and librarians' points of view. Key findings:

* The end user's experience of the delivery of wanted items is as important, if not more important, than his or her discovery experience.
* End users rely on and expect enhanced content including summaries/abstracts and tables of contents.
* An advanced search option (supporting fielded searching) and facets help end users refine searches, navigate, browse and manage large result sets.
* Important differences exist between the catalog data quality priorities of end users and those who work in libraries.
* Librarians and library staff, like end users, approach catalogs and catalog data purposefully. End users generally want to find and obtain needed information; librarians and library staff generally have work responsibilities to carry out. The work roles of librarians and staff influence their data quality preferences.
* Librarians' choice of data quality enhancements reflects their understanding of the importance of accurate, structured data in the catalog."

The eXtensible Catalog Project is pleased to announce that we have launched our new website at http://www.extensiblecatalog.org/. This new website will be the main vehicle for distributing our open-source software once it is released in 2009. In the mean time, the website contains a wealth of information regarding the project, including publications, an overview of the software we are developing and the technologies that software will use, and a blog that has already been in use.

"A few days ago, just before hitting thirty million books, we hit one million user-uploaded covers. So, we've decided to give them away-to libraries, to bookstores, to everyone."

All you need is a LibraryThing Developer Key and simple code in an image tag to image on your website. catalog,e tc.

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA, 19 May 2008-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^TM 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.

"Bibliocommons is a complete social discovery system for libraries.

We're completely re-thinking the online library experience. We've had our heads down building and delivering groundbreaking new services, transforming online library catalogues from searchable inventory systems into engaging social discovery environments."

For the product in action see: http://opl.bibliocommons.com/dashboard

"The discovery experience does not have to be tied to the inventory management system. "

Links to many of his postings on the future of the catalog

DLF ILS Discovery Interface Task
Group (ILS-DI)
Technical Recommendation

An API for effective interoperation between integrated library systems and external discovery applications
June 4, 2008

In 2007-2008, the DLF convened a Task Group to recommend standard interfaces for integrating the data and services of the Integrated Library System (ILS) with new applications supporting user discovery. This page gives access to the group's recommendation, related materials, and information on followup activities.

Fact sheet from Univ. of Rochester's eXtensible Catalog Project

The Future of Cataloging: A PALINET Symposium (Thursday, May 29, 2008, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia)

Keynote Address:Karen Calhoun, Vice President, OCLC WorldCat and Metadata Services, will present an overview of the current state of cataloging and the future direction of bibliographic control.

Now updated with audio recordings and slides (from most of the presenters)!

More on using the Google Book Search cover images

More on using the Google Book Search cover images

Steve Coffman's article from March 1999 - an Amazom-influenced view of library catalogs and delivery of materials

How much did this influence WorldCat.org?

From LibraryThing:  scripts for getting book cover images from Google

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA, 19 May 2008-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^TM 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.

March 14, 2008
Google Unveils Tools to Integrate Its Digitized Books Into Campus Library Catalogs

"This week Google unveiled a set of software protocols that allow libraries to essentially merge Goolge's collection with their own."

Interesting post on federated searching. Why imporved mapping doesn't work, and what we might do to improve the results sets for users.

Standardized interfaces that work across different ILSs make it easier for libraries to add new applications, both open-source and vendor-supplied, that advance their customers' needs. Libraries seek interfaces that allow ILS data to be aggregated for indexing and search, that allow
real-time search and query of ILS data, that support customer information and borrower services, and that allow embedding and interaction between OPACs and search interfaces.

The agreement has the support of the following vendors and
developers:

# Talis
# Ex Libris
# LibLime
# BiblioCommons
# SirsiDynix
# Polaris Library Systems
# VTLS
# California Digital Library
# OCLC
# Serial Solutions / AquaBrowser

"The full text of the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) incorporating the amended definition of the expression entity as well as the errata identified to date has been made available on IFLANET in both PDF and HTML formats.

For the first time, the HTML versions of both the current text and the original 1998 text include the tables, rather than just references to the PDF version."

"Dan Chudnov has done a lot of thinking on how itunes and zeroconf could fit into libraries, collected here:

http://onebiglibrary.net/taxonomy/term/39

And a good starting point is here:

http://onebiglibrary.net/story/zeroconf-meta-opensearch-part-one

In fact, I think Dan answers the question brilliantly by posing another question: "shouldn't our whole libraries be as easy to connect and share as iTunes?" Sounds like a good candidate for a NGC to me."

The vision is to create free web access to important book collections from around the world."

First, the library must be on the Internet...The site would be like Wikipedia-a public resource that anyone in any country could access and that others could rework into different formats.

Second, it must be grandly comprehensive. It would take catalog entries from every library and publisher and random Internet user who is willing to donate them...

But most importantly, such a library must be fully open. Not simply "free to the people," as the grand banner across the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh proclaims, but a product of the people: letting them create and curate its catalog, contribute to its content, participate in its governance, and have full, free access to its data..."

We hope to engage the expertise and interest of the community beyond this working group, however. Towards this end, we have set up a Wiki for the project, much of which is open to public viewing and comment"

A new blog on the future of cataloging. 

"The focus of this blog is the future of cataloging and metadata in libraries. The preparation of the new cataloging code, RDA: Resource Description and Access, is a significant issue. The future of the MARC 21 format will also be explored. ILS/OPAC's future will be touch on also, but will not be the central focus. Also, I hope to use this blog to collocate some of the important papers, articles, websites, etc. that deal with the future of cataloging and metadata.
"

List announcement:

The ALCTS Cataloging and Classification Section Subject Analysis 
Committee would like to invite you to subscribe to the list 
http://lists.ala.org/wws/info/headings
to discuss the future of subject analysis.

The ALCTS Subject Analysis Committee established a new SAC 
Subcommittee on the Future of Subject Headings at ALA Annual 2006. Its charge:

"To analyze the future of subject cataloging, with emphasis on 
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), through the use of SWOT 
(Strengths,Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, taking 
into consideration both internal forces within the library community 
and the external environment.  A preliminary report will be made at 
Midwinter 2008 with the final report and program made at Annual 2008."

Your participation in this discussion would be most welcome.

"This project is building new tools for browsing and discovering library resources, using conceptual maps based on Library of Congress subject headings. The aim is to provide more effective subject-based discovery that takes maximum advantage of the investments libraries have made in subject cataloging."

John has built the maps based on the explicit links in LCSH (i.e. references) and implicit relationships (e.g. terms related alphabetically)

Includes links to applications (live and demo) and a (very readable) white page describing the project.

"UC Berkeley has released the Flamenco Search Interface as open-source.

The Flamenco search interface framework has the primary design goal of allowing users to move through large information spaces in a flexible manner without feeling lost."

Library Journal's take on the LC working group on Future of Bibliographic Control. 

Interesting that the represented group include Google and Microsoft, in addition to the regular library reps.

The Library of Congress announced a Working Group to discuss the future of Bibliographic Control.  

They will sponser several regional forums to gather info. and release a draft report for comments by Sept 2007,

with a final report by Nov. 2007

I believe that this is the follow-up promised following the announcement of the changes in series access

announced earlier in 2006. 

OCLC has opened Worldcat for free searching on the web. You can search all formats (not just books as in Open Worldcat).  The search results have a nice "Refine Your Search" feature.   Editions are clustered (FRBRized).   Also, you can type ina zip code to see which nearby libraries own what you are looking for.  Also, you can download a search box to add to your webpage.

A new mailing list to discuss the future of catalogs:   http://dewey.library.nd.edu/mailing-lists/ngc4lib/

Follow-up article to "MARC must die"

LC's Press release on Karen Calhoun's report  "The Changing Nature of the Catalog and Its Integration with Other Discovery Tools"

PDF report at:  http://www.loc.gov/catdir/calhoun-report-final.pdf 

URL for white paper is:   http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/sopag/BSTF/Final.pdf