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Problem statement: Cultural heritage, bibliographic and archival communities use different controlled vocabularies for the resources that they manage. These controlled vocabularies may not be recognized by very diverse user communities, and ignored by large commercial information hubs and Internet search engines. Metadata needs to flow among diverse environments and reach users wherever they are. The semantic, hierarchical, and granular relationships in controlled vocabularies are often lost when retrieved outside the environment in which they were created.
Problem statement: Creating metadata that suits local needs, readily aggregates across communities, and is easily exposed to Internet search engines remains a costly enterprise. Metadata created by libraries, archives and museums is generally not available to the user communities that look first to Internet search engines. Although mapping data structures has become a commonplace solution to integrate descriptions, real interoperability across the libraries, archives and museums communities cannot be achieved without addressing differences of description at the data-content level.
Objective: Engage the RLG partnership in adapting descriptive practice to economic realities, user expectations, and the requirements of network-level services. Set new expectations for investing in metadata creation and maintenance, model attendant workflows, and facilitate the discovery of research institutions' resources by users wherever they are.
At a glance
* A new Web service that provides information about serial publications' history, variant editions, and current metadata
* Offers machine-ready XML service, for easy integration into library applications
* A human-ready demonstration interface known as Title History available at no charge
* Included at no extra charge in OCLC cataloging subscriptions
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 SearchTM 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.
The WorldCat Developer's Network is a community of developers collaborating in a "sandbox" environment in order to propose, discuss and test WorldCat Grid Services. This open source, code-sharing infrastructure improves the value of OCLC data for all users by encouraging new Grid Service uses.
WorldCat Affiliate Services
Let users of your Web site discover content and resources in WorldCat libraries worldwide
Make library-based resources part of your Web experience! WorldCat Affiliate Services integrate seamlessly into your application and let your users see complementary sources of information, look up physical items in WorldCat member libraries, and link to electronic resources such as full-text articles.
These tools provide benefits for any Web site or Web-enabled application, including search engines, online databases, e-commerce sites, e-learning environments as well as library systems and similar information services. Information is drawn from quality bibliographic and institutional metadata contributed and updated by thousands of librarians and other information professionals.
From Karen S-Y (RLG):
"Tracking serial title changes outside the MARC record. Serial title changes can be challenging, and it can be difficult to parse all of them from what's in MARC records. OCLC recently introduced a new xISSN Web service, and it includes a neat Title History tool. (Lorcan Dempsey blogged about it at http://orweblog.oclc.org/archives/001664.html - he includes one of the examples in the Title History visualization tool, the one for 0888-5885, the Industrial and engineering chemical research.) My favorite of the examples is the one for Journal of the Chemical Society, 0368-1769 which I thought demonstrates just how complicated title histories can be!"
"OCLC has launched a pilot project to explore upstream metadata capture and enhancement using publisher and vendor ONIX metadata. Pilot partners from the publishing, vendor and library communities are assisting us in this effort. We hope the pilotwill result in ongoing processes for the early addition of new title metadata to WorldCat and enhanced quality and consistency in upstream title metadata used by multiple channels."
"Terminology Services are web-based services for controlled vocabularies. More than 4.5 million terms, 2.4 million concept links, and 2 million contextual data elements are accessible to your applications.
Each vocabulary is fully indexed and searchable. Vocabulary data is retrievable in multiple representations including the MARC authority format, used by libraries, and the SKOS Core Vocabulary used in Semantic Web applications."
Classify is a prototype service designed to support the assignment of classification numbers for books, DVDs, CDs, and many other types of materials.
Overview
The prototype provides access to more than 36 million WorldCat records that contain Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) numbers, Library of Congress Classification (LCC) numbers, or National Library of Medicine (NLM) Classification numbers.
The records are grouped using the OCLC FRBR Work-Set algorithm resulting in a work-level summary of the class numbers assigned a title. You can retrieve a classification summary by ISBN, ISSN, UPC, OCLC number, or author/title.
Wide Open: Your Library, Their Way
October 27 & 28, 2008
Sheraton University City
36th and Chestnut Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Formerly Promptcat
From Glenn E. Patton:
"To get a sense of which MARC data elements are used in the various indexes for WorldCat, take a look at "Searching WorldCat Indexes" (http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/worldcat/searching/searchworl
dcatindexes/). Click on "List of Fields and Subfields Indexed in Tag Order" in the navigation bar on the left of the screen to see a list of MARC elements and the indexes in which they are used."
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 SearchTM 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.
Thom Hickey describes a project that is controlling millions of headings in OCLC by linking them to the NACO authority files
"Right now we are working our way through the a set of fairly easy 26 million headings, personal names that match an authority record on multiple subfields."
[I guess 'easy' is relative]
The WorldCat Identities project alongs users to search and browse over 25 million personal and corporate authors. Udsing data-maing techniques, OCLC Research has pulled information on authors from the WorldCat database, including alterantive forms of names, publication timelines (by & about), genres and subjects.
"A reference card (4 pp.) listing (1) cataloging activities authorized for each OCLC authorization level, including Search, Limited, Full, and higher, and (2) types of master record updates authorized for Full and higher authorizations. Covers both the Connexion browser and client."
Especially note the last page which notes types of record updates possible (Minimal level upgrade, database enrichment, and enhance)
- Basic Searching
- Steps in Copy Cataloging
- Modifying Records
- Original Cataloging in Connexion
- Deriving Records
- An Introduction to Constant Data
- Cataloging with Non-Latin Scripts in Connexion Client
- Inputting Diactitics
- Connexion Keyboard Shortcuts and a Word About Macros
- Importing Text Strings from RLIN21 Client
Overall, respondents have positive, if outdated, views of the “Library.” Younger respondents—teenagers and young adults—do not express positive associations as frequently. These findings, and more, are valuable insights for anyone seeking to know more about the library usage and perceptions of college students and young people.
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.
Streaming video presentation of the 2005 OCLC Symposium - requires IE (scroll to 2005)
Description from site:
Join Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief, Wired Magazine; John Blossom, President and Senior Analyst, Shore Communications; Chuck Richard, Vice-President and Lead Analyst, Outsell; and Nancy Davenport, President, Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) for a frank discussion about the implications of Anderson’s noteworthy article on “The Long Tail” from a recent edition of Wired Magazine. This program will challenge your assumptions about libraries’ collections, their uses and future, and will encourage you to make as much library content as possible visible on the open Web.