MODS

There is a revised version of the MODS schema available.

You can see the changes that were made as a result of the most recent discussion of identifier vs. location and date accessed. The list of changes also was updated.

High Energy Physics Libraries Webzine

The new issue of High Energy Physics Libraries Webzine is now available. Articles include:

• Developing a Grid-Based Search and Categorization Tool - Glenn Haya, Frank Scholze, Jens Vigen (HTML)
• Experience in Computer-Assisted XML-Based Modelling in the Context of Libraries - Marko Niinimaki, Vesa Sivunen (HTML)
• Documenta Mathematica: A Community-Driven Scientific Journal - Ulf Rehmann (HTML)

The issue also includes an Editorial, News and Events, and New Links.

Weblogs

In the Subject Cataloging Manual August 2003 update pages for H 1110 Free-Floating Subdivisions: Names of Persons is listed:

$vWeblogs
Use for weblogs by or about the person.

Subject Headings

The List of Web resources for use in preparing SACO proposals has been updated. Not a bad site for reference use either.

New Book

A book by the Rogue Librarian, is soon to be available. Web Design on a Shoestring by Carrie Bickner.

MARC Record Survey

The British Library is conducting a MARC Records User Survey.

We are carrying out a survey of British Library MARC records in order to gain a deeper understanding of how our catalogues and bibliographic records are used.

If you are a professional user of any British Library MARC (machine-readable) records in public, academic, government or special libraries, we would be most appreciative if you could spare a few minutes completing this questionnaire.

Digital Archives for Science & Engineering Resources

Advanced registration has just opened for the Summit on Digital Archives for Science & Engineering Resources (DASER). This Summit, sponsored by the American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIST) New England Chapter (NEASIST) and the Scientific and Technical Information Systems Special Interest Group (SIG STI), in cooperation with the Physics-Astronomy-Mathematics Division of SLA, will take place Friday through Sunday, 21-23 November 2003, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Few would dispute the growing use and importance of digital resources in support of science and engineering research throughout the world. The need to provide stable, forward and backward access to these resources has long been a goal of the information, engineering and scientific communities. Recent developments such as the Open Archive Initiative (OAI) and the emergence of open source tools such as EPRINTS and Dspace have led to the creation of a number of scientific and engineering digital archives.

This Summit will include panels and presentations from academia, non-profit organizations, the commercial sector and government initiatives, both in the United States and abroad, including:

• DSpace (MIT)
• BioMed Central
• ADS (Astrophysical Data System)

Our key-note speaker will be Clifford Lynch, Executive Director of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI).

Early-bird registration will be $90 for ASIST and SLA-PAM members and $125 for non-members. Rates increase after the 24th of October. The registration fee includes a full, catered luncheon on Saturday. Registration is limited to 150 in order to retain the networking opportunities and other advantages of a small conference.

Further information available.

Classification

A new classification scheme for use on the Web has been developed by NetInsert.

NetInsert employs a hierachical address system based on numbers separated by periods. The address specifies a subject category, a geographical region, and a language in the NetInsert taxonomy. The general form of an address is:

country.region.directory.category.subcategory.subsubcategory...type

For example, the category address: 554.0.1.2.3.1, has country = 554, region = 0, directory = 1, category = 2, subcategory = 3, and type = 1.

IEEE TCDL Bulletin

The 1st issue of the on-line journal IEEE TCDL Bulletin by the IEEE Technical Committee on Digital Libraries is now available. Articles include:

• Usability of Digital Libraries: A Source of Creative Tensions with Technical Developments
  Ann Blandford and George Buchanan
• Customizing Digital Library Interfaces with Greenstone
  Ian H. Witten
• Mechanisms for Custom Interfaces
  Thomas A. Phelps and Robert Wilensky
• Visual User Interfaces: Challenges and Opportunities
  Katy Borner and Chaomei Chen

CopyStupid

Another example of a company not knowing their own best interests.

My wife is leading a sight-reading session at the AOSA National Conference. Music teachers come and play through the music she has selected. They get a feel for the difficulty and the sound. Then they can decide if they want to use it in their music programs. Since this is a national conference, those attending will often go back and share at local and regional meetings things that struck their fancy. This is great publicity for the music presented.

She asked Schott Music for permission to use their materials, they replied OK but:

• No more than 50 copies may be made.
• Copies must be collected and shredded at the end of the session.
• She must pay $50.00 for the right to present their materials.

Are they insane? She is not being paid for presenting. Actually, we have quite a few out of pocket expenses for presenting. Moreover, they are getting better advertising then they could get by shelling out large sums of cash. My feeling is tell them their materials will not be used, those of other publishers will be substituted. Other publishers who can see their own interests. Maybe she should have asked the advertising dept. rather than the rights folks.

Public Library Geographic Database

The Public Library Geographic Database (PLGDB) is a useful research tool. It could also be used by school libraries to find demographic data for their service regions.

The database includes the locations of America’s 16,000 public libraries, population characteristics from the US Census that best describe people that use libraries, and library use statistics from the National Center for Educational Statistics. The goal of the database is to provide consolidated information on public libraries nationwide, easily accessible over the Internet.

Valuable Resource - Gone

"The Center for AeroSpace Information Technical Report Server (CASI TRS) was taken offline on September 22, 2003 and replaced by the NTRS: NASA Technical Reports Server."

This was the notice I found this morning when I tried to access the NASA Recon Select database. It was one I used often, was important, and is now gone without a trace and with little or no warning. The NASA Technical report Server, while useful, is not a replacement. In the past I'd search both, because the coverage was different. Now many valuable records have disappeared from public access.

MARC Tag of the Month

This month, Follett's Tag of the Month is a sample record for Realia (AV Equipment). This is a question that comes from school librarians fairly often.

RFID in the Library

San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) sent a letter on Wednesday to the San Francisco Public Library Commission (SFPLC) warning of privacy concerns in the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging of library books.

Government Docs

We all know the value of government information and the many noteworthy titles published every year but many of our colleagues do not. You can help the GODORT Notable Document Panel in not only publicizing but also acknowledging outstanding government information through the annual article in Library Journal.

Just take a few minutes between now and December 31, 2003 to nominate publications from any level of government -- state and local, federal, international, intergovernmental organization, foreign government or material published on behalf of a governmental agency by a commercial publisher -- for an award. Please only consider materials published in 2002 and 2003 but these can be in any format -- websites, CD-'s, books, maps, audio-visuals, or microfiche. Agencies and publishers are encouraged to nominate their best titles.

The nomination form is available on-line.

A short history of the program is available.

Each year the panel selects 30 notable documents from the list of nominations. These are then featured in the May 15, 2003 issue of Library Journal. Our purpose is to publicize government documents to the broader library community, to honor the agencies and staff responsible for these wonderful documents, to create a selection tool available to all types of libraries, and to publicize the work of GODORT. The production and distribution of government information widely and in a timely manner remains of critical importance to us all. Please contact the Panel Chair, Linda Johnson, if you need additional information or have questions. Thank you in advance for your participation in this important program.

Linda B. Johnson
Head Government Documents Department
Dimond Library
18 Library Way
University of New Hampshire
Durham, New Hampshire 03824
phone: 603-862-2453
fax: 603-862-3403
linda@cisunix.unh.edu

Posted with permission.

Metadata

Metadata is nothing new by Ned Batchelder is a clear introduction to the concept.

Web technologists talk about "metadata" as a powerful enabling technology. It is; there's no arguing with that. But they miss plenty of opportunities to point out that although "metadata" is a new word, it's an old concept. In fact, its age is proof that metadata is an important idea. It's been helping information technologists for centuries.

Via LibraryPlanet.