Microformats

Microformats are emerging metadata schema that use HTML for mark-up. Currently there are microformats for:

• hCalendar - for events
• hCard - for contact information
• hReview(spec) - for reviews
• rel-directory(spec)- for distributed directory creation and inclusion
• rel-nofollow, an attempt to discourage 3rd party content spam (e.g. comment spam)
• rel-tag(spec) - for decentralized tagging (Folksonomy)
• xFolk(spec) - for tagged links
• XFN - for social relationships
• XOXO - for lists and outlines

Microformats

MARC Code List for Geographic Areas

The 2006 edition of the MARC Code List for Geographic Areas (also online) is now available from the Library of Congress. This revision of the 2002 edition contains a list of up-to-date geographic areas and their associated one-to seven-character codes used in MARC records. The list includes separate codes for countries, first order political divisions of some countries, regions, and geographic features. References from variant forms are also included.

MARC

OLAC Conference

If you're responsible for cataloging non-print materials -- Internet or other electronic resources, sound recordings, maps, DVDs, videotapes, or cultural objects -- mark your calendars for OLAC's 12th biennial conference to be held October 26-29, 2006 in Mesa, Arizona (Phoenix Metro Area). The 2006 conference theme is Preparing for a Brave New World: Media Cataloging on the Threshold of RDA. It's the place to learn about emerging standards and attend workshops to learn the most current best practices for cataloging non-print media. Whether you need to brush up your MARC skills or learn a new metadata scheme, please join us in Phoenix.

Registration is now open! For more details please visit the conference website.

OLAC
Congresses

Connotea Tools for Developers

Connotea now has an API.

Today we have released the first version of the Connotea Web API, which will allow programmers to develop applications that read from, and post to, the Connotea database.

Wrapper libraries are available in Ruby and Perl.

Connotea is:

a free online reference management service. It allows you to save links to all your favorite articles, references, websites and other online resources with one click. Connotea is also a social bookmarking tool, so you can view other people's collections to discover new, interesting content.

Connotea

MARC Tag of the Month

This month's tag is MARC Record Sample -- Kit (Audio Visual).

MARC

Bed Books

Some classics are now available as bed books. How soon before they become as popular as large print?

The revolutionary way Bed Books are printed will enable you to lie in any comfortable position and hold the book at an angle that works best for you.

The patent pending sideways text layout of Bed Books affords total comfort and eliminates the back and neck strain associated with the contorted body positions normally required for reading conventional books while lying down, and usually propped up, in bed.

Not much of a cataloging problem. But if they become popular we might have to consider adding somthing to the GMD as we do for large print.

Books

LPI RSS Feeds

I've collected the RSS feeds from the Lunar and Planetary Institute and made them available as a group on Bloglines. You can view them there or export the OPML file for loading into the reader of your choice.

RSS
LPI

Today in Cataloging History

In 1873 Melvil Dewey proposes to Amherst College a better arrangement for the library. Available both as text and audio file.

Classification