A Common Standard for Digital Repository Metadata

Repository Librarian and the Next Crusade: The Search for a Common Standard for Digital Repository Metadata by Beth Goldsmith and Frances Knudson describes the search for a common metadata standard for the millions of records at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Research Library. Surprise it was MARC, well MARCXML, that won as the best all around format.

In 2003, MARCXML was selected as a uniform metadata standard for the LANL Research Library's digital repository. Reasons for the choice included its relative maturity in the XML standards world, its familiarity in the library community, and its ability to blend well with modern mark-up technologies. Perhaps most important for a nominally bibliographic metadata standard, it can be elegantly extended to adapt to numerous metadata needs. In the two-plus years that it has been used to map metadata records in the library's digital repository, MARCXML has proven itself to be robust and capable in meeting all requirements without breaking the standard while remaining flexible and transparent to downstream use.

MARC

Microformats

Some microformat cheat sheets (quick reference) are available. Dave Child has a very nice design on his. Brian Suda has a more compact version.

"Microformats are markup that allow expression of semantics in an HTML (or XHTML) web page. Programs can extract meaning from a standard web page that is marked up with microformats."--Wikipedia entry.

Seen on Planet Code4lib.

Microformats

NSDL Catalog

The new National Science Digital Library catalog (institutional repository in reality) seems to get the 2.0 thing.

We are standing at a dramatic pivot-point for NSDL. Until now, the library was a collection of catalog records, pointing to exemplary STEM resources on the web. With the introduction of our new Fedora-based NSDL Data Repository (NDR) on October 1st, the library becomes a repository and focal point for content, context, contribution, and collaboration, for everyone interested in STEM education, from K-gray.

The NDR allows us to integrate the full range of Web 2.0 tools, such as wikis, blogs, and community tagging, into the framework of the library, allowing users to classify, organize, annotate, and create library resources. Moreover, it supports the integration of new tools, such as electronic lab notebooks and course management systems, specialized for the needs of scientists, engineers, teachers, and students. With the NDR, every annotation of, reference to, or search of library resources by any user will add to the context and value of the library resources for all our users.

As a technologist, my view of the technology path is clear: we can build these tools, and we can create a dynamic living library of science, to the benefit of everyone. But the really exciting and daunting challenge is at the interface of the technical and the social. The tools must support the needs of the STEM education community, and they must do so very, very well. With the right tools and the wealth of available resources, we can succeed in creating passionate users of the NSDL. If the tools and capabilities aren't right-- well, to paraphrase Mark Twain, it will be like the difference between the iPod and the I plod.

Fortunately, I am an optimist. I believe that we have to tools, the momentum, and the community to make NSDL a new, vibrant, and transformative digital library, and a critical resource for everyone who teaches, uses, or learns about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. By issue 200 of Whiteboard Report, I think that the world will agree.

I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like on October 1.

Repositories

Margaret Mann Citation

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2007 Margaret Mann Citation, presented by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS), a division of the American Library Association. This award is presented to a cataloger or classifier for outstanding professional achievement in the areas of cataloging or classification through publication, participation in professional cataloging associations, or valuable contributions to practice in individual libraries. The Cataloging and Classification Section administers the award, a citation and $2,000 to the library school of the winner's choice, which is donated by OCLC, Inc.

The Mann Citation committee bases its selection on nominations made by members of the profession or friends of the profession. Anyone with a worthy candidate is urged to nominate that person. It is not necessary to be a member of ALA in order to be eligible for nomination. Achievements to be considered include: notable publications, such as an article, pamphlet, or book; outstanding contribution to the activities of professional cataloging associations; outstanding contribution to the technical improvement of cataloging and classification and/or the introduction of a new technique of recognized importance; and outstanding contribution in the area of teaching cataloging and classification. The deadline for nominations and supporting materials is December 1, 2006. For additional information on the Margaret Mann Citation, please visit the award Web page.

My personal feeling is that it should go to one of the folks working on RDA.

Awards

Rights Metadata - PdfLicenseManager

PdfLicenseManager is "a simple Java program to insert a Creative Commons License in a PDF document." No need for Acrobat.

Embedding licensing info in PDF files is important because it enables specifically designed search engines such as Google and Yahoo to recognize and return them when queried for contents with a specific license (especially Creative Commons licenses), and users will not risk to use the authors' work in a way the author does not allow.

The program can both show the licensing information associated with a PDF file (which is contained in the XMP stream) and embed a Creative Commons License into the file.

Now we need a tool to grab that info and place it in the MARC record when we are cataloging on-line resources. A while back Marc-It was a tool to speed-up cataloging Web sites. Not sure if it has continued to develop or its current status. But, something like that, that could drop the info into 506, would be nice.

Metadata

Hackfest Project Submissions

Hackfest, a part of the Access 2006 conference is looking for projects.

It's time to submit Hackfest projects!

Following a well-established tradition, Access 2006 invites you to submit project suggestions for Hackfest 2006, to be held this year in Ottawa, Ontario, on October 11.

Hackfest projects can be about nearly anything related to libraries and online information. Is there some mashup you want to see that would be useful in libraries? Or a new feature in your old system, or some whole new idealized app that just doesn't exist anywhere yet? Some new technical something you maybe can't build yourself but you're sure "somebody should"?

Perfect! Tell us about it!

Not every suggestion is used ... and please keep in mind that we're together for only one short day ... but many are, with the results made public during the conference. Sometimes projects even take on a life of their own after Hackfest! But you are under no continuing obligation -- just send your idea and we'll run with it.

Even if you are not planning to attend Access and Hackfest, submit your great idea! Past projects have come from attendees and non-attendees, both.

More information on project ideas and the submission form.

Hackfest

Statement of International Cataloguing Principles

The Japanese translation of the Statement of International Cataloguing Principles (based on the April 2006 draft) has been posted on the IFLA conference Web-Site.

Cataloging

Continuing Education Survey

The ALCTS CCS Committee on Education, Training and Recruitment for Cataloging (CETRC) Continuing Education Subcommittee has developed a survey to assess the continuing education needs of catalogers.

Please complete and submit the survey by September 20, 2006.

Training

Houston Area

Registration and the program or the TLA District 8 Fall Meeting to be held October 21, 2006, are now available. It will be held at:

Pin Oak Middle School
4601 Glenmont
Bellaire, Texas 77401

I always enjoy this meeting. Nothing on cataloging this year. I'm not speaking, so I can just enjoy exploring other areas of our profession. I'm just disappointed there are no graphic novel presentations.

TLA

EAD 2002 Schema

The EAD Schema Working Group (SAA/EADWG) has announced the Beta release of the EAD 2002 Schema. The Beta testing period will end Friday, September 22, 2006. Provided there are no errors or issues requiring major revision, the official version of the Schema is scheduled to be released Monday, October 3, 2006. The EAD 2002 Beta Schema is available in two syntaxes: Relax NG Schema (RNG) and W3C Schema (XSD).

EAD