Library Peeps

Now that Peeps are appearing in the stores, it is time to revisit the study of Peeps using the library.

Flamenco Search Interface 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. A key property of the interface is the explicit exposure of category metadata, to guide the user toward possible choices, and to organize the results of keyword searches. The interface uses hierarchical faceted metadata in a manner that allows users to both refine and expand the current query, while maintaining a consistent representation of the collection's structure. This use of metadata is integrated with free-text search, allowing the user to follow links, then add search terms, then follow more links, without interrupting the interaction flow.

FLAMENCO stands for FLexible information Access using MEtadata in Novel COmbinations.

Searching

Revised Name Authority Records

The lists of names being revised by adding death dates or changing the open date to a birth date is way too much for a small library to look through. When the lists first appeared I started to check them with my catalog, but soon stopped. Too few hits for the time invested.

Here is an idea, maybe some large library (or OCLC) that has most of these names in their catalog could create a list that shows the class number most associated with an author. If I could just check the QBs, QCs, QEs, and TLs I could find most of the changes in our catalog. I'd guess a music library, or management library or law library would like to check just their areas also. How about it? Any takers?

Names

Metasearch

Index Data has a demo of a metasearch tool available, MasterKey.

This is an early prototype of a new metasearch technology developed by Index Data. It is scheduled for general release during the spring of 2007. It enables efficient metasearching of up to hundreds of databases at the same time using Z39.50, SRU/W, or proprietary protocols. It is a powerful, open-source-based alternative to proprietary, closed-source metasearch alternatives.

The technology supports on-the-fly merging, relevance-ranking, or sorting by arbitrary data elements. It also supports any number of result facets for limiting result sets by subject, author, etc.

Metasearch

Addition to the MARC Code Lists for Relators, Sources, Description Conventions

The code listed below has been recently approved for use in MARC 21 records. The code will be added to the online MARC Code Lists for Relators, Sources, Description Conventions.

The code should not be used in exchange records until after May 1, 2007. This 60-day waiting period is required to provide MARC 21 implementers time to include newly defined codes in any validation tables they may apply to the MARC fields where the codes are used. Other Sources

The following code is for use in subfield $a in field 042 (Authentication Code) in Bibliographic and Authority records.

Addition:

• scipio - SCIPIO: Art and Rare Book Sales Catalogs [use after May 1, 2007]

MARC

MARC Tool, File_MARC

Here is a new MARC tool, File_MARC, announced at Code4Lib.

This package enables you to read existing MARC records from a file, string, or (using the YAZ extension), from a Z39.50 source. You can also use this package to create new MARC records.

This package is based on the PHP MARC package, originally called "php-marc", that is part of the Emilda Project. Christoffer Landtman generously agreed to make the "php-marc" code available under the GNU LGPL so it could be used as the basis of this PEAR package.

MARC

Additions to the MARC Country and Geographic Area Code Lists

As the result of both Montenegro and Serbia declaring independence from the state union of Serbia and Montenegro in June 2006, new country and geographic area codes have been defined for use in MARC records.

1. MARC country code changes

The new country codes are:

• rb - Serbia
• mo - Montenegro

Both were previously coded "yu" for Serbia and Montenegro from 1992-April 2007. Prior to October 1992, "yu" was used for Yugoslavia, which included the Socialist republics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia.

The country code "yu" will become obsolete for new records.

2. MARC geographic area code changes

The new geographic area codes are:

• e-rb - Serbia
• e-mo - Montenegro

Yugoslavia [e-yu] will be retained for works on Yugoslavia as a whole (including the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) and former Yugoslav republics before they separated.

Subscribers can anticipate receiving MARC records reflecting these changes in all distribution services not earlier than April 28, 2007.

MARC

MARC::Errorchecks

Bryan Baldus made this announcement on AUTOCAT perl4lib.

I have posted new versions of MARC::Errorchecks (to CPAN and my home page), MARC::Lint::CodeData (included in Errorchecks, my home page, and most recent version will be available in CVS on SourceForge, as part of MARC::Lint), and MARC::Lintadditions (at my home page only, since I would eventually like to move these checks into MARC::Lint). I have also posted a new version of LCSHchangesparserpl110.txt (to the inprocess directory of my home page). The script is used to parse a text version of LC's weekly new and changed headings Web pages to leave a tab-delimited text file of headings that have changed. Following LC's recent website redesign, the script currently complains about the first lines of the input files, but it seems to do a reasonably good job of creating the list of changed headings.

A question: Both MARC::Lint and MARC::Errorchecks in CPAN include a copy of MARC::Lint::CodeData. Should I update MARC::Lint to version 1.43 with the only change being the inclusion of the new version 1.14 of CodeData?

I have posted a new module, MARC::Lint::Lint_Authority.pm. This will be a module essentially copying MARC::Lint, but with a data section and methods for validating MARC format for Authority data rather than Bibliographic. An initial version of this module appears in the inprocess directory. I have not done much testing, but what little I have done seems to successfully do basic lint validation.

MARC

LibraryThing's ISBN Feed.

LibraryThing has created a feed of the ISBNs in their system. Now you can compare your holdings to theirs. Since there is talk of LibraryThing making available book covers and tags this would be a good first step, check to see just how much match there is.

LibraryThing