Category Archives: metadata

Concepts in catalogs: Where the data comes from

Posted on January 15, 2010 by John Mark Ockerbloom

I’ve now made a few posts about concept-oriented catalogs, describing the basic idea, showing some examples, and talking about the kinds of context they should provide for users.  As I mentioned in my first post, concepts in such catalogs are … Continue reading →

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Content and context in concept-oriented catalogs

Posted on January 7, 2010 by John Mark Ockerbloom

2010 has been designated the year of cataloging research by the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services.  So it’s a good time for me to continue my series on concept-oriented catalogs.  Before I talk about specific ways to implement … Continue reading →

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Some concepts and their catalogs

Posted on December 10, 2009 by John Mark Ockerbloom

This is the second of a series of think-aloud posts on what I’m calling “concept-oriented catalogs”; catalogs that, as Lorcan Dempsey aptly describes them, go “beyond the bibliographic record”.  This post will present examples of concept-oriented catalogs, describe the concepts … Continue reading →

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Understanding concept-oriented catalogs

Posted on December 4, 2009 by John Mark Ockerbloom

I’ve recently been thinking a fair bit about the future of library catalogs, particularly after reading Diane Hillmann’s review of the recent Library of Congress-commissioned Study of the North American MARC Records Marketplace.  Hillmann laments that the study tries to … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, discovery, libraries, metadata | 5 Comments

Free Decimal Correspondence: Now with more detail and CC0 goodness

Posted on May 16, 2009 by John Mark Ockerbloom

I’ve just released a new version of the Free Decimal Correspondence (FDC).  FDC is a set of associations between numbers and subject terms that can be used as the basis for linear shelving or subject browsing of a simple library … Continue reading →

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Will OCLC move to a service-oriented business model for bibliographic data?

Posted on May 15, 2009 by John Mark Ockerbloom

As you may recall, there’s been a fair bit of criticism (including some of my own) against OCLC’s proposed records use policy, which asserts OCLC’s rights over libraries’ cataloging in ways that would make it very difficult for libraries and … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, libraries, metadata, open access, sharing | 3 Comments

Do we need a “reader’s rights registry”?

Posted on May 5, 2009 by John Mark Ockerbloom

This spring’s Digital Library Federation forum, the last under DLF as an independent organization,  included a session for “lightning talks”, where speakers take 5 minutes or less to present an idea or make a demonstration.  Here are the remarks I … Continue reading →

Posted in censorship, copyright, metadata, online books, open access, reading, sharing | 3 Comments

The Google Books settlement: A symposium, and a call for library action

Posted on March 18, 2009 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Last Friday I went to a fascinating symposium at the Columbia Law School: “The Google Books Settlement: What Will it Mean for the Long Term?” The symposium included presentations by US copyright register Marybeth Peters, and antitrust expert Randal Picker … Continue reading →

Posted in libraries, metadata, online books, open access, reading, sharing | 2 Comments

Chances to stop and think about the future of library catalogs

Posted on January 14, 2009 by John Mark Ockerbloom

OCLC yesterday announced that it is putting its new catalog record usage policy on hold while its Members Council convenes a group to review the proposed policy and suggest changes.  I’m very happy to hear this, as the policy was … Continue reading →

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Drawing a line in the sand, Part 3: How to respond?

Posted on November 24, 2008 by John Mark Ockerbloom

In my previous two posts, I discussed how open library metadata is becoming increasingly important for the future of library content, and how OCLC’s new catalog policy works against it. By asserting proprietary rights over the records in WorldCat, OCLC … Continue reading →

Posted in copyright, discovery, libraries, metadata, open access, sharing | 4 Comments