ALA Midwinter, Jan. 2001

Washington, DC

Notes by Shelby Harken

 

 

 

FRIDAY -  Jan.12

 

12:00-5:00            Capitol Hilton  -- Federal A

                        PALS Users Group buffet lunch

 

Attendees: Becky Bell, MnSCU/PALS; Gary Johnson, SDLN; Tony Stukel, ODIN; Shelby Harken, University of North Dakota; David Barton, MnSCU/PALS; John Christianson, TDS; John Stromquist, Waldo; Teresa Edwards, St. John’s University.

 

The agenda was approved with the change of moving the topic of future meetings to near the top of the agenda. Shelby Harken gave theTreasurer’s report. The account balance is $873.53. Shelby noted that the bank is taking $11 out of the account every month. The account must have been set to maintain a balance over $1000. Shelby proposed the remaining funds be paid to MnSCU/PALS to be used to cover costs that benefit the WWPALS User’s Group, for example, paying for the lunch at this meeting. It was so moved, seconded, and passed.  Shelby will then close the account.  The Minutes were submitted by Shelby Harken and posted on the ODIN Web page. Minutes were approved as posted.

 

Future meetings. We decided to try getting a restaurant with a meeting room. The meeting will be June 15, 2001 at 3:30 or 4:00 PM and end with dinner. Gary Johnson moved that the current officers remain in office another year, Tony seconded. Passed.

 

Becky Bell reported on the status of PALS sites not present at the meeting.

 

Atlanta University Center is still on PALS. They are loading Authorities. They are not in a rush to leave PALS. They are being courted by Endeavor but they are not interested in Endeavor software.

 

Ferris State signed with III. Chris is working on exporting data. III is having trouble importing data, particularly holdings which are not being sorted properly.

 

Chicago Public Schools is still using PALS.

 

SUNY/Fredonia goes live today on Ex Libris. In Oct. they started working on migrating. They are the first library in the SUNY group to come up live on Ex Libris. All the data converted. All their data went somewhere including serials checkin (they didn’t use ACQ). They are impressed with Ex Libris’ expertise and ability to keep on schedule. No special support had to be given to Fredonia by MnSCU/PALS. Fredonia set up report writer to generate reports that were converted to UTF8 and no data was lost. If there was not a MARC field for any particular data, it was stored in MARC 9XX fields or in Ex Libris’ ADM record.

 

WisPALS had selected DRA, then deselected it. They decided to go to their second choice rather than do a new RFP, which was Endeavor. They have had problems with conversion programs because Endeavor’s conversion program is based on several versions back of PALS.  Locally created records (MARC Editor 9-xxxxxx) didn’t work so they had to write script to change the files. As it turns out, that also meant that no record with a prefix works, so all MARCIVE temp records are also a problem. CalWest was the last library to tweak the scripts. It is up to PALS libraries to write and/or share scripts. Endeavor makes no attempt to address the current version, but still uses the first scripts Tom Briggs at Shippensburg wrote a number of years ago.

 

South Africa. The group that provides support is separating from Unisys S.A. They are still adding libraries to the PALS system and are managing the software themselves. They are looking forward to PALS ILL using ISO standards.

 

South Dakota Library Network (SDLN). Gary Johnson reported they have added lots of K-12 libraries. The biggest problem is staff support in the small libraries. Winnebago records have been sent to OCLC for conversion. Follette records are a problem because call numbers are buried in 9XX fields. Small libraries of up to 30,000 vols. are billed $2000/year plus a usage (transaction) fee. Small libraries historically have not had networks, so SDLN is their network provider. Military and hospital libraries just added separate lines to the library to keep firewalls intact. They locally load Books in Print and locally generated databases. Their RFP committee met recently and will be sending out an RFP in March/April. Responses will be due before next ALA. A recommendation will be made to the Advisory Council and a decision made at their Oct. 3, 2001 meeting. The legislature wants to know what they have chosen before they decide on funding.  Money would be available July 1, 2002 so they would have 1½ years to migrate everyone before 2004. SDLN is working with ODIN on patron authentication for InfoTrack and ProQuest that would give the user a single web address to click on based on the IP, it would then authenticate or require the entry of a barcode which then would default to the OPAC that goes with the barcode.

 

Online Dakota Information Network (ODIN). Tony Stukel reported that name authorities will be loaded in the next couple of months once the new hardware is stable. ODIN is also looking at loading MeSH headings. They are FTP’ing MARCIVE and OCLC records. Six new libraries were added in 2000. Leach Public in Wahpeton, ND School for the Deaf, Trinity High School, Training Center, Stutsman County, and the State Historical Society which will be getting documents from a missile site. Fargo Shanley will join soon. Grand Forks Public has installed a number of wireless terminals. He was able to get Unisys to give him a 3-year contract with an option to add 2 more years. Because of the biennial legislature, ODIN may have to wait until 2005 to get funding. ODIN is implementing a new cost model over a 5-year period that combines size and transactions. Funding is 2/3 from users and 1/3 from the state. Distance education initiatives may mean use of DOCUTEC for reserves for NDUS, which may be a use for the NT server he got with the new Unisys ClearPath.

 

Traverse-des-Sioux (TDS). John Christianson. Two museums and several schools have joined TDS as bibs-only libraries. Next Sept. their Unisys contract is up. He got a reasonable quote but it is still high. TDS is still working through barcoding problems resulting from the split among several member libraries.  Since the state pays for telecommunications for libraries that are part of systems, they now have 14 libraries on T1 lines. All libraries will have 3-5 day delivery for ILL.

 

CUNY, SUNY, WALDO. Teresa Edwards and John Stromquist. Both CUNY and SUNY selected Ex Libris. Teresa said they are reconstituting the RFP committee and hope to have a decision and move 2003/2004. WALDO has been using MnSCU for three years. They are negotiating how to go foreward to 2004. One library may go to Ex Libris early. He would like to see WALDO expanded and get a staffed support office. SUNY’s contract was written to allow additional libraries to come in on the Ex Libris contract but there is concern about SUNY’s ability to operate as a system provider for a very large group of libraries. John asked about transaction statistics. The web OPAC results in less transaction counts. Removing reference files also reduced transactions. They are interested in TitleSource II as a replacement for BIP but wonder if bibs will download; Becky would need to see some records. John also asked about NetLibrary – how does one regard the “one user at a time” situation and are others loading bibs? In Minnesota they have a file of records that can be FTP’d. Gary wrote a little script that allows a library to put them anywhere (shelflist) a library wants them.

 

MnLINK. Dave Barton discussed the MnLINK RFP process. They are still struggling with a date for ending development of major new features, but will probably quit when they start to implement Ex Libris. They will continue to do patches and follow national standards changes. They will be moving to new quarters in March and will then be with Mankato MnSCU computing services. About 1/5 of calls coming into the support desk are from WWPALS libraries.

 

Ver. 16 highlights. The ZPALS client has the advantage that records for ACQ and ILL can be downloaded. The Z client has to have config files set up for other Z client users. It is one site at a time per session. It will have a cost. It will bridge to holdings and circ status, like the old loaded reference databases. It can slow down with very large response sets. ACQ funds and departments will allow control on the whole fund or dept. rather than just subcode. In cataloging, 008 will display in addition to the mnemonic display. To change the CLD for the email address for undeliverable email, you need to enter 10 *’s to remove one, then enter a new one. You can flag patron records as distance patrons yes/no. Yes means ILL will operate like an external user but PALS will know it is your patron by the barcode and patron flag. Each patron needs to be CPR’d. In the ILL message file, if you add “T” you will get a list of titles. To get electronic reports, you must select ELECTRONIC as a type in the LRP – doesn’t work for bibs. The report will go to the email in the CLD. The biggest change is overnight indexing of MARC editor files or imported records. During the weekly load, the change will become “permanent”. MED-002 INDX option goes to the correction file format, to OC 40, to OC43 skipping OC 41-2 which keeps it from reprocessing every day until the end of the week. OC55 is enhanced to use the config file.

 

Version 16 R1.01 has a new installation and creates a new logo. It works with any type of machine and works with Microsoft 2000. The CLD Accounting interface is for MnSCU libraries. MMR can be used to create or replace records. DIR … B will display both item and associated bib record. ILL can print a barcode on a laser, dot matrix or inkjet.  Version 16 for PALSTAC will come out about the same time as mainframe, about 3 weeks later.

 

ISO ILL pricing and availability. They have been too busy to get to it, but hope to soon.

 

When MnSCU is done with their RFP negotiations, we can request RFP responses from them. They used two types of evaluation, 1) did the system answer your questions (RFP details); 2) unclear issues were addressed in demos.

 

Respectfully submitted _____________________________ Shelby E. Harken, Secretary/Treasurer

 

 

6:00-6:30            Renaissance Hotel – Room 4

ME                  SAC CCS Executive Committee – Report on to ALCTS CCS on Program by SAC Subcommittee on Metadata and Subject Analysis with Lori Robare, SAC Chair.

 

I was asked to attend the meeting to present our program plans for Annual. The majority of the discussion focused on ALCTS’s strategic planning. Examples were that SAC might want to support continuing education on things like genre headings. Or, by 2002 ALCTS should have a continuing education course on integrating resources, address the new chapter 3 for cartographic or chapter 9 for computer resources. These could be institutes, pre-conferences, or PCC-type training programs. SAC is proposing a subcommittee on best practices for subject reference structures for vendors and by 2002 is to produce a position paper. They are trying to follow PCC’s strategic plan outlined on LC’s web page.

 

6:00-8:00            Convention Center – Rm. 37

ME                  SAC – Report on Program at SAC Subcommittee on Metadata and Subject Analysis

 

I never made the meeting because the CCS meeting lasted until 8:00 PM and we were last on the agenda.  (See SAC Subcommittee on Metadata and Subject Analysis minutes)

 

SATURDAY - Jan. 13

 

9:30-12:30            Four Points Sheraton – Franklin C/D

MARBI – Non-MARC country codes in 043; also in 041; taxonomic hierarchies in 754; business meeting; LC report

 

See printouts of proposals and discussion papers or http://www.loc.gov/marc/marbi/2001_age.html  Taxonomic hierarchies seemed useful in a broader sense and needed minor text revision. Narrators in 508 and 511 is confusing; they will be in 511 from now on. Types of dates for electronic formats is to be rewritten. Non-MARC country codes passed so you would use ISO 3166 codes in #c after using MARC geographic codes in #a and MARC sub-entity in $b (which is not much used). The language code discussion will come back.  There is a 2-character and 3-character ISO language code ISO 639. The idea is you could add a language code to a country code and end up with a pattern of 2-3 which means the number of characters in a field wouldn’t match so you’d have to have repeatable fields.

 

Sally McCallum reported that a number update MARC format documents have been issued. LCCN 4-digit was adopted Jan. 1, 2001. LC is working on diacritics but is ILS vendor is having trouble. They have a SGML &DTD ó XML version. They also have XML DTD ó MARC on their web page. There will be a new XML listserv started after ALA. MARC organization codes are available online or through SiteSearch. They may never issue them in print again. ONIX ó mapping is also on their home page along with a record maker they got from ONIX. The web classification pilot is available for a 3-month trial. There is information on the CDS page. There are plans for a MARC21 holdings format pre-conference where the emphasis will be on systems working towards full compliance with MARC21 (I should attend!) June 15, 2001 8:30-5:00. They are also trying to promote the sharing of pattern records regardless of vendor.

 

1:00-5:30            Four Points Sheraton  – Rooms 1 & 2

CC:DA – Looks like good stuff starts at 2:30            

 

The revised ISBD(M) will be out soon on the IFLA home page.  Barbara Tillett gave the Library of Congress report (full report on their web page)_______ There are 7000 new authority records for music; digital table of contents and reviews are being scanned and stored on their servers; 20% of new CIP titles have 505’s; they are looking at ONIX and collaborating with publishers; LCRI’s have been revised and will be in #3 and #4 updates plus the LC Desktop; new character set characters will begin appearing in records; they began using CORC in July 2000; cataloging is much slower with their new ILS – trying to find ways to speed it up; Gary Strawn’s MARC validator is helping reduce the number of errors; they are still testing geospatial searching; their goal is to be on Voyager 2000 by May 2001 and have authority searching up; catalogers are reviewing records revised to Pinyan; they have made 5 million items in 90 collections available online in the National Digital Library; they have begun to acquire digital journals for archiving.

 

Glenn Patton gave the IFLA Section on Cataloging report. ______ A concern is the the ability to exchange bibs created with different cataloging standards and ISBD’s. They hope to get ISBD(A) and (M) on IFLA’s homepage for free. A committee is looking at ways to link between authority records that describe the same person or entity from disparate library systems’ catalogs.

 

Brian Shottlaender gave the report from the Joint Steering Committee.  The next revision package will contain work in uniform music titles; AACR2 and ISBD(ER) harmonization except areas 3 and 5 which still need to be addressed; chpt. 9 is being review in final form by national libraries; 21.1B2 – conference collective role as authorship – European libraries don’t use it in 1XX fields; retention of nobility terms of honor; see refs for names of persons; terms of address for married women; publishers statements; initial articles appendix.  Some items didn’t make it through JSC, rule of 3 for authorship, entry of corporate body, map cataloging area 3, non-roman access, didn’t like major/minor changes for serials, just major listed; abbreviations appendix.   Political issues include preparation of an explanation of why we requested an ISBD proto-type of the rules for user comment; decided there should be a AACR and JSC web site, but AACR folks are afraid of lost sales; 0.24 multiple versions is now multiple format variations; Barbara Tillett created a principles document that will be reviewed in April. AACR2 & ISBD problems – people making proposals will need to explain how it will cause disharmony with ISBD and the same for AACR2 so as to be prepared for change, challenge, etc. LC50 & 51are new documents from LC coming before JSC. 50 – series authority records; need to be revisable for those which reflect bibliographic records that undergo change; 51 – multipart items in AAR2.

 

There was much discussion of major/minor changes in appendix E for title changes. JSC wants only major listed and wants them re-organized in categories: monograph, serials, integrating, multipart. They took out the section on reproductions. Changes to 24.2 corporate names should be in. They paid attention to the ISBD and ISSN folks. Numbering that begins again isn’t a major change. There was difficulty with defining significant and substantive; real and actual.  They found overlap in 21.2 and 21.3 with the appendix – where should the information be? Series authority records should be updated when the bib record changes. Multiple distributors of a single work (journal) will be separate records, i.e. JSTOR and Project Muse would be 2 separate records. NetLibrary uses the original print record and adds the publisher in the 533 – is that how we want to do it? Jean Hirons felt strongly that “change” needs to be addressed in the rules, not in an appendix, or the appendix needs to refer back to the rules so all the changes are in one place. There were a lot of questions about the proposal for integrating multipart items and when it’s a different manifestation, when it is a change “between” or “within” a manifestation. Is a change in language a different manifestation? – yes/no because some web sites can display in multiple languages.

                       

5:00-6:00            Convention Center -- Rooms 1 & 2

OCLC ILL Users Group Meeting—Attend for Paulette                     

 

OCLC presented information on recent changes.  Consolidated pricing combines searching, display and IFM into one price, it incorporates a lending credit and provides a savings compared to separate pricing. You get 4 free searches to each produce; any more searches and you are charged a surcharge. Global GAC: allows participating member libraries to easily identify other libraries willing to lend and send materials internationally, but you must use IFM, must send air-mail or faster or use ariel, can sign up on web for resource sharing, there is no charge, you have to lend to all participants in the GAC. There will be a new web interface as an alternative to Passport. It is in milestone 4 testing, with 3 more steps left. Right now you can logon, search, do the message file and apply constant data. They will move away from passport to the web interface.

 

OCLC Illiad is the management system they are licensing to provide all ILL lending and borrowing functionality within your ILL dept. to OCLC ILL services. It is client-server based. Union list strategic report service will be available. It won’t cost more than you’recurrently paying. You get a report of previous 18 months of titles ordered. Reports start by the 15th of the month following the one in which you registered on the web. It gives a count of the number of requests, OCLC number, and title. Beginning Feb. 1 the credit you get for adding Union List data on your OCLC bill will equal a search. Non-referral days in 2002 will be weekends, Christmas eve and day, New Year’s eve and day. The new ILLMe 2.1 is available. With it you can reprint shipped versions of the record after you update and you can reprint mailing labels until the next update.

 

WEDNSDAY - Jan. 14

 

7:00-9:00            Renaissance Washington -- Grand Ballroom South

                        OCLC breakfast  (collections and technical services) 

 

See handouts. CORC editing might be easier in the “MARC text area” or “Dublin Core text area”, but you still have to return to full display to validate. FirstSearch has local customization options for use of our own logo and our version of the ILL request form. The NACO macro is an issue everyone brings up when OCLC talks of its changes. They say they will have something in CatME

 

9:30-11:00            Hotel Washington  -- Ballroom

LITA Electronic Publishing/Electronic Journals Interest Group  --  SFX - The Inside Issues for Libraries

 

At next summer’s meeting they will discuss digital rights management with Cliff Lynch, James Neal, Dennis McNey, and Carol Rischer. There will also be a pre-conference on E-Books and Portal Libraries.

 

SFX was developed by Herbert Von Stempel to “create a network of knowledge.”  Miriam Blake from Los Alamos described how they are using SFX with science databases. They were a beta site although any library can purchase it and use it with any system. The problem is there are lots of things libraries try to offer to users that are all over the place, some intra-net, some internet, and some locally. How do we get it all into one search? The easiest is a hyperlink, e.g. 856 to publisher’s site, but that still might not be the licensed site. Sometimes you find more citations in a document. The key is to get the user to the appropriate copy and for reference linking to work to sites they are authenticated for. It uses Open URLs – open protocols – a NISO standard. It is a big thing being used by many publishers; localization is based on the user’s incoming URL, and points back to the institutional service component. It is recognized by CrossRef and DOI handle system. How it works: information is pushed into the base URL – a service component – via a cookie, via a dLF certificate, etc.; a unique open URL is constructed for each object containing ISC (my library) location and identifies metadata from the source. Example: http://server.lanl.gov/menu?id=doi:issn____-____ SFX is the service component software which provide context sensitive localized service. You (library) decide the services, e.g. appropriate copy full text. It is dynamically available based on locally defined parameters; once an administrator adds a title, it is immediately available to users. At Los Alamos, articles are added every few minutes and they are available immediately. “Sources” are references/citations/abstracts you start with and want to link from. “Services” is the list of things you can do, can retrieve, etc. “Targets” are where you end up, e.g. full-text repository, journal, etc.

 

SFX must have metadata to present services. Metadata from external sources would be metadata coming from CrossRef, the publisher, etc. Internal sources provide more local control over metadata retrieval. Example: SFX cookie is set to present user with a button, metadata is retrieved from source database to dynamicallyl present a list of possible services. Los Alamos renamed the button LinkSeeker for their library. They got a team together to decide what services to provide, i.e. what targets they wanted their users to go to; what is the syntax to go to that target (is it Z39.50, HTTP, ISSN); what content will the user receive (table of contents, abstract, full-text, etc.); alert if password required. Parsers are created by ExLibris and included in the product although you may need/be able to create only locally. The vendor on the other end needs to be “Open URL aware”.  Once they do that, they don’t need to address linking to your holdings because you make yourself Open URL aware and set it up to go to your OPAC to get holdings.

 

A MySQL database controls SFX parameters and thresholds. If the target does not match the library’s subscription, it (SFX button) doesn’t show up to the user. SFX runs on a 500 mhz intel/LINUX/<1 GB.  Ex Libris hosts for you in most instances. Staff resources at LANL, ¾-1 FTE to initially implement, ¼ FTE for ongoing. The new release requires even less time. The could be considered electronic journal listing work which you would quit. Technical knowledge needed is UNIX shell, MySQL, PERL scripts for reports. Librarians and non-technical people do most of the work. They started with an Excel database to batch load so they keep a list in Excel of new/ongoing/dead titles and batch load to keep current. Once loaded you can get cool reports. User issues: begin conservatively so you don’t overwhelm user; ask users what they want; once in a while you get a 404 but it is not really a problem; you have to train users how to use the SFX button and services screen, but then you use that for all your databases. The majority of titles are in Ex Libris’s database, but if you have different start dates, you can put that in the Excel spreadsheet. Swets/Blackwell has agreed to provide a file with start date information for subscribers. CalTech said their biggest problem has been vendors who fail to keep up with ISSN’s for title changes. If you create your on databases, it will work with SFX as long as you create metadata; the better the metadata, the better it works. Los Alamos set up a link to the OPAC for their print titles to show library holdings. You can include both print and electronic ISSN’s for a title. 

http://www.sfxit.com

http://lib.www.lanl.gov/lww/add.htm

 

 

11:00-1:00            Convention Center Exhibits (other times I could fit in)

 

Library of Congress. American Memory site has their RFP used for the digitization project and copyright policies.

OCLC Illiad. Watched a demo of the borrowing half. OCLC is licensing the software as it’s ILL product.

CORC. Stopped to see if there was something new. They were demo’ing pathfinders.

Ex Libris. Acq was the one area at the Minnesota demos I thought were a little weak. As it turns out their three most recent clients have requested some of what I was unsure of in their RFP’s. 

NetLibrary. There are 30,000 titles with a group focused for academic libraries. I tried to get into a “private” presentation of NetLibrary for Academic libraries which I had registered for, but they said they were full.

Web Feet was mentioned at the CORC meeting. Intriguing. They claim they have cataloged loads of web sites and you can buy MARC records from them. Seemed school focused, but they did have “academic” .

I tried to find a vendor with Rocket Readers, etc. but none seemed to have them to try out.

 

1:00-3:00            Grand Hyatt Hotel Independence F & G

                        Extending the OCLC Cooperative – OCLC Metadata ServicesLearning about OCLC’s sweeping new strategy to extend the OCLC cooperative, particularly the Metadata progrm, which will transform OCLC’s traditional cataloging service to a comprehensive metadata creation and management service. The session was to describe new and future initiatives and tools that will help create a distributed metadata repository – Extended WorldCat – through the cooperative efforts of libraries, archives, museums, publishers and other organizations.

 

Libraries are changing. Libraries have been custodians, handled mostly one medium, owned their collections, got materials to users in reasonable time, everything in-house, local reach. Now we deal very much in multiple media, we have libraries without walls, service is just-in-time, we do more outsourcing, we have a global reach. The library needs to come to its users. Ask Jeeves gets 20,000 questions a day. A group of librarians tried 12 questions, and Ask Jeeves failed them all. Sell ourselves: Believe in Libraries – we have expertize, resources of value, and that have stood the test of time.

 

OCLC strategy for the future is to be a leader for global libaries, help libarires serve, and provide economical access to information. WorldCat is the heart of the strategy with 2 million records added per year. Their goal to to keep extending it and be a globally networked/linked resource including images, video, etc. They intend to support metadata, and discovery and navigating (find it) and archiving and fulfillment (get it).

 

Metadata. The source of metadata will go beyond libaries, to publishers, etc. for 1) online creation, 2) expanded coverage, 3) early capture, 4) just-in-time, 5) local management, 6) checking, updating. Example: click on an icon that goes to Microsoft Publisher to create metadata and bring in the Dewey class and add Dewey links. Dewey has been licensed to organizations to organize wesb sites, eg. Suite101. In CORC the PICA grey literature file can be searched for foreign materials, which can be reformated to English and cataloged.

 

Archiving and content management. OCLC intends to archive both data and the software used to create it for conversion. Local management example: working with GPO, at the time they catalog a document, if they select the “archive” button, OCLC will pull it and put it in a digital vault and add a second URL. It is being designed for anyone to use that way.

 

Discovery and navigation. The idea is to make libraries ubiquitous and try to meet users’ needs where they are. In Google, the international library symbol shows up if you check “use library”. There is a way to profile it for yourself. You can get to OCLC e-catalog where you can borrow or buy, sort by delivery time or by price. Plan to work on Ask a Librarian and is working with the Library of Congress’s digital reference efforts.

 

Fulfillment. Borders has: connect to your library, helps you find your library, and may let you see parts of chapters.

 

The demand for quality metadata has exploded. We need to link metadata to resoruces, to networks, to content, to content providers. We need to transform cataloging services, by mvoing to web-based, from proprietary to open, but still support the functionality we have had. We should not go backwards.   The web environment has the advantage of providing linked authorities and classification; you can use multiple metadata formats, MARC, DC, etc. You can do URL checking. They intend to extend the value of WorldCat by adding table of contents, author information, digital images, reviews, etc. Multiple script support increases the global reach. One can have flexible, customizable view of WorldCat.

 

Migration from Passport and Prism to the web. Plans will be provided, but the goal is mid 2003. CatMe will be enhanced somewhat to carry certain activities while Passport is phased out. CD-ROM products are already gone. Passport will be the next to go.  Eventually Unicode will handle multiple foreign scripts and phase out CJK and Arabic products. CORC and CatExpress will handle web cataloging providing an integrated metadata and management service. Z39.50 will continue separately. The result will be a simpler pricing model and software that will work with MAC’s, Microsoft, Linux, palm pilots, wireless networks, etc. It will by up 2x24x362 and be standards-based for interoperability.  CatME is an option to replace Passport to a point, but it doesn’t have NACO functionality. They will give us 12 months warning before removing supported software. ILL will also go to the web. 37,000 libraries are in OCLC, 2.5 % of the world’s 1.5 million libraries. OCLC intends WorldCat to become a linked set of repositories, one of which will be OCLC bib records, with multiple viewing mechanisms.

 

Open Name Service – Open URL: network of providers using standard identifiers that will work behind the scenes to access authorized resources.  Try out http://names.oclc.org  They plan to use open URLs which include more metadata to narrow you search. You can go to a vendor, bib, etc., e.g. AddALL which is an aggregator of titles in 34 dot.coms. They are talking with vendors about using OCLC billing to buy books when you can’t use a credit card.

 

3:00-5:00            Grand Hyatt -- Roosevelt Room

MetaLib – Ex Libris

 

MetaLib is a digitool for digital creation and management. It is part of Aleph which is software used by 540 libraries in 42 countries in 20 languages.  It is used to: 1) look for information, 2) defines how to navigate between/among/within databases, 3) obtain actual materials, 4) tool to harness information            . It is a information gateway to all the resources in your library. MetaLib is the front door; SFX is the back door. The wish list they started with when they developed MetaLib: 1) unified interface, 2) simultaneously search databases, 3) result list separate OR together, 4) continuously search among databases, 5) controlled by librarians, 6) handle authentication and authorization, 7) provide for customization at the institution level, 8) allow personalization by the users.

 

The gateway allows you to search using different protocols, Z39.50, http, Aleph. It takes care of protocols, syntax of queries, character conversions stored in Unicode UTF8. I has four components: find, present, combine, find duplicates.  The Resource Store uses the cataloging fucntion with MARC or Dublic Core so you can record information about your resources. You can configure information per 1 metadata target. There is an “i” button to store your results. The connect button has filtering options. You can use your own authentication mechanisms or Ex Libris’s. You can create a personal page with an “E-Shelf with your choice lists, Alerts can regularly give you updates of what is new, retain search history, locate path – where you have rights to borrow and access.

 

SFX does the linking. MetaLib extends the context sensitive analysis of a documents, e.g. author citation to further links, or services like email , etc. SFXtargets enables “deep” linking, not just to basic home page. Once you get to a resource you can start wandering away from MetaLib or go back to it. SFX takes you to the authenticate version of a resource.  From a WebSPIRS result, you can go on to: citation database, full-text, Ulrich’s, OPAC holdings, subject gateways, and resources like PubMed.

 

MetaLIb is a resource discovery tool that is Open URL aware. We have control over the data access through MetaLib administration. If the library switches database providers, it is changed in Admin software, once. If a user logs in, he gets to resources he is allowed to access or you want him to get to. Patron information can be populated from the library’s patron files. The search history (held over time for the patron) holds 40 of the hits it found; for more, you tell it to redo the search which it stored. A user loging in can go to the previous profile he used, or start again and add more resources. You can set up a shared identity so an instructor could assign something for a class and they would all get the same thing. Remote users would use a personal login to a proxy server on top of the SFX server. User information is password and ID protected.

 

 

4:30-6:00            Mayflower Renaissance Hotel -- Senate Room

                        BASIC and NISO are sponsoring a joint standards program at Mid-Winter ALA.

A session discussing international identifiers, ONIX and the AAP standards for ebooks.

                       

Late to this meeting – long walk.  The proposed ISTC was being discussed. It would identify a work with all its manifestations under it. It would be a numerical identifier with uniform title and with metadata embedded. ISBN is used by the book industry. ISCT could be assigned to older works. Any time someone registers a new version of an old work, the old work would also get a number. It could be applied to any text work/object, but probably would be assigned only when needed. The first working draft is available; then will put RFP by end of Feb; hope to have the agency set up by the end of theyear and implement in 2002. The INDECS vocabulary should be used with metadata for ISTC. ISTC is getting interest from authors and many other groups.

 

Regina Reynolds on ISSN, SICI, ISBN. ISSN is being used in SFX. Since table structure allows for either ISSN (print or electronic), resolution linking results in few failures. They are hoping to have fewer reasons for new titles and hence fewer ISSN’s. There is agreement on continuing resources and they will be given ISSN numbers. They will start with those that provide access as thought is is a journal. ISSN as URN – there is a plug-in at the ISSN International Center page.  The plug0m takes you to a split screen, with the top being the journal and the bottom is ISSN metadata. ISSN is developing a portal service, with links to publishing agencies, union catalogs, subscription lists, e.g. Project Dieper. Issues related to lack of use of SICI: lack of publisher support, character support problems, many think it will be replaced by DOI, except a DOI with a SICI in it is very long. ISBN will be 13 digits by Jan. 2005. That will increase the availability of the number of ISBN’s and will conform to EAN?UCC format. U.S. ISBN agency is advocating separate ISBN’s for each e-book rendering, e.g. 1 for palm pilot, 1 for Rocket Reader, etc. Core metadata needs to be developed to be associated with each of these formats.

 

Sandy Paul. ONIX and the Aap metadata standards for e-books provides traditional bibliographic data PLUS author bio’s, cover image, all marked up with XML tags in an internationally accepted standard. The EDItEUR people started e-commerce standards for the world and developed EPICS. The American developed a subset and by Sept. of 2000 it became an international standard, ONIX. See http://www.EDItEUR.org/ONIX.html  A push-pull for print needs to be set up between you (library) and a publisher. Then they moved to e-book metadata standards they added to ONIX. See www.publishers.com Also US organiztions and their implementation is at http://www.bisg.org 

 

Richard Stark, Barnes and Noble with a publisher’s viewpoint. You can’t sell books online with just the author and title of a book.  You need price and format, you need descriptive texts, critical reveiws, tables of contents, etc. He would like TOC tagable. ONIX only works if you have clean, quality data. He doesn’t see it as a replacement for EDI or MARC21. Using ONIX, they see lots less errors than in comma-delimited files.

 

Sally McCallum, Library of Congress. ONIX IS a book seller’s standard. But there is info useful to libraries: product numbers, form of item, title, author, extent, set/series, conference, language, audience, prices, subjects employing a variety of subject schemas, linked products (images, etc.) There are also other things of interest: rights management, announcement dates, discount price info, transaction info – publisher addresses, print run, etc. ONIX has 2 levels, one that is basic and required, and one with lots more info that is optional. They have personal and corporate authors, but conferences are not authors. They don’t do “main” and “added” entries.  They use a lot o controlled lists. The impact on library processes: selection might be enhanced and information electronically delivered; ordering can be linked to EDI data be extractable into order forms; receipt – the description is thorough for verificaiton; cataloging would have access to fuller data; It facilitates earlier notice of publication; It supports EDI for ordering; mapping is possible. http://www.loc.gov/MARC/ONIX2MARC.html  Now we need to figure out how to get CIP into the process. ONIX is being used to transmit back and forth between publishers, vendors, etc. DOI is an acceptable identifier and some publishers are using it for e-books. ONIX uses Unicode so it can be in English, Danish, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.

 

6:30-8:30            Hotel George  -- Bistro Bis (15 E. St. NW)

                        Ex Libris reception

 

Met the sales rep for ND and SD, Susan Buchanan (susanb@exlibris.usa.com) Talked with prospective and new customers. Visted with Gary Johnson and Tom Bremmer.

 

MONDAY - Jan. 15

 

7:00                  Grand Hyatt Hotel – Constitution A

                        OCLC CORC Users Group Breakfast meeting  (A working meeting to discuss administsrative /management issues regarding the CORC Users Group as an organization, such as by-laws and mission. Additionally, the organization and role of special interest groups will be address by officers Suzanne Pilsk, Pres, and Jackie Shieh, Pres-elect. There will be information given by OCLC staff concerning new developments in CORC.

description into the public services world.

 

Jim Simms from OCLC. See handouts. Intend to transform traditional cataloging into a comprehensive metadata and management service. The goal is one entry point … single clik of the browser or Z39.50 and what you need will be pushed at you. They are concerned about productivity rate. Goal is completion by 2005. Intend to eliminate stand-alone products and eventually form a metadata desktop. In 1 ½ to 2 years passport will be gone. Nee to move ILL to the web and figure out NAD and UL. CORC will be the cataloging environment; hope to improve the harvester. They are starting to figure out out how to do NACO in CORC, at least add, replace or add a reference. Can’t do the NACO macro in the web but are thinking of what to do. Indexing changes: proximity operators, etc. need tweaking; search strategy needs to stay in sync with FirstSearch. Next meeting will be in April – discuss issues from the LC Bib Control conference and issues such as multiple versions of e-books, with some online, some downloaded, some sitting on a network.

 

9:00-11:00            Renaissance Washington – West A

                        OCLC CORC and the Public Services Librarian  -- Learn how OCLC CORC brings resources description into the public services world.

 

A variety of purpoted reference sites were discussed, some better than others. The reason for using metadata is because it is structured data, supports administration of copyright, enables retrieval, and describes resources to improve discovery and navigation. Search engines have back away from metadata because they worry about its authenticity. The metadata provides semantics (associated meaning with a label), syntax (it’s like grammar, order and rules for arrangement), and interoperability (Z39.50, http, xml, etc. standards supported) So why CORC? – it uses Dublin Core which is simpler than MARC, it has semantic interoperability, it is extensible (then it is not so simple), and has international concensus. Dublin Core is a simple, rich standard. We need to share with other communities (MARC is library-centric) e.g. internet, vendors, creators, distributors, etc. We need to become part of the larger community. We can create structured access to valued web resources. We are experts at providing information packages, whether a bib record, a handout, or BI class. A goal of OCLC: weaving libraries and librarians into the web.

 

 

 

10:00-12:00            Grand Hyatt – Roosevelt Room

                        SFX  -- Ex Libris Presentation

 

SFX tries to solve how to access multiple electronic formats under varying authorities (authentication) and how to inter-link them all. The “front door” approach is to provide access, navigation, among/between resources (even if I don’t know which ones I need); and use profiles. The “back door” approach – I know what resources I want my users to get to, so I use SFX to provide the navigation. Current approach restraints: static linking – I have to put the right (authenticated) URL in my bib record or my web page; it is not context sensitive – you can get to a site but not the one you are authenticated for; multiple vendor solutions – approaches by vendors vary, thus confusing users; librarians have no control over secondary links.

 

With SFX the linking is separated from the resource and stored and manipulated in the SFX server that you configure for acess, authentication, etc. The linking is then controlled by the librarian. Example: the user searches and gets an A&I database response screen; on it is an SFX button; the SFX button brings up a box with a list of services: Table of contents at the Institute of Physics (the library doesn’t have access to full-text); holdings in local OPAC for print; full-text via a local ILL service; list of citations (the library can define search engines); and users original search for editing and re-issuing another search. The process opens lots of windows, but they will again find SFX buttons and only three windows actually remain open.  The trick is to train users to opt for the SFX button associated with hypertext links. That will keep them within the library-defined parameters. The ILL form downloads data.

 

The server 1) accepts Open URL from the information resource, 2) analyzes content in the Open URL, 3) evaluates appropriate services you are profiled for (can be based on patron info from Aleph), 4) dynamically computers link to a target. You can define groups: public users, reference librarians, tech services, a class, etc. that would each have different services. The server can be Linux or Solaris, it works in single or multiple-site environments, comes with software and tools and some pre-existing files you can use or alter by adding/removing titles or changing dates for which you have access.  At Los Alamos it took 5 months for .5-.75 FTE to set up. Maintenance is about .25 FTE. It tracks statistics, e.g. how many times SFX was clicked in a resource, how many times full-text was available, if it was what other services did the user select. You will find out which titles get used the most and which services users like.

 

SFX is compatible with other linking services, CrossRef and DOI (persistently identifies digital objects, usually journal articles). It uses an Open URL framework. It is a communication of metadata about the resource. It is created dynamically at the time of request and allow interoperability between information services. The SFX server creates a base URL, adds elements of metadata about the object or a pointer to it. SFX identifies users as having ability to access the resources. SFX is currently going through NISO. Example: http://sfx.aaa.edu/menu?genr=article&ISSN=1234-5678&vol=12&issue=3&Spage=1&Epage=8&date=1988&aulast=smith&aufirst=paul

 

Sixty-three publishers are now using CrossRef. It is a service/system that is built on DOI to see links to other journals that might be published by a different publisher. It is built on an 1)authoritative namespace (unique identifier), 2) mechanisms to register and assign identifiers, 3) resolution of DOI links. So a publihser 1) registers metadata of their objects (articles) and get an assigned DOI, 2) publishers obtain and put it in their electronic article, 3) the DOI’s are provided to users as links that are resolved by the DOI server (Handle System)

 

The problem with DOI: CrossRef could take you to a place you are not authorized to have access, i.e. wrong URL; or , you may have print in the library and you want the user to know that. DOI only deals with full-text, not other types of e-sources; ;there is a lot of other stuff. So how does SFX and DOI work? DOI is a namespace, SFX makes it Open URL aware to do the authentication, identify the user and list his services.

http://www.sfxit.com/crossref/prototype1.html

http://www.sfixt.com/CNI2000.html

 

You can create local databases with large numbers of digital objects. As long as you make them Open URL aware, you can use SFX and MetaLib.

 

2:00-4:00            Wyndham Hotel – West Room

ALCTS/SS Committee to Study Serials Cataloging -- CC:DA report, Mary Grenci; MARBI report; LC & NSDP repots; subject access, Dr. Lois Mai Chan; CONSER, Jean Hirons; catalog as portal, Becky Culbertson; Chpt. 12, John Attig

 

Cataloging the Web will be published in March by ALA Editions (from the 2-day pre-conference last summer)

 

CC:DA report. JSC reviewed CC:DA Task Force report and the committee will now rework based on their coments.

 

Jean Hirons, LC. Library of Congress is starting to archive digital journals. Revised chapt. 12 will be made available soon; the appendix and other chapter revisions are still being worked on.  Multipart part title changes – prefer one record using earliest title with newer ones in 24X’s. Title added entries – the 4 exceptions listed in the rules will be made optional. 

 

Regina Reynolds. Library of Congress is ¼ done redoing their serials checkin in their new ILS. Voyager 2000 will be implemented in May. A new CONSER subgroup for remote access journals helped revise Module 31 on the web site. Harvard’s effort to add pattern records to 25,000 – 30,000 journals is progressing. Definitions, models, minor title changes were discussed at the Harmonization meeting in England and they finally reached agreement on many issues.

 

Lois Mae Chan. Subject Access to Networked Resources and Implications for LCSH. Much of what she said is at: http://www.alaorg/alcts/organization/ccs/sac/MetaRept2.html which came from the work of my SAC subcommittee. Now we need to deal with many languages, schemes, mappings etc. We need to consider display and should develop guidelines. IFLA is working on this. Trained professionals should be working on the intellectual subject analysis and computers should do programmable tasks.

 

ISBD(CR) Continuing Resources is a result of the Harmonization meeting. We will start seeing revisions published. See handout. Continuing resources will use latest entry or iteration (a continually updated database) whereas serials will use earliest (the situation where one page gives access to current and older titles)

 

CC:DA’s definition of a continuing resource will put it in Chapter 12: lack of a predetermined conclusion. It includes finite integrating and continuing integrating.

 

Regina Reynolds. Partnerships to Mine Unexplored Sources of Metadata. Libraries have: big bib files, experience, authos, controlled subjects. Libraries need: metadata for lots of stuff. We cannot spend the same amount of time on all stuff. For lower level stuff, we need some automation. We still need to include it in our OPACs (even if it doesn’t look like “good” cataloging) We can repurpose metadata. Lots of metadata already comes into LC – ISSN, ISBN, DOI, ISTC, copyright registration, Catalogoing-In-Publication, etc.  We need templates that we construct that will encourage creators to follow our standards (perhaps unbeknownst to them) that creates metatdata we can re-use. The beauty of it being electronic is we can return it in text or html depending on type of resource. ONIX-XML is emerging among publishers as a standards.  There is also ISTC (International Standard Text Code) and DOI. How could forms be improved to get information we need? Pull-downs, definitions, develop better conversion programs, interactive instructions, fix cataloging rules, focus on facts, not form or transcription, eg. Capitalization or Minn. Vs. MN

 

Becky Culbertson. California Digital Library. They created a 10th virtual library. Multiple people from all institutions take part in the work. See handouts. They basically follow GPO’s approach to add to print records if they exist. They put all the bibs in a separate file (so print use and electronic use of the record don’t conflict) They removed local information to make the records generic, added 920’s to list owning libraries, and used OCLC PURL software to create a URL for their (CDL) access – the resolver creates a numeric PID

 

ISST. ISST would replace key title and may uniform title. It would be a stable title for the title until a “major” change occurs. You’d get a new ISSN, if a new ISST is needed. What would be cool is that the person cataloging could push a button that would send your record to the ISSN staff to add the ISSN or form up the ISST format.

 

TUESDAY - Jan.16

 

9:00-11:30            Library of Congress – Madison Building – National Digital Library Learning Center

Cataloger’s Desktop training session

Registered

 

On the CDS page there are demo files. http://lcweb.loc.gov/cds/cdroms1.html

Leader is Bruce Johnson bjoh@loc.gov

Listserv: subscribe desktop firstname lastname to: listserv@loc.gov

 

Library of Congress selected FOLIO a number of years ago. It has subsequently been bought out a couple of times.

 

Shadow file. A mechanism through which you do customization of the database. It is a template and you enter information and make a copy.

Record. A segment of information; a piece of an infobase; a record in ClassPlus is a line.

Infobase. A database even though it looks like text.

 

In the menu bar, the Window pull down shows you what you have open. Tools is another useful pull down, but be careful because you can mess it up bad enough to force you to re-install the software. Under Tools, there is Options, then Query. The first box, uncheck it, otherwise if you run a search, the previous search is in the way. Tools, Options, Internet – it automatically selects Internet Explorer so if you want to use a different browser, click BROWSE, find in Program Files the program you want, click OK. In Tools, Customize, Toolbars, menus equals pull down menus. You can change this stuff but it is not recommended; if you do, it changes the registry of the product (like *.ini files) and you may need to re-install to correct errors.

 

The top tool bar is for functions; the bottom tool bar is for searching. The Document bar gives you the biggest viewing space. If you want to use Contents, press the number 1 for the main contents, 2 for the next level, 3 for again the next level down. If you select Browse, you can navigate forward and backward.

 

If you have lots of databases open, it should lock up any more. However, the license is BY FILE – i.e. by Infobase, so if my number licensed users have it open, no one else can see it. So, close it when you are not using it.

 

Some common activities are on function keys. Advanced query = F2. Use quotes around a phrase, e.g. “uniform title”. F3 is next hit. F4 is previous hit. F5 is previous operation or at the top it is the left arrow. F1, a separate window opens and gives help depending on where you were when you hit F1; just X out when done (the internal window). 

 

If you don’t keep up with installs, which extends your license, your license will lapse.

 

Color is important. Purple means web. Rust-brown means you have access. If you don’t have it, you get that annoying box.

 

Searching. F2. The top left box is a “word wheel”. Use quotations around a phrase to do AND and ADJ simultaneously. Question mark (?) is a wild card character. (*) is a wildcard for many characters. F2 to get the window back, then do  PREV if you want to modify the search you just did. The query template is used to replicate a search for an infobase. The binoculars with the red X eliminates previous searches. The first binocular is F2. The next 3 query template buttons display depending on the infobase you are in. Ctrl-Tab goes through all the infobases you have open.

 

Lots of customization is possible, but the general message was, it can get messed up easily and cause more problems than it is worth. So, don’t set up shadow files or jump destinations (Ctrl-J)

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