Roy TennantCalifornia Digital LibraryRoy TennantCalifornia Digital Library

Libraries Through the Looking-Glass

Libraries Through the Looking-Glass

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.

“Oh, but you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.

“Oh, but you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

My Perspective

• Academic public service • No sacred cows• Optimism tinged with reality• Humor helps

EpisodesEpisodes

Expanding Our ReachThe Next Bib ThingMetasearchingWhatever Can We Do?

Expanding Our ReachThe Next Bib ThingMetasearchingWhatever Can We Do?

Expanding Our Reach

Expanding Our Reach

““Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

““I've had nothing yet,”' Alice replied in an offended tone, “so I can't I've had nothing yet,”' Alice replied in an offended tone, “so I can't

take more.’”take more.’”

““You mean you can't take less,” said the Hatter: “it's very easy to take You mean you can't take less,” said the Hatter: “it's very easy to take

more than nothing.”more than nothing.”

Expanding Our ReachExpanding Our Reach

Institutional RepositoriesLearning Management SystemsPublishing:

JournalsBooks

Institutional RepositoriesLearning Management SystemsPublishing:

JournalsBooks

http://repositories.cdlib.org/

http://dspace.mit.edu/

Slide from Greg Van Essen, Endeavor

The “Scholar’s Box” in development by the Interactive University project at UC Berkeley

http://repositories.cdlib.org/jmie/sfews/

http://texts.cdlib.org/escholarship/

http://projecteuclid.org/

The Next Bib

Thing

The Next Bib

Thing

“Curioser and curioser!” cried Alice.

The MarcRecord

'Twas internet, and the slithy tovesDid google and yahoo in the wabe:All mimsy were the catalogers,and the library directors outgrabe.

"Beware the MarcRecord, my son!The jaws that bite, the claws that

catch!Beware the AACR2, and shunThe frumious Vendor!

He took his vorpal sword in hand:Long time the metadata foe he

sought--So rested by the bookdrop,And stood awhile in thought.

The MarcRecord

'Twas internet, and the slithy tovesDid google and yahoo in the wabe:All mimsy were the catalogers,and the library directors outgrabe.

"Beware the MarcRecord, my son!The jaws that bite, the claws that

catch!Beware the AACR2, and shunThe frumious Vendor!

He took his vorpal sword in hand:Long time the metadata foe he

sought--So rested by the bookdrop,And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in cataloger thought he stood,

The MarcRecord, with eyes of flame,Came whiffling through the tulgey

wood,And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.

"And has thou slain the MarcRecord?Come to my arm, my beamish boy!O frabjous day! On METS! On MODS!He chortled in his joy.

'Twas internet, and the slithy tovesDid google and yahoo in the wabe:All mimsy were the catalogers,and the library directors outgrabe.

And, as in cataloger thought he stood,

The MarcRecord, with eyes of flame,Came whiffling through the tulgey

wood,And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.

"And has thou slain the MarcRecord?Come to my arm, my beamish boy!O frabjous day! On METS! On MODS!He chortled in his joy.

'Twas internet, and the slithy tovesDid google and yahoo in the wabe:All mimsy were the catalogers,and the library directors outgrabe.

* With profuse and abject apologies to Lewis Carroll

What I Really Think of MARC

What I Really Think of MARC

A crowning achievementA foundation that enabled all kinds of wonderful events:

Inexpensive catalogingUnion catalogsWorld-renowned bibliographic utilities

A technology that is outliving its logical lifespan

A crowning achievementA foundation that enabled all kinds of wonderful events:

Inexpensive catalogingUnion catalogsWorld-renowned bibliographic utilities

A technology that is outliving its logical lifespan

Fundamental Questions

Fundamental Questions

Does it Get the Job Done?Can We Do Better?Is Changing Worth It?

Does it Get the Job Done?Can We Do Better?Is Changing Worth It?

Does it Get the Job Done?

Does it Get the Job Done?

The problem is… “the job” has changed…

Inventory control vs. resource discoveryMultiple, diverse metadata streamsOnline deliveryMultiple file formats

Major mission creep with a relatively static infrastructure

The problem is… “the job” has changed…

Inventory control vs. resource discoveryMultiple, diverse metadata streamsOnline deliveryMultiple file formats

Major mission creep with a relatively static infrastructure

Archival Systems

ElectronicElectronicresearchresearch

databasesdatabases

Institutional Institutional RepositoriesRepositories

PathfindersPathfinders

DigitalDigitalLibraryLibrary

CollectionsCollections

Non-ILS Metadata SystemsNon-ILS Metadata Systems

Silos Everywher

e!

Silos Everywher

e!

Can We Do Better?Can We Do Better?

Very likely, due to: Major changes in computer systems (fast processing, cheap disk, etc.), New technologies (the web, XML, etc.)Dramatically different needsDramatically different opportunities

How?

Very likely, due to: Major changes in computer systems (fast processing, cheap disk, etc.), New technologies (the web, XML, etc.)Dramatically different needsDramatically different opportunities

How?

Taking a Step Back…Taking a Step Back…

Without preconceptions, what do we really need?We need more than a format, and rules for using that formatWe need an infrastructure that will enable us to do many things we haven’t even imagined yet

Without preconceptions, what do we really need?We need more than a format, and rules for using that formatWe need an infrastructure that will enable us to do many things we haven’t even imagined yet

A New Bibliographic Infrastructure

A New Bibliographic Infrastructure

Multiple bibliographic schemataA transfer schemaApplication rulesBest practicesCrosswalksEnrichment ServicesTools

Multiple bibliographic schemataA transfer schemaApplication rulesBest practicesCrosswalksEnrichment ServicesTools

A Transfer SchemaA Transfer Schema

An XML schema for ingesting, storing, and transferring multiple bibliographic metadata packages intact

An XML schema for ingesting, storing, and transferring multiple bibliographic metadata packages intact

ONIXONIXONIXONIXMARCMARCMARCMARC

DublinDublinCoreCore

DublinDublinCoreCore VRAVRA

CoreCoreVRAVRACoreCore

ONIXONIXONIXONIX

MARCMARCMARCMARC

DublinDublinCoreCore

DublinDublinCoreCore

VRAVRACoreCoreVRAVRACoreCore

METSMETSMETSMETS

Metadata Encoding and Transmission Schema

(METS)

Metadata Encoding and Transmission Schema

(METS)Developed by the Library of Congress and the Digital Library FederationAn XML “wrapper” for various metadata “packages”, as well as component files or the internal structure of a fileAn all-purpose metadata wrapper for digital objects and the metadata that describes them

Developed by the Library of Congress and the Digital Library FederationAn XML “wrapper” for various metadata “packages”, as well as component files or the internal structure of a fileAn all-purpose metadata wrapper for digital objects and the metadata that describes them

Is Changing Worth It?Is Changing Worth It?We will be able to encompass more information from more sourcesWe will be able to do more things for more people and purposesWe will grow to meet our opportunities rather than allow our challenges to defeat usOnly by recreating our foundational infrastructure can we overcome our challenges and exploit our opportunities with vision and effectiveness

We will be able to encompass more information from more sourcesWe will be able to do more things for more people and purposesWe will grow to meet our opportunities rather than allow our challenges to defeat usOnly by recreating our foundational infrastructure can we overcome our challenges and exploit our opportunities with vision and effectiveness

MetasearchingMetasearching

“Let's fight till six, and then have dinner,” said Tweedledum.“Very well,” the other said, rather sadly: “and she can watch us--only

you'd better not come veryclose,” he added: “I generally hit every thing I can see--when I get really excited.”

“And I hit everything within reach,” cried Tweedledum, “whether I can see it or not!”

“Let's fight till six, and then have dinner,” said Tweedledum.“Very well,” the other said, rather sadly: “and she can watch us--only

you'd better not come veryclose,” he added: “I generally hit every thing I can see--when I get really excited.”

“And I hit everything within reach,” cried Tweedledum, “whether I can see it or not!”

PrinciplesPrinciples

Only librarians like to search, everyone else likes to findAll things being equal, one place to search is better than more“Good enough” is the sum of gain minus pain; users aren’t lazy, they’re humanThe size of a result set isn’t as important as how it is presented (“the Google lesson”)

Only librarians like to search, everyone else likes to findAll things being equal, one place to search is better than more“Good enough” is the sum of gain minus pain; users aren’t lazy, they’re humanThe size of a result set isn’t as important as how it is presented (“the Google lesson”)

Metasearching TodayMetasearching Today

One-stop shoppingBroad subject categories with many databases eachMany false hitsNot integrated with any other system (e.g., course management systems)

One-stop shoppingBroad subject categories with many databases eachMany false hitsNot integrated with any other system (e.g., course management systems)

Metasearching TomorrowMetasearching Tomorrow

Tailored portals for specific user needs or topic areasTargets created by libraries for specific purposes (e.g., focused crawling of web sites, harvesting of repositories)Useful results ranking and/or clusteringDynamic selection of sources based on user query

Tailored portals for specific user needs or topic areasTargets created by libraries for specific purposes (e.g., focused crawling of web sites, harvesting of repositories)Useful results ranking and/or clusteringDynamic selection of sources based on user query

Whatever Can We Do?Whatever Can We Do?

“Now here, you see, it takes all the running

you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”

“Now here, you see, it takes all the running

you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”

Whatever Can We Do?: Library Directors

Whatever Can We Do?: Library Directors

“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.” A. LincolnRead out of our profession (e.g., Business 2.0, Fast Company, etc.)Hire for personality traits (e.g., love of learning) rather than specific skills or experienceHelp staff to constantly retoolUse standing committees for communication and decision-making, and project teams for actual work

“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.” A. LincolnRead out of our profession (e.g., Business 2.0, Fast Company, etc.)Hire for personality traits (e.g., love of learning) rather than specific skills or experienceHelp staff to constantly retoolUse standing committees for communication and decision-making, and project teams for actual work

Whatever Can We Do?: Staff

Whatever Can We Do?: Staff

Take responsibility for our own learningLearn as we breatheStrive for flexibility; thrive on uncertaintyMake strategic learning decisionsShare ideas; use wireframes and prototypesRead outside of the professionNever move at the speed of the organization

Take responsibility for our own learningLearn as we breatheStrive for flexibility; thrive on uncertaintyMake strategic learning decisionsShare ideas; use wireframes and prototypesRead outside of the professionNever move at the speed of the organization

Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible.

Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible.