Positioning Libraries for a New Bibliographic Universe
03 Nov 2014-Library Resources & Technical Services (American Library Association)-Vol. 58, Iss: 4, pp 233-249
TL;DR: This paper surveys the English-language literature on cataloging and classification published during 2011 and 2012, covering both theory and application, with a major theme of the literature centered on Resource Description and Access.
Abstract: This paper surveys the English-language literature on cataloging and classification published during 2011 and 2012, covering both theory and application. A major theme of the literature centered on Resource Description and Access (RDA), as the period covered in this review includes the conclusion of the RDA test, revisions to RDA, and the implementation decision. Explorations in the theory and practical applications of the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), upon which RDA is organized, are also heavily represented. Library involvement with linked data through the creation of prototypes and vocabularies are explored further during the period. Other areas covered in the review include: classification, controlled vocabularies and name authority, evaluation and history of cataloging, special formats cataloging, cataloging and discovery services, non-AACR2/RDA metadata, cataloging workflows, and the education and careers of catalogers.
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TL;DR: Public institutions, such as universities, maintain data in several information silos, each of them engineered to serve a specific vertical application, leading to a paradigm shift from record-based to entity-based models, i.e. models that bundle information about the same entity into a single record.
Abstract: Public institutions, such as universities, maintain data in several information silos, each of them engineered to serve a specific vertical application. Data about key entities—such as people, publications, courses, projects—is scattered across them and difficult to correlate due to the diversity in format, metadata, conventions, and terminology used. In such a scenario, nowadays it is practically impossible to correlate data and support advanced search and analytics facilities, in turn vital to identify institutional priorities and support institutional strategic goals, as well as to offer effective data visualization and navigation services to their users (e.g., researchers, students, alumni, companies). A catalogue, in libraries and archives, is a collection of organized data describing the information content managed by an institution [Patton 2009]. Cataloging is the process (guided by rigorous rules) that information scientists follow to create and maintain metadata in order to effectively represent and exploit information content. The most widespread library data models are still traditional record-based models, i.e., models that bundle information about the same entity into a single record. The advent of the Web opened boundless opportunities to information seekers, especially in terms of quantity of information and abundance of search tools. This has brought libraries and their cataloguing practices to a crisis point [Coyle and Hillmann 2007]. The enhanced users’ expectations led them to embrace the Semantic Web vision [Berners-Lee et al. 2001]. It advocates that representing data in a uniform machinereadable format with explicit meaning allows the development of intelligent interconnected services, which are able to get and aggregate data from different sources. Libraries started adopting the Linked Data approach that in turn is leading to a paradigm shift from record-based to entity-based models, i.e., models in which relevant entities are assigned URIs and are described in terms of subject-property-object triples. All together triples form a knowledge graph. The extent to which this is happening is nicely described in Alemu et al. [2012] and Martin and Mundle [2014]. Active institutions
6 citations
Cites background from "Positioning Libraries for a New Bib..."
...The extent to which this is happening is nicely described in [Alemu et al. 2012] and [Martin and Mundle 2014]....
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...Evidence of these difficulties can be found for instance in [Bygstad et al. 2009], [Byrne and Goddard 2010], [Alemu et al. 2012] and [Martin and Mundle 2014]....
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23 Oct 2018
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an analysis of current limitations to the reuse of bibliographic data in the Semantic Web and a research proposal towards solutions to overcome them, which derive from the insufficient convergence between existing ontologies and the principles and techniques of linked open data (LOD).
Abstract: This paper presents an analysis of current limitations to the reuse of bibliographic data in the Semantic Web and a research proposal towards solutions to overcome them. The limitations identified derive from the insufficient convergence between existing bibliographic ontologies and the principles and techniques of linked open data (LOD); lack of a common conceptual framework for a diversity of standards often used together; reduced use of links to external vocabularies and absence of Semantic Web mechanisms to formalize relationships between vocabularies, as well as limitations of Semantic Web languages for the requirements of bibliographic data interoperability. A proposal is advanced to investigate the hypothesis of creating a reference model and specifying a superontology to overcome the misalignments found, as well as the use of SHACL (Shapes Constraint Language) to solve current limitations of RDF languages.
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TL;DR: This paper reviewed the literature on archival processing and con- ducted surveys of processing practices to identify the scope of the problem and its impacts both on processing costs and on access to collections.
Abstract: Processing backlogs continue to be a problem for archivists, and yet the problem is exacer- bated by many of the traditional approaches to processing collections that archivists continue to practice. This research project reviewed the literature on archival processing and con- ducted surveys of processing practices to identify the scope of the problem and its impacts both on processing costs and on access to collections. The paper issues a call for archivists to rethink the way they process collections, particularly large contemporary collections. It challenges many of the assumptions archivists make about the importance of preservation activities in processing and the arrangement and description activities necessary to allow researchers to access collections effectively.
216 citations
TL;DR: The design requirements and the potential usefulness of a domain-specific ontology to facilitate access to, and use of, a collection of digital primary source materials developed by the Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are investigated.
Abstract: The use of primary source materials is recognized as key to supporting history and social studies education. The extensive digitization of library, museum, and other cultural heritage collections represents an important teaching resource. Yet, searching and selecting digital primary sources appropriate for classroom use can be difficult and time-consuming. This study investigates the design requirements and the potential usefulness of a domain-specific ontology to facilitate access to, and use of, a collection of digital primary source materials developed by the Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During a three-phase study, an ontology model was designed and evaluated with the involvement of social studies teachers. The findings revealed that the design of the ontology was appropriate to support the information needs of the teachers and was perceived as a potentially useful tool to enhance collection access. The primary contribution of this study is the introduction of an approach to ontology development that is user-centered and designed to facilitate access to digital cultural heritage materials. Such an approach should be considered on a case-by-case basis in relation to the size of the ontology being built, the nature of the knowledge domain, and the type of end users targeted. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
47 citations
TL;DR: This paper explores overarching conceptual issues on how traditional library information organisation schemes such as online public access catalogues, taxonomies, thesauri, and ontologies on the one hand versus Web 2.0 technologies such as social tagging can be harnessed to provide users with satisfying experiences.
Abstract: Purpose – With the aim of developing a conceptual framework which aims to facilitate semantic metadata interoperability, this paper explores overarching conceptual issues on how traditional library information organisation schemes such as online public access catalogues (OPACs), taxonomies, thesauri, and ontologies on the one hand versus Web 2.0 technologies such as social tagging (folksonomies) can be harnessed to provide users with satisfying experiences.Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews works in relation to current metadata creation, utilisation and interoperability approaches, focusing on how a social constructivist philosophical perspective can be employed to underpin metadata decisions in digital libraries. Articles are retrieved from databases such as EBSCO host and Emerald and online magazines such as D‐Lib and Ariadne. Books, news articles and blog posts that are deemed relevant are also used to support the arguments put forward in this paper.Findings – Current metadata approaches ...
39 citations
TL;DR: This paper conducted a survey on modified classification systems and thesauri for describing and organizing Aboriginal materials and found that participants indicated a preference for non-hierarchical and less linear structures than what current mainstream classification systems provide.
Abstract: Due to the lack of published information (especially in Canada) on modified classification systems and thesauri for describing and organizing Aboriginal materials, I set out to conduct a survey on this topic. The surveys were distributed at five Indigenous-related conferences and gatherings in Canada and the United States between the Fall, 2009, and the Fall, 2010, and more than 50 completed surveys were collected. Research findings included preferred changes in terminology from Library of Congress subject headings (which were seen to be outdated and inappropriate) but there was no resounding consensus on a “one-size fits all” terminology for thesauri terminology. However, this was not seen to be problematic given the diverse range of participants who took part in the survey. Respondents also commented on a survey question inquiring about the use of the “Medicine Wheel” concept as a way to organize Aboriginal-related materials, as well as other possible structures that might prove more culturally relevant for organizing these materials. There was both support for and strong opposition to the use of the Medicine Wheel for this purpose, for a variety of reasons. Participants indicated a preference for non-hierarchical and less linear structures than what current mainstream classification systems provide. There also seemed to be support for “landscape-based” structures. Although research findings were not conclusive, some valuable insights were gained from this study. The exploratory nature of this research project suggests more research (and more in-depth research) in this area is required.
36 citations