Resource Description and Access

About: Resource Description and Access is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1859 publications have been published within this topic receiving 10957 citations. The topic is also known as: RDA & Resource Description & Access.

RDA: National Library Board Singapore's Learning Journey

Abstract: In May 2012, National Library Board (NLB) Singapore decided to implement Resource Description and Access (RDA) for NLB and targeted its implementation on April 1, 2013. This article presents NLB's RDA journey as it documents and highlights the library's experience in executing RDA in a seamless, systematic approach. The authors share how NLB formulated its implementation strategy and action plan, the adoption and development of the plan, as well as the discussions and milestone decisions made. Based on the Library of Congress’ training materials, NLB customized and packaged its training programs to suit the specific needs of NLB staff. NLB also made local decisions needed before cataloging in RDA, communicated its decisions to a user group, and obtained feedback from them. This article also describes the challenges faced, and how NLB overcame them. As RDA is still a work in progress, NLB recognizes that more effort is required to take RDA to the next level. Finally, the authors share NLB's future plans f...

RDA implementation and the emergence of BIBFRAME

Abstract: RDA (Resource Description and Access) has been adopted and is widely used as the standard for descriptive cataloging by libraries and related institutions. Since its implementation, RDA continues to evolve and grow to meet the end user needs. These developments brought into focus some of the shortcomings of MARC 21 as a description tool. Recognizing the need to create a more effective vehicle for bibliographic description, the Library of Congress developed BIBFRAME, a linked data alternative to MARC 21. In my article, I will discuss the evolution of RDA and the challenges of implementing the system, highlight the issues with MARC 21 in its relation to RDA and the role that BIBFRAME can play in the newly emerging information model.

Improving Web Visibility: Into the Hands of Readers

Abstract: Chapter 1--Into the Hands of Readers Acknowledgments Introduction The Question: Can Libraries Improve Their Web Visibility? Notes Chapter 2--Exposing Content on the Web Google Search Methodology Google's Knowledge Card Google's AdWords Notes Chapter 3--Discovery and Fulfillment What Readers Want from Libraries How People Discover What Is in the Library How People Get Things from the Library Notes Chapter 4--The Tradition of Library Catalogs Starting in Babylonia Medieval European Catalogs The Card Catalog Library Automation The Internet Notes Chapter 5--The Current Landscape The Bibliographic Framework Initiative (BIBFRAME) BIBFLOW Linked Data for Libraries and Linked Data for Production Integrated Library System Vendors and Bibliographic Utilities Schema.org and Schema Bib Extend Zepheira and Entrepreneurial Efforts Notes Chapter 6--Steps to Take Direct Partnerships with Search Engines Play by the Rules Montana State University Library Collaborations The Role of BIBFRAME Defining Success Are Libraries Doing the Right Things? Notes Chapter 1 Into the Hands of Readers Acknowledgments Enormous thanks to the many people who gave me input, guidance, and correction on this work. To Rob Sieracki of Ox Optimal and Semantic Web consultant Richard Wallis for help on understanding the business and technology of search on the web. To the library at The Ohio State University for its generosity in allowing an unaffiliated researcher to use its excellent collections--its library science collection was invaluable to the section on the history of library catalogs. To Patrick Sweeney of EveryLibrary for connecting me to librarians on the front lines of public library service. To Rachel Fewell and Frank Wilmot at the Denver Public Library and Erica Findlay and Emily Papagni of the Multnomah County Public Library for their insights into the joys and pains of supporting real people coming to the library from the open web. To Jeff Penka, Eric Miller of Zepheira, and Steve Potash of OverDrive for insights on content marketing and the business of web visibility for libraries. To Philip Schreur (Stanford University), Beacher Wiggins (Library of Congress), John Chapman (OCLC), and Carl Stahmer (UC Davis) for their time helping me understand their contributions to remaking library services on the web. To the metadata expert Diane Hillmann for challenging my understanding of cataloging in the context of library Semantic Web data and for giving her time generously to improving my representation of RDA. Finally, I'd like to thank my colleagues who read early versions of this work and provided invaluable suggestions for improving its quality: Gene Shimshock (Third Chapter Partners), Merrilee Proffitt, Roy Tennant, and Jeff Mixter (OCLC Research). Introduction "We are in an in-between world where we have two groups of people: those ones who already go to the library and the ones who never think about the library." (1) That's how Rachel Fewell, the collection services manager at the Denver Public Library, describes her view of the landscape for libraries. This view of the world prompts these questions: What can libraries do to reach those who never think about the library? What can libraries do to most effectively reach those who sometimes think about the library? Increasing the visibility of library collections on the web is an obvious answer, but the explicit goal to make that happen has not been well defined. A review of the history of library catalogs and library systems automation reveals a trend toward a focus on efficiency and cost savings in systems and data. There are a few bright spots of innovation in discovery, and the very earliest days of library catalogs were highly focused on the user, but the trend has been on service to ourselves instead of the convenience of or improved outcomes for the user. …

Cataloging 2.0: Metadata Research and Initiatives at a Community College Library

Abstract: In this viewpoint essay, we argue that combining cataloging and other standard metadata practices with user-developed tags and folksonomies is a good way to improve subject access to resources. Using tags aligns with the foundational principles of cataloging. Catalogers know better than most the care and precision that goes into creating and updating Library of Congress Subject Headings. We are often frustrated by our difficulty describing digital controlled vocabularies used in academic libraries, especially resources that are gaining importance to educators such as video games and web resources. At our community college library, we are incorporating tags into our collections' metadata in order to improve subject access.

Utilization of students as cataloging assistants at Carnegie category I institution libraries

Abstract: A survey of 261 libraries was undertaken to determine the level of use of and duties performed by student assistants in monographic cataloging operations. Ninety-five of 142 responding libraries (64.1 percent) indicate that they use student assistants for some type of monographic cataloging tasks. These tasks are downloading of bibliographic and authority records, monographic cataloging, classification, subject heading authority control, holdings, database maintenance, and editing of 246 or 505 MARC tags. Some respondents expressed reluctance to use student assistants for higher-level cataloging tasks. ********** Despite being surrounded by a steady labor supply of thousands of inexpensive and intelligent individuals, the use of student assistants at the State University of New York at Albany (SUNY-Albany) traditionally has been limited to processing of materials (applying call number labels, security strips, property stamps) and other similar lower-level duties (retrieving of materials from the stacks, pulling loose periodicals to be bound). Since 1999, graduate students from the university's School of Information Science and Policy (SISP) have been used for special projects. Two SISP graduate students worked on language-specific projects due to their bilingual or polylingual skills. One project involved the upgrading of brief records for Chinese language materials and the other project involved the processing of gift books in Russian and other Slavic languages. For these two projects, the workflow was fairly simple and linear. A third graduate student worked on the cataloging of new acquisitions that were to become part of the Miriam Snow Mathes Historical Children's Literature collection. Due to the detailed and unique cataloging provided to these materials, the staff member responsible for cataloging these materials worked one on one with the graduate students. However, changes, both internal (reduction of staff) and external (fewer print materials being purchased, increased emphasis upon electronic resources) over the last several years have led the current administration to examine workflow and the level of staff required to complete the various duties in monographic cataloging. Cornel] University librarian Sarah E. Thomas stated, "the world's information resources are abundant, but time is a scare commodity" and that "there is a chronic imbalance between the amount of work to be done and the resources available to do it." (1) These two statements reflect what many academic libraries, both large and small, are encountering. These circumstances caused SUNY-Albany to consider the utilization of student assistants in monographic cataloging workflow. A survey was constructed in order to gather information about how other institutions were or were not employing students, with the idea that SUNY-Albany could then take advantage of the knowledge and experiences of other institutions. Literature Review Using student assistants in cataloging has been discussed in the current literature, but published papers primarily focus upon their use in projects rather than as part of the standard workflow. Gnidarelli and Cary discussed the use of art students to catalog a gift of approximately 12,000 art exhibition catalogs at Virginia Commonwealth University. (2) Over four years, six different student assistants (both graduate and undergraduate students all involved in the study of the arts) worked on cataloging this collection. Three of the students already had been trained in copy cataloging using Library of Congress records. Under the close supervision of librarians, these students were able to use their previous copy cataloging knowledge and subject knowledge to enhance less than-full records, including the assignment of call numbers and subject headings. Guidarelli and Cary made the significant points that using students: (1) cost less than half the cost of outsourcing when estimating the cost of copy cataloging per title; and (2) produced more complete records. …