Roy Tennant Life After MARC A Metadata Infrastructure for the 21st Century

Archival Systems Electronic research databases Institutional Repositories PathfindersPathfinders Digital Library Collections Non-ILS Metadata Systems Silos Everywhere!

Infrastructure Requirements Versatility Extensibility Openness and Transparency Low Threshold, High Ceiling Cooperative Management Versatility Extensibility Openness and Transparency Low Threshold, High Ceiling Cooperative Management

Infrastructure Requirements Modularity Hierarchy Granularity Graceful in failure Modularity Hierarchy Granularity Graceful in failure

A Proposal Create a new bibliographic metadata infrastructure with the following characteristics…

A Transfer Schema An XML schema for ingesting, storing, and transferring multiple bibliographic metadata packages intact A current example: the Metadata Encoding and Transfer Syntax (METS) [ demo ] An XML schema for ingesting, storing, and transferring multiple bibliographic metadata packages intact A current example: the Metadata Encoding and Transfer Syntax (METS) [ demo ]

ONIXONIX MARCMARC Dublin Core VRA Core

ONIXONIX MARCMARC Dublin Core VRA Core METSMETS

Bibliographic Schemata We must be able to use a wide variety of metadata: MARC records from libraries MODS records from libraries and others ONIX records from publishers Dublin Core records from OAI repositories VRA Core records from museums etc. We must be able to use a wide variety of metadata: MARC records from libraries MODS records from libraries and others ONIX records from publishers Dublin Core records from OAI repositories VRA Core records from museums etc.

Application Rules The “AACR2” of our new infrastructure Rules and guidelines for use: General application rules Schema-specific rules The “AACR2” of our new infrastructure Rules and guidelines for use: General application rules Schema-specific rules

Best Practices Implementation practices — “on the ground” rules of thumb and procedures Everything should not be codified in application rules — room should be allowed for experimentation In these “gray areas” best practices can suggest non- prescriptive and reasonable sets of procedures Implementation practices — “on the ground” rules of thumb and procedures Everything should not be codified in application rules — room should be allowed for experimentation In these “gray areas” best practices can suggest non- prescriptive and reasonable sets of procedures

Crosswalks Librarians should be able to deal with metadata of many varieties Proficiency will require crosswalks, or algorithms for translating metadata from one schema to another The same infrastructure could be used to merge multiple formats into a searchable index Librarians should be able to deal with metadata of many varieties Proficiency will require crosswalks, or algorithms for translating metadata from one schema to another The same infrastructure could be used to merge multiple formats into a searchable index

Enrichment Services Enriching metadata with additional information Examples: Book cover art Tables of contents Book reviews See for more information Enriching metadata with additional information Examples: Book cover art Tables of contents Book reviews See for more information

Tool Sets Tools to help us manage and manipulate metadata Examples: XSLT Stylesheets Crosswalking code (e.g., OCLC’s Metadata Switch service) OCLC’s FRBR algorithm Tools to help us manage and manipulate metadata Examples: XSLT Stylesheets Crosswalking code (e.g., OCLC’s Metadata Switch service) OCLC’s FRBR algorithm

Relationships to Other Standards and Protocols A rich metadata infrastructure will interoperate with a wide range of standards and protocols Examples: OAI-PMH SOAP (REST) A rich metadata infrastructure will interoperate with a wide range of standards and protocols Examples: OAI-PMH SOAP (REST)

Challenges Adapting to a diversity of record formats Crosswalking and Merging System migration Staff retooling Your favorite challenge here… Adapting to a diversity of record formats Crosswalking and Merging System migration Staff retooling Your favorite challenge here…

Making the Transition Any solution will need to accommodate MARC Some libraries are already leading the way (e.g., OCLC) Some vendors are already leading the way (e.g., moving to XML-aware database systems) Initial ILS transition may be mostly transparent (i.e., same functionality, different infrastructure) The difficulty does not lie with technology, but with people and procedures Any solution will need to accommodate MARC Some libraries are already leading the way (e.g., OCLC) Some vendors are already leading the way (e.g., moving to XML-aware database systems) Initial ILS transition may be mostly transparent (i.e., same functionality, different infrastructure) The difficulty does not lie with technology, but with people and procedures

Why It Matters We face many challenges and opportunities Our once robust metadata infrastructure is now jaded — both conceptually and technically Our users and the services we wish to provide them demand a metadata infrastructure equal to the tasks before us We must renew our bibliographic infrastructure! We face many challenges and opportunities Our once robust metadata infrastructure is now jaded — both conceptually and technically Our users and the services we wish to provide them demand a metadata infrastructure equal to the tasks before us We must renew our bibliographic infrastructure!