1. OLA Super-Conference 2007 Session #403
THE CHANGING NATURE OF THE CATALOGUE AND ITS INTEGRATION WITH OTHER DISCOVERY SYSTEMS
Presenter: Karen Calhoun (Cornell University Library)

2. Karen’s Presentation is available here:

3. Her presentation was based on her published work available here:

4. Overview of session…
Karen’s presentation offered an analysis of the current academic library situation, options for revitalizing research library catalogues, a feasibility assessment, a vision for change, and a blueprint for action.

5. Karen addressed these questions:
What is the current state of standards and technologies to support unified access to multiple repositories, including catalogs?
What are the future roles of MARC and cataloging content rules?
What are the challenges to the economic sustainability of the current model of the catalog?

6. And concluded with these…
What do 21st century information seekers need from catalogs?
In what ways might libraries leverage catalog data for new uses?
What partnerships are worthy of pursuing with the publishing, systems, scholarly, and information technology communities?

7. Calhoun suggested that her questions should be addressed in the following ways…

8. Innovations and Cost Reductions
Much better linkages: ingest, convert, extract, transfer
Interoperate
Simplify & exploit all sources of catalog data
Eliminate custom practices
Automate and streamline workflows
Explore automatic classification, subject analysis; reengineer and automate LCSH practice
Mine catalog data for new uses; experiment with FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records)
This is a summary of innovations and cost reduction recommendations from the full report. Some of the recommendations have to do with being able to move our data around more and overcome the closed nature of our ILSes.
The other recommendations have to do with how we do things. My recommendations concerning LC subject headings are likely to be met by many with dismay and sadness. Yet this investigation has led me to conclude that the cost of current LCSH practice exceeds the benefits for information seekers. This imbalance between cost and benefit can be expected to become more pronounced over the next two to five years.
Please understand that this is an economic statement I am making. I do not intend disrespect to catalogers. I agree that LC headings have value. A person who understands how LC subject headings are put together can get good results. Finding the exact right subject headings and subdivisions is one of the great pleasures and rewards of original cataloging.
I also agree that LC headings offer a readily available means of offering “more like this” services. At the same time, LCSH has already been marginalized by keyword searching, users do not understand them, and there are other techniques to support “more like this” services. The increasing availability of online full text offers alternatives to manual subject analysis. LCSH is incredibly costly. It takes 6 months or more for a new cataloger to learn how to use them.

9. Invest in shared catalogs Link pools of scholarly data Seek partners
“Thirty-two Options &
Three Strategies”—
A Radical Abridgement
Mass
collections
& catalogs
Digitize
Open access
Participate in the
substitute industry
LEAD
EXPAND
Invest in shared catalogs
Link pools of scholarly data
Seek partners
As the slide indicates, this triangle is a radical abridgement of a figure from the full report. I have already covered aspects of innovation and cost reduction—the foundation of the “extend” and all other strategies for revitalizing library catalogs. Other remedies associated with the extend strategy include better support for browsing and information delivery and enhanced usability overall.I’ll give an example of the “extend” strategy in a moment.
The expansion strategy involves attracting new users for catalog data and positioning the catalog better in the larger scholarly information universe. This strategy will involve increasing movement to shared catalogs, and the fates of metasearch and Web services as viable technologies for research library information systems will be determined in the context of this strategy.
The leadership strategy involves not only full participation in the substitute industry—that is, open Web discovery tools—but also unprecedented levels of collaboration in housing, managing and delivering research library collections. Leading involves significantly expanding the role of both library catalogs and collections in supporting teaching, learning, and research on a global scale.
Improve the user’s experience
Greatly enhance delivery (fast!)
Standards development/compliance
Recycle and reuse catalog data
Innovate and reduce costs
EXTEND

10. Out of interest check out NC State University’s Next Generation Endeca-Powered catalogue.