Cataloging Future

Slide 1: A Has-Been Cataloger Looks at What Cataloging Will Be … (after her next retirement) Diane I. Hillmann Director of Metadata Initiatives Information Institute of Syracuse

Slide 2: Converging Trends   More catalogers work at a support staff level than as professional librarians   More cataloging records are selected by machines   More catalog records are being captured from publisher data or other sources   More updating of catalog records is done via batch processes   Libraries continue to de-emphasize processing of secondary research products (books & serials) in favor of unique, primary materials ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 3: What Are Our Choices? Door #1 ALA 2008 Anaheim Door #2 6/29/08

Slide 4: Behind Door #1 The Extinction Model ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 5: Behind Door #2 The Retooling Model ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 6: How It’s Done   Extinction   Retooling   Keep cranking about how   Consider what catalogers nobody appreciates us already do—and what they will need to do—and map   Assert over and over that the training needed to get we’re already doing from one to the other everything right—why should we change?   Look for support for retraining at many levels   Adopt a “Chicken Little” approach to envisioning   Find a new job title the future ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 7: How About THIS New Job Title? ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 8: What Catalogers Do   Operate within the boundaries of detailed standards   Descriptive levels pre-defined   Granularity level of description pre-determined   Vocabularies largely pre-determined   Items described one-at-a-time   Items intended to fit carefully within a specific application (“the catalog”)   Ignore the rest of the world of information ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 9: What Metadata Librarians Do   Think about descriptive data without pre-conceptions around descriptive level, granularity or descriptive vocabularies   Consider the entirety of the discovery and access issues around a set or collection of materials   Consider users and uses beyond an individual service when making data design decisions   Leap tall buildings in a single bound ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 10: The New Metadata Librarian • Aware of changing user needs • Understands the evolving information environment • Works collaboratively with technical staff • Familiar with all metadata formats and encoding standards • Seeks out tall buildings ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 11: The Cataloger Skill Set   AACR2, LC Rule interpretations, LCSH guidelines   MARC 21   Name authority creation guidelines   ILS vendor specific formats, guidelines, and work- arounds ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 12: The Metadata Librarian Skill Set   Views data as collections, sets, streams:   Familiar with a variety of metadata formats (DC, VRA Core, MODS, etc.)   Understands basics of data encoding (XML, RDF, etc.), but is generally NOT a programmer   Understands the various ways that data can be created (by humans and/or machines) and manipulated (crosswalked, augmented)   Approaches the task as designing data to “play well with others”—no matter its origin or provenance ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 13: Characteristics of Our New World   No more “Integrated Library Systems”   Bibliographic utilities are unlikely to be the “central node” for all data   Creation of metadata will become far more decentralized   Nobody knows how this will all shake out   But: Metadata Librarians will critical in forging solutions ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 14: Disintegrated Library Systems   All metadata will not be managed in and delivered from one central store   Discovery is the first function that is being disaggregated from the ILS—there will be others   Metadata may be managed in a variety of databases, structures and systems (some will be content management systems, not optimized for metadata)   Discovery mechanisms may draw from a multitude of data stores ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 15: Role of Bibliographic Utilities   Optimized to be the “middleman” of the traditional data sharing system   Currently limited to handling MARC data, not sure whether or when that will change (RDA will be the first challenge)   New services are contemplated, but most are not finalized   The push to open web data is a distinct challenge to the hegemony of the bibliographic utility ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 16: New Models of Creation   All data will not be created by librarians   Some will originate from machine processes   Some will originate from users or user activities   Metadata Librarians will shift from creating data to managing, improving and distributing data   Multiple metadata services will emerge to assist in maintenance and improvement strategies ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 17: New Models of Distribution   Traditionally we exchanged only with one another through bibliographic utilities   If the Web is now our platform, we need to exchange data based on a more open model   We’ll need to avoid commoditizing DATA, instead encourage our organizations to base their business model on building necessary SERVICES   Broader use of OAI-PMH is a good start towards opening data beyond applications and “bespoke” portals ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 18: More On Open Data   Nobody knows how rich our data is unless we make it fully available   Without open data we cannot adequately compete as data providers   Disabling our data to control re-use outside established channels disables US in the eyes of the rest of the Web   Promoting a climate of innovation requires that data be easily available for newly developed improvement services   Promoting innovation is essential for us as we seek to participate in the information commons ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08

Slide 19: Let Us Chill Thanks for your attention! ALA 2008 Anaheim 6/29/08