The Non-Roman Characters Interest Group (NRCIG) aims to inform OCLC about issues with supporting non-Roman languages. Its charge is to provide information on major Arabic collections and investigate Arabic language support in OCLC products. Issues include inconsistent transliteration, limited subject headings, complex name structures, and technological barriers like unsupported Arabic searching. Suggested solutions center on linked data and unified standards, as well as expertise from the Arab world.

1. OCLC Global Council  November 2013
NRCIG
Cendrella Habre
University Librarian, Lebanese American University
EMEARC Delegate

2. Mission
The mission of the Non-Roman Characters
Interest Group (NRCIG) is to inform the
Cooperative and OCLC’s strategic
development about the issues of making
OCLC’s products and services “work” in
languages that use non-Roman characters.

3. Charge
To provide background information to the
OCLC Board and SLT regarding the
locations, sizes and importance of major
Arabic-language collections and to
investigate and report on the status of
Arabic language in OCLC’s product
development plans.

4. Members
•
Cendrella Habre, Chair
•
Omar Farhoud, Information Management Manager, LAU (Lebanon)
•
Fares Jureidini, Logos (Distributor_Lebanon)
•
Asma Al-Kanan, Director, Library, American University of Kuwait
•
William Kopycki, Field Director, Library of Congress, Egypt
•
Magda El-Sherbini, Associate Professor and head of Cataloging Department, Ohio State University
Libraries
•
Martha Speirs, EMEARC Alternate Delegate, Dean, Library and Information Services, Azerbaijan
Diplomatic Academy
•
Rebecca Youth, Catalog Librarian, University of Iowa Libraries & MELA member
OCLC Staff
•
Janet Lees
•
Bemal Rajapatirana
•
Arthur Smith

5. Institutions that Create Records for Arabic-Languages Resources
82
58
1,307
51+
11-50
1-10

6. Institutions with Holdings on Records for Arabic-language Resources
101+
11-100
1-10

7. Issues and Challenges
•
Transliteration/Romanization


Tools are unknown to users

•
Tools are not user-friendly
Inconsistencies (In the US for example Romanization is performed by non-Arabic speaking staff)
Subject Headings


Translation of LCSH with modifications

•
Limited LCSH
Different Arabic SH Lists
Arabic topics
Undiscoverable
Names


•
Similar to SH
Complexities in Name Structure
Users (Western vs. Arab)

•
What do they want?
Technological lags

OCLC’s Z39.50 server is not enabled to search records in Arabic

Inconsistent use of MARC fields for Romanized diacritics

UNICODE

Indexing (non-filing characters for the ) and the Hamza on the Alef ( )

8. Suggested Solutions
• Transliteration/Romanization
LINKED DATA
• Subject Headings
LINKED DATA
UNIFIED LIST OF SUBJECT HEADINGS (a project that should be
sponsored by OCLC)
• Names
VIAF
LINKED DATA
• Users (Western vs. Arab)
LINKED DATA
• Technological lags
Experts from the Arab World

9. THANK YOU
Q&A