Non academic library metadata

Summary:

Is there any chance of macar's focus expanding beyond the academic library realm?

Non academic library metadata

neilgodfrey 1238123091|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Since moving to the National and Public library scene the extent to which MACAR's focus has been on the sorts of resources housed in academic repositories has become very apparent.

MACAR included non-academic library representatives but my memory tells me they were not as active as those from the academic scene.

Now I have joined the National Library Board of Singapore (NLB) and am making decisions affecting metadata across the entirety of Singapore's national and public libraries I have had to face up to just how limited in focus MACAR's past work has been. It is a pity the membership was not more evenly balanced between academic and public/state libraries. On the other hand, maybe progress is best happening when it is made a small step at a time.

At the NLB a preliminary list of resource types for the national and public library sectors has been prepared. It contains over 50 resource type terms. Some of those will almost certainly be merged, but the list will be a lot longer than the current MACAR list.

With some of the MACAR members now working with ANDS, and MACAR coming under the umbrella of CAUL, one might expect MACAR to be entrenched further with research and academic library requirements.

I wonder if there are any realistic chances of national libraries cooperating with each other and even with academic libraries, and if there are real benefits to be gained by their doing so. Since moving into the national and public library sector I think there are real potentials for users if it could happen. To expose and share the specialist heritage and wider cultural collections that such libraries house, especially alongside libraries dedicated to research and education, can only be A Good Thing.

Re: Non academic library metadata

Joan Gray 1238380242|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Hi
MACAR at its August 2008 meeting started a discussion about the future membership of MACAR. Members agreed that it would be a good thing to review MACARs membership. Although there was one member from the public sector and one member from the NLA there was discussion about whether MACAR should broaden its scope to include members from New Zealand and even South East Asia. External relationships with the DCMI Scholarly Communications Group and membership of IT-19 were also discussed. It would be
good for MACAR under the new CAIRSS/CAUL service to continue this discussion and take some of these ideas forward.

Re: Non academic library metadata

neilgodfrey 1239083783|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Hi Joan,

I recall that meeting. Am having doubts that the time is right for national/public libraries to be actively involved with MACAR. Pity. Potential is huge for sharing info. But I've come to think that the unique dynamics in the research/academic/ed sectors are what made MACAR possible in the first place. Academics move around and it is vital for researchers to exchange data and publications etc etc. Sharing of efforts and coop projects would seem be a natural outgrowth of that environment. Nothing like that among national libraries, which are focused more on managing their own resources and serving their immediate constituencies. Their sheer size, too, means they have more legacy issues and systems to negotiate than the academic libraries with which I worked.

I suspect national libraries will only be in a position to embark on the sorts of sharing and coop found among the scholarly/research community when they become even more established in their various digital projects and reach till they reach a point where they can look around at others and say, "hey, look what we've got —- anyone want to share? you have similar? can we exchange?" Many snazzy things are being done, but there is still a long way to go, it seems, before they will reach that point.

Neil

Re: Non academic library metadata

neilgodfrey 1239149386|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I could add that the sheer size of some of the national and public library systems means it is a full time task for, say, a place like Singapore's library network, to be working on establishing multiple data providers for multiple content and metadata management systems along with their own service provider to take care of all seamlessly. So long as basic standards are deployed throughout then theoretically the time should come when the potentials can be fulfilled.