At 01:29 PM 5/9/2008, Karen Coyle wrote:
Kevin, there is no reason why the publisher name would change over time.
You are assuming something that I did not say: I said that one could
avoid keying the publisher name by having it derived from the ISBN at
the time of cataloging. A publisher record (if linked through an
identifier, which could also come from the ISBN) could record corporate
name changes if desired.
The use of the ISBN could incorporate the appropriate name in the
bibliographic record (based on the date, if you want to get fancy) --
although that may vary from what is on the piece. If it does, then the
cataloger could choose to change it. In some areas, for example in small
public libraries, they may decide to take the name supplied by the ISBN
without question, the same way that some libraries take copy cataloging
without making modifications because they simply do not have the time to
fiddle with details in the records.
Sorry, Karen. I guess your original statements were sort of amiguous, so
what they *seemed* to be saying was that either the ISBN could function as
a link to a publisher record in lieu of actually recording the publisher
name in the bibliographic record, or that the ISBN could link to data that
gets pulled in to be bibliographic record--and stays there as is.
This is what I mean by needing to create system-related requirements. If
the requirement is that the name not change, there's a good chance the
system can be designed in that way. But if we don't know what we want
systems to do, if we don't know the outcomes that we want, then we can't
design systems that make our lives easier. I am convinced that systems
could supply -- for cataloger *review* -- data that is now being keyed
by hand.
Yes, I fully agree that the data could (should?) be supplied, and (as you
said) *for cataloger review*. But if the data differs what appears on the
item itself, then it would be unacceptable to leave it as is.
I'm interesting in exploring ways to save time in the
cataloging process. I actually think we have no choice but to explore
such options.
Agreed.
Kevin M. Randall
Principal Serials Cataloger
Bibliographic Services Dept.
Northwestern University Library
1970 Campus Drive
Evanston, IL 60208-2300
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
phone: (847) 491-2939
fax: (847) 491-4345
