Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights
Oh no! I am happy for you and hope that all goes very well with your surgery and recovery. But it's hard to imagine this list wihtout you! Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless -Original message- From: Mike Tribby To: "RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA" Sent: Fri, Nov 30, 2012 16:34:56 GMT+00:00 Subject: [RDA-L] I'm taillights Today is my last day in the QBI Cataloging Bunker. As perceptive readers may have inferred from my postings here and on Autocat, I'm not exactly the most enthusiastic backer of RDA, but before drawing the conclusion that I'm quitting to avoid having to implement RDA, please consider that QBI has already begun to implement it with no real problems so far. In fact, Bryan and the rest of the cataloging staff here will be updating QBI's name authority capabilities and authorization to RDA standards in the near future, and converting the PCIP program to RDA is under consideration. I'm facing imminent knee replacement surgery and at my advance age and crappy physical condition the extensive re-hab I'll be undertaking is not a good fit with my 170-mile per day round trip commute. Besides, I have a 7-month-old puppy who desperately needs to have one of his owners at home everyday so that he doesn't spend most of his puppyhood in his kennel. We still haven't heard from any customers one way or another about preferring RDA records, and I only recently discovered that QBI is hardly the last vendor in OCLC to accommodate RDA, which surprises me a little, but probably shouldn't. I think that for a lot of libraries RDA is a matter of overkill, introducing complications into the process of cataloging titles that may never have more than one manifestation, expression, etc. That being said, and to address James Weinheimer's frequently asked question about a business case for RDA, I don't think there is a business case for it for smaller libraries other than the perceived need to be in step with the national libraries. But for LC (and likely the British Library, LAC, the Australian National Library, etc.), it seems to me the business case is that it will allow them to focus more on important endeavors like classification and subject access rather than the housekeeping aspects of descriptive cataloging. For instance, being allowed to accept inputs like ONIX "as is" means their professional staffs need not concern themselves with converting ALL CAPS fields and similar matters. The national libraries have as much right as any other institutions to set their own policies, and I don't see how they can go forward in a time of diminishing funding and staffing without making major changes. If cataloging is truly a cooperative effort, records with nonsensical machine-generated contents notes and all caps title fields can be upgraded by other members of the bibliographic utilities that house records. If I were working in an end-user situation (like the persistent dream job of a small liberal arts college library located in a picturesque setting), I would likely make use of Mac and Michael Gorman's creation and resist RDA implementation until faced with a situation where RDA's purported benefits would come to the fore. If the MARC replacement and infrastructure that will magically make RDA fully realizable come to fruition, that might change my outlook, but frankly I don't have much faith in the certainty of that happening anytime soon. How long did it take cataloging software vendors to start utilizing non-filing characters rather than using stopwords, and when will they introduce autofil into most cataloging software packages? Probably about the time the paperless society we've been preparing for since the 1970s arrives. My last helpful suggestion to the list (which I realize might constitute my first helpful suggestion to many list members) is this: your discussions might be more fruitful if you managed to keep in mind that just because other list members disagree with you it doesn't mean they are drooling incompetents or arbitrary obstructionists. They might simply disagree with you. Mike Tribby Senior Cataloger Quality Books Inc. The Best of America's Independent Presses mailto:mike.tri...@quality-books.com Wearing the sensible shoes for one more day, then it's back to Spanish boots, Roman sandals, and brogans (thanks to Jeff Beck, Merle Haggard, and Bo Diddley)
Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights
Congratulations and good luck. Your posts were always a welcome breath of fresh air, as well as informative and helpful. Best wishes from another 'dark sider', Karen Anderson Authority Control Librarian Backstage Library Works Provo, Ut 801-356-1852 ext. 231 800-288-1265 kander...@bslw.com -Original Message- From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access [mailto:RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA] On Behalf Of Mike Tribby Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 9:35 AM To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA Subject: [RDA-L] I'm taillights Today is my last day in the QBI Cataloging Bunker. As perceptive readers may have inferred from my postings here and on Autocat, I'm not exactly the most enthusiastic backer of RDA, but before drawing the conclusion that I'm quitting to avoid having to implement RDA, please consider that QBI has already begun to implement it with no real problems so far. In fact, Bryan and the rest of the cataloging staff here will be updating QBI's name authority capabilities and authorization to RDA standards in the near future, and converting the PCIP program to RDA is under consideration. I'm facing imminent knee replacement surgery and at my advance age and crappy physical condition the extensive re-hab I'll be undertaking is not a good fit with my 170-mile per day round trip commute. Besides, I have a 7-month-old puppy who desperately needs to have one of his owners at home everyday so that he doesn't spend most of his puppyhood in his kennel. We still haven't heard from any customers one way or another about preferring RDA records, and I only recently discovered that QBI is hardly the last vendor in OCLC to accommodate RDA, which surprises me a little, but probably shouldn't. I think that for a lot of libraries RDA is a matter of overkill, introducing complications into the process of cataloging titles that may never have more than one manifestation, expression, etc. That being said, and to address James Weinheimer's frequently asked question about a business case for RDA, I don't think there is a business case for it for smaller libraries other than the perceived need to be in step with the national libraries. But for LC (and likely the British Library, LAC, the Australian National Library, etc.), it seems to me the business case is that it will allow them to focus more on important endeavors like classification and subject access rather than the housekeeping aspects of descriptive cataloging. For instance, being allowed to accept inputs like ONIX "as is" means their professional staffs need not concern themselves with converting ALL CAPS fields and similar matters. The national libraries have as much right as any other institutions to set their own policies, and I don't see how they can go forward in a time of diminishing funding and staffing without making major changes. If cataloging is truly a cooperative effort, records with nonsensical machine-generated contents notes and all caps title fields can be upgraded by other members of the bibliographic utilities that house records. If I were working in an end-user situation (like the persistent dream job of a small liberal arts college library located in a picturesque setting), I would likely make use of Mac and Michael Gorman's creation and resist RDA implementation until faced with a situation where RDA's purported benefits would come to the fore. If the MARC replacement and infrastructure that will magically make RDA fully realizable come to fruition, that might change my outlook, but frankly I don't have much faith in the certainty of that happening anytime soon. How long did it take cataloging software vendors to start utilizing non-filing characters rather than using stopwords, and when will they introduce autofil into most cataloging software packages? Probably about the time the paperless society we've been preparing for since the 1970s arrives. My last helpful suggestion to the list (which I realize might constitute my first helpful suggestion to many list members) is this: your discussions might be more fruitful if you managed to keep in mind that just because other list members disagree with you it doesn't mean they are drooling incompetents or arbitrary obstructionists. They might simply disagree with you. Mike Tribby Senior Cataloger Quality Books Inc. The Best of America's Independent Presses mailto:mike.tri...@quality-books.com Wearing the sensible shoes for one more day, then it's back to Spanish boots, Roman sandals, and brogans (thanks to Jeff Beck, Merle Haggard, and Bo Diddley)
Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights
Mike said:
>Today is my last day in the QBI Cataloging Bunker.
Very good comments in this post Mike.
PLEASE continue to post to RDA-L and Autocat. Your expertise and
common sense are much needed.
Best, Mac
__ __ J. McRee (Mac) Elrod (m...@slc.bc.ca)
{__ | / Special Libraries Cataloguing HTTP://www.slc.bc.ca/
___} |__ \__
Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights
I guess that I will dream of entities dancing tonight. Hopefully they can move to the right place in a right way :D Joan Wang Illinois Heartland Library System On Fri, Nov 30, 2012 at 3:25 PM, Jack Wu wrote: > Ingenious. Picture certainly worth a thousand words. The 4 Group one > entities, 3 group two entities, 4 group three entities all supposed to work > together with clearly defined powers and relationships. Enjoyed it. > > Jack > > Jack Wu > Franciscan University of Steubenville > j...@franciscan.edu > > > >>> James Weinheimer 11/30/2012 3:17 PM >>> > Mike, > > Even though you worked for the dark side, I think everyone forgave you. > Your knowledge and experience will be missed! > > > http://www.grapheine.com/bombaytv/movie-en-43a2ff9214836fbeb0fa285074f5a5bf.html > > Jim > > -- > James Weinheimer weinheimer.ji...@gmail.com > First Thus http://catalogingmatters.blogspot.com/ > Cooperative Cataloging Rules > http://sites.google.com/site/opencatalogingrules/ > Cataloging Matters Podcasts > http://blog.jweinheimer.net/p/cataloging-matters-podcasts.html > > > Scanned by for virus, malware and spam by SCM appliance > -- Zhonghong (Joan) Wang, Ph.D. Cataloger -- CMC Illinois Heartland Library System (Edwardsville Office) 6725 Goshen Road Edwardsville, IL 62025 618.656.3216x409 618.656.9401Fax
Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights
Ingenious. Picture certainly worth a thousand words. The 4 Group one entities, 3 group two entities, 4 group three entities all supposed to work together with clearly defined powers and relationships. Enjoyed it. Jack Jack Wu Franciscan University of Steubenville j...@franciscan.edu >>> James Weinheimer 11/30/2012 3:17 PM >>> Mike, Even though you worked for the dark side, I think everyone forgave you. Your knowledge and experience will be missed! http://www.grapheine.com/bombaytv/movie-en-43a2ff9214836fbeb0fa285074f5a5bf.html Jim -- James Weinheimer weinheimer.ji...@gmail.com First Thus http://catalogingmatters.blogspot.com/ Cooperative Cataloging Rules http://sites.google.com/site/opencatalogingrules/ Cataloging Matters Podcasts http://blog.jweinheimer.net/p/cataloging-matters-podcasts.html Scanned by for virus, malware and spam by SCM appliance
Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights
Mike, Even though you worked for the dark side, I think everyone forgave you. Your knowledge and experience will be missed! http://www.grapheine.com/bombaytv/movie-en-43a2ff9214836fbeb0fa285074f5a5bf.html Jim -- James Weinheimer weinheimer.ji...@gmail.com First Thus http://catalogingmatters.blogspot.com/ Cooperative Cataloging Rules http://sites.google.com/site/opencatalogingrules/ Cataloging Matters Podcasts http://blog.jweinheimer.net/p/cataloging-matters-podcasts.html
Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights
Congratulations Mike, on your imminent freedom. Enjoy thinking about the epic sweep of reggae history, rather than the minutiae of cataloging. But your calming approach to our discussions has been appreciated. "Walk good", Deborah -- Deborah Fritz MARC Database Consultant The MARC of Quality www.marcofquality.com Voice/Fax: (321) 676-1904 > -Original Message- > From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description > and Access [mailto:RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA] On Behalf Of > Mike Tribby > Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 11:35 AM > To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA > Subject: [RDA-L] I'm taillights > > Today is my last day in the QBI Cataloging Bunker. As > perceptive readers may have inferred from my postings here > and on Autocat, I'm not exactly the most enthusiastic backer > of RDA, but before drawing the conclusion that I'm quitting > to avoid having to implement RDA, please consider that QBI > has already begun to implement it with no real problems so > far. In fact, Bryan and the rest of the cataloging staff here > will be updating QBI's name authority capabilities and > authorization to RDA standards in the near future, and > converting the PCIP program to RDA is under consideration. > I'm facing imminent knee replacement surgery and at my > advance age and crappy physical condition the extensive > re-hab I'll be undertaking is not a good fit with my 170-mile > per day round trip commute. Besides, I have a 7-month-old > puppy who desperately needs to have one of his owners at home > everyday so that he doesn't spend most of his puppyhood in his kennel. > > We still haven't heard from any customers one way or another > about preferring RDA records, and I only recently discovered > that QBI is hardly the last vendor in OCLC to accommodate > RDA, which surprises me a little, but probably shouldn't. I > think that for a lot of libraries RDA is a matter of > overkill, introducing complications into the process of > cataloging titles that may never have more than one > manifestation, expression, etc. That being said, and to > address James Weinheimer's frequently asked question about a > business case for RDA, I don't think there is a business case > for it for smaller libraries other than the perceived need to > be in step with the national libraries. But for LC (and > likely the British Library, LAC, the Australian National > Library, etc.), it seems to me the business case is that it > will allow them to focus more on important endeavors like > classification and subject access rather than the > housekeeping aspects of descriptive cataloging. For instance, > being allowed to accept inputs like ONIX "as is" means their > professional staffs need not concern themselves with > converting ALL CAPS fields and similar matters. The national > libraries have as much right as any other institutions to set > their own policies, and I don't see how they can go forward > in a time of diminishing funding and staffing without making > major changes. If cataloging is truly a cooperative effort, > records with nonsensical machine-generated contents notes and > all caps title fields can be upgraded by other members of the > bibliographic utilities that house records. > > If I were working in an end-user situation (like the > persistent dream job of a small liberal arts college library > located in a picturesque setting), I would likely make use of > Mac and Michael Gorman's creation and resist RDA > implementation until faced with a situation where RDA's > purported benefits would come to the fore. If the MARC > replacement and infrastructure that will magically make RDA > fully realizable come to fruition, that might change my > outlook, but frankly I don't have much faith in the certainty > of that happening anytime soon. How long did it take > cataloging software vendors to start utilizing non-filing > characters rather than using stopwords, and when will they > introduce autofil into most cataloging software packages? > Probably about the time the paperless society we've been > preparing for since the 1970s arrives. > > My last helpful suggestion to the list (which I realize might > constitute my first helpful suggestion to many list members) is this: > your discussions might be more fruitful if you managed to > keep in mind that just because other list members disagree > with you it doesn't mean they are drooling incompetents or > arbitrary obstructionists. They might simply disagree with you. > > > > > Mike Tribby > Senior Cataloger > Quality Books Inc. > The Best of America's Independent Presses > > mailto:mike.tri...@quality-books.com > > Wearing the sensible shoes for one more day, then it's back > to Spanish boots, Roman sandals, and brogans (thanks to Jeff > Beck, Merle Haggard, and Bo Diddley) >
Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights
>Roman sandals after knee surgery? Hmmm... :) Well, of course the full Merle Haggard reference to them was "Beads and Roman sandals won't be seen." And then again, it's highly unlikely I'll ever be in Muskogee, Oklahoma, at least not willingly. Mike Tribby Senior Cataloger Quality Books Inc. The Best of America's Independent Presses mailto:mike.tri...@quality-books.com Wearing the sensible shoes for one more day, then it's back to Spanish boots, Roman sandals, and brogans (thanks to Jeff Beck, Merle Haggard, and Bo Diddley) -Original Message- From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access [mailto:RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA] On Behalf Of Lisa Hatt Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 1:07 PM To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA Subject: Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights On 11/30/2012 8:34 AM, Mike Tribby wrote: > Today is my last day in the QBI Cataloging Bunker. Wow. Will certainly miss your postings! > Wearing the sensible shoes for one more day, then it's back to Spanish > boots, Roman sandals, and brogans (thanks to Jeff Beck, Merle Haggard, > and Bo Diddley) Roman sandals after knee surgery? Hmmm... :) -- Lisa Hatt Cataloging De Anza College Library 408-864-8459
Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights
On 11/30/2012 8:34 AM, Mike Tribby wrote: > Today is my last day in the QBI Cataloging Bunker. Wow. Will certainly miss your postings! > Wearing the sensible shoes for one more day, then it's back to > Spanish boots, Roman sandals, and brogans (thanks to Jeff Beck, Merle > Haggard, and Bo Diddley) Roman sandals after knee surgery? Hmmm... :) -- Lisa Hatt Cataloging De Anza College Library 408-864-8459
Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights
Mike, I've appreciated and will miss your posts. Thanks for this one, especially the last paragraph! Good luck, Shirley Thomas shirley.tho...@chemeketa.edu Metadata Technician, Cataloger Chemeketa Community College Library Salem, OR -Original Message- From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access [mailto:RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA] On Behalf Of Mike Tribby Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 8:35 AM To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA Subject: [RDA-L] I'm taillights Today is my last day in the QBI Cataloging Bunker. As perceptive readers may have inferred from my postings here and on Autocat, I'm not exactly the most enthusiastic backer of RDA, but before drawing the conclusion that I'm quitting to avoid having to implement RDA, please consider that QBI has already begun to implement it with no real problems so far. In fact, Bryan and the rest of the cataloging staff here will be updating QBI's name authority capabilities and authorization to RDA standards in the near future, and converting the PCIP program to RDA is under consideration. I'm facing imminent knee replacement surgery and at my advance age and crappy physical condition the extensive re-hab I'll be undertaking is not a good fit with my 170-mile per day round trip commute. Besides, I have a 7-month-old puppy who desperately needs to have one of his owners at home everyday so that he doesn't spend most of his puppyhood in his kennel. We still haven't heard from any customers one way or another about preferring RDA records, and I only recently discovered that QBI is hardly the last vendor in OCLC to accommodate RDA, which surprises me a little, but probably shouldn't. I think that for a lot of libraries RDA is a matter of overkill, introducing complications into the process of cataloging titles that may never have more than one manifestation, expression, etc. That being said, and to address James Weinheimer's frequently asked question about a business case for RDA, I don't think there is a business case for it for smaller libraries other than the perceived need to be in step with the national libraries. But for LC (and likely the British Library, LAC, the Australian National Library, etc.), it seems to me the business case is that it will allow them to focus more on important endeavors like classification and subject access rather than the housekeeping aspects of descriptive cataloging. For instance, being allowed to accept inputs like ONIX "as is" means their professional staffs need not concern themselves with converting ALL CAPS fields and similar matters. The national libraries have as much right as any other institutions to set their own policies, and I don't see how they can go forward in a time of diminishing funding and staffing without making major changes. If cataloging is truly a cooperative effort, records with nonsensical machine-generated contents notes and all caps title fields can be upgraded by other members of the bibliographic utilities that house records. If I were working in an end-user situation (like the persistent dream job of a small liberal arts college library located in a picturesque setting), I would likely make use of Mac and Michael Gorman's creation and resist RDA implementation until faced with a situation where RDA's purported benefits would come to the fore. If the MARC replacement and infrastructure that will magically make RDA fully realizable come to fruition, that might change my outlook, but frankly I don't have much faith in the certainty of that happening anytime soon. How long did it take cataloging software vendors to start utilizing non-filing characters rather than using stopwords, and when will they introduce autofil into most cataloging software packages? Probably about the time the paperless society we've been preparing for since the 1970s arrives. My last helpful suggestion to the list (which I realize might constitute my first helpful suggestion to many list members) is this: your discussions might be more fruitful if you managed to keep in mind that just because other list members disagree with you it doesn't mean they are drooling incompetents or arbitrary obstructionists. They might simply disagree with you. Mike Tribby Senior Cataloger Quality Books Inc. The Best of America's Independent Presses mailto:mike.tri...@quality-books.com Wearing the sensible shoes for one more day, then it's back to Spanish boots, Roman sandals, and brogans (thanks to Jeff Beck, Merle Haggard, and Bo Diddley)
Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights
In a word ... WOW! All the best in your future endeavours! Will Bryan be assuming your responsibilities? R. P.s. -- I enjoyed reading your second paragraph. -- Robert C.W. Hall, Jr. Technical Services Associate Librarian Concord Free Public Library, Concord, MA 01742 978-318-3343 -- FAX: 978-318-3344 -- http://www.concordlibrary.org/ bh...@minlib.net -- -Original Message- From: Mike Tribby To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2012 10:34:37 -0600 Subject: [RDA-L] I'm taillights Today is my last day in the QBI Cataloging Bunker. As perceptive readers may have inferred from my postings here and on Autocat, I'm not exactly the most enthusiastic backer of RDA, but before drawing the conclusion that I'm quitting to avoid having to implement RDA, please consider that QBI has already begun to implement it with no real problems so far. In fact, Bryan and the rest of the cataloging staff here will be updating QBI's name authority capabilities and authorization to RDA standards in the near future, and converting the PCIP program to RDA is under consideration. I'm facing imminent knee replacement surgery and at my advance age and crappy physical condition the extensive re-hab I'll be undertaking is not a good fit with my 170-mile per day round trip commute. Besides, I have a 7-month-old puppy who desperately needs to have one of his owners at home everyday so that he doesn't spend most of his puppyhood in his kennel. We still haven't heard from any customers one way or another about preferring RDA records, and I only recently discovered that QBI is hardly the last vendor in OCLC to accommodate RDA, which surprises me a little, but probably shouldn't. I think that for a lot of libraries RDA is a matter of overkill, introducing complications into the process of cataloging titles that may never have more than one manifestation, expression, etc. That being said, and to address James Weinheimer's frequently asked question about a business case for RDA, I don't think there is a business case for it for smaller libraries other than the perceived need to be in step with the national libraries. But for LC (and likely the British Library, LAC, the Australian National Library, etc.), it seems to me the business case is that it will allow them to focus more on important endeavors like classification and subject access rather than the housekeeping aspects of descriptive cataloging. For instance, being allowed to accept inputs like ONIX "as is" means their professional staffs need not concern themselves with converting ALL CAPS fields and similar matters. The national libraries have as much right as any other institutions to set their own policies, and I don't see how they can go forward in a time of diminishing funding and staffing without making major changes. If cataloging is truly a cooperative effort, records with nonsensical machine-generated contents notes and all caps title fields can be upgraded by other members of the bibliographic utilities that house records. If I were working in an end-user situation (like the persistent dream job of a small liberal arts college library located in a picturesque setting), I would likely make use of Mac and Michael Gorman's creation and resist RDA implementation until faced with a situation where RDA's purported benefits would come to the fore. If the MARC replacement and infrastructure that will magically make RDA fully realizable come to fruition, that might change my outlook, but frankly I don't have much faith in the certainty of that happening anytime soon. How long did it take cataloging software vendors to start utilizing non-filing characters rather than using stopwords, and when will they introduce autofil into most cataloging software packages? Probably about the time the paperless society we've been preparing for since the 1970s arrives. My last helpful suggestion to the list (which I realize might constitute my first helpful suggestion to many list members) is this: your discussions might be more fruitful if you managed to keep in mind that just because other list members disagree with you it doesn't mean they are drooling incompetents or arbitrary obstructionists. They might simply disagree with you. Mike Tribby Senior Cataloger Quality Books Inc. The Best of America's Independent Presses mailto:mike.tri...@quality-books.com Wearing the sensible shoes for one more day, then it's back to Spanish boots, Roman sandals, and brogans (thanks to Jeff Beck, Merle Haggard, and Bo Diddley)
Re: [RDA-L] I'm taillights
I will miss your postings, Mike. Best of luck with the knee, the puppy, and all else. Carole Peary Glendale Public Library Parks, Recreation and Library Services Glendale, AZ 85302 -Original Message- From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access [mailto:RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA] On Behalf Of Mike Tribby Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 9:35 AM To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA Subject: [RDA-L] I'm taillights Today is my last day in the QBI Cataloging Bunker. As perceptive readers may have inferred from my postings here and on Autocat, I'm not exactly the most enthusiastic backer of RDA, but before drawing the conclusion that I'm quitting to avoid having to implement RDA, please consider that QBI has already begun to implement it with no real problems so far. In fact, Bryan and the rest of the cataloging staff here will be updating QBI's name authority capabilities and authorization to RDA standards in the near future, and converting the PCIP program to RDA is under consideration. I'm facing imminent knee replacement surgery and at my advance age and crappy physical condition the extensive re-hab I'll be undertaking is not a good fit with my 170-mile per day round trip commute. Besides, I have a 7-month-old puppy who desperately needs to have one of his owners at home everyday so that he doesn't spend most of his puppyhood in his kennel. We still haven't heard from any customers one way or another about preferring RDA records, and I only recently discovered that QBI is hardly the last vendor in OCLC to accommodate RDA, which surprises me a little, but probably shouldn't. I think that for a lot of libraries RDA is a matter of overkill, introducing complications into the process of cataloging titles that may never have more than one manifestation, expression, etc. That being said, and to address James Weinheimer's frequently asked question about a business case for RDA, I don't think there is a business case for it for smaller libraries other than the perceived need to be in step with the national libraries. But for LC (and likely the British Library, LAC, the Australian National Library, etc.), it seems to me the business case is that it will allow them to focus more on important endeavors like classification and subject access rather than the housekeeping aspects of descriptive cataloging. For instance, being allowed to accept inputs like ONIX "as is" means their professional staffs need not concern themselves with converting ALL CAPS fields and similar matters. The national libraries have as much right as any other institutions to set their own policies, and I don't see how they can go forward in a time of diminishing funding and staffing without making major changes. If cataloging is truly a cooperative effort, records with nonsensical machine-generated contents notes and all caps title fields can be upgraded by other members of the bibliographic utilities that house records. If I were working in an end-user situation (like the persistent dream job of a small liberal arts college library located in a picturesque setting), I would likely make use of Mac and Michael Gorman's creation and resist RDA implementation until faced with a situation where RDA's purported benefits would come to the fore. If the MARC replacement and infrastructure that will magically make RDA fully realizable come to fruition, that might change my outlook, but frankly I don't have much faith in the certainty of that happening anytime soon. How long did it take cataloging software vendors to start utilizing non-filing characters rather than using stopwords, and when will they introduce autofil into most cataloging software packages? Probably about the time the paperless society we've been preparing for since the 1970s arrives. My last helpful suggestion to the list (which I realize might constitute my first helpful suggestion to many list members) is this: your discussions might be more fruitful if you managed to keep in mind that just because other list members disagree with you it doesn't mean they are drooling incompetents or arbitrary obstructionists. They might simply disagree with you. Mike Tribby Senior Cataloger Quality Books Inc. The Best of America's Independent Presses mailto:mike.tri...@quality-books.com Wearing the sensible shoes for one more day, then it's back to Spanish boots, Roman sandals, and brogans (thanks to Jeff Beck, Merle Haggard, and Bo Diddley)
[RDA-L] I'm taillights
Today is my last day in the QBI Cataloging Bunker. As perceptive readers may have inferred from my postings here and on Autocat, I'm not exactly the most enthusiastic backer of RDA, but before drawing the conclusion that I'm quitting to avoid having to implement RDA, please consider that QBI has already begun to implement it with no real problems so far. In fact, Bryan and the rest of the cataloging staff here will be updating QBI's name authority capabilities and authorization to RDA standards in the near future, and converting the PCIP program to RDA is under consideration. I'm facing imminent knee replacement surgery and at my advance age and crappy physical condition the extensive re-hab I'll be undertaking is not a good fit with my 170-mile per day round trip commute. Besides, I have a 7-month-old puppy who desperately needs to have one of his owners at home everyday so that he doesn't spend most of his puppyhood in his kennel. We still haven't heard from any customers one way or another about preferring RDA records, and I only recently discovered that QBI is hardly the last vendor in OCLC to accommodate RDA, which surprises me a little, but probably shouldn't. I think that for a lot of libraries RDA is a matter of overkill, introducing complications into the process of cataloging titles that may never have more than one manifestation, expression, etc. That being said, and to address James Weinheimer's frequently asked question about a business case for RDA, I don't think there is a business case for it for smaller libraries other than the perceived need to be in step with the national libraries. But for LC (and likely the British Library, LAC, the Australian National Library, etc.), it seems to me the business case is that it will allow them to focus more on important endeavors like classification and subject access rather than the housekeeping aspects of descriptive cataloging. For instance, being allowed to accept inputs like ONIX "as is" means their professional staffs need not concern themselves with converting ALL CAPS fields and similar matters. The national libraries have as much right as any other institutions to set their own policies, and I don't see how they can go forward in a time of diminishing funding and staffing without making major changes. If cataloging is truly a cooperative effort, records with nonsensical machine-generated contents notes and all caps title fields can be upgraded by other members of the bibliographic utilities that house records. If I were working in an end-user situation (like the persistent dream job of a small liberal arts college library located in a picturesque setting), I would likely make use of Mac and Michael Gorman's creation and resist RDA implementation until faced with a situation where RDA's purported benefits would come to the fore. If the MARC replacement and infrastructure that will magically make RDA fully realizable come to fruition, that might change my outlook, but frankly I don't have much faith in the certainty of that happening anytime soon. How long did it take cataloging software vendors to start utilizing non-filing characters rather than using stopwords, and when will they introduce autofil into most cataloging software packages? Probably about the time the paperless society we've been preparing for since the 1970s arrives. My last helpful suggestion to the list (which I realize might constitute my first helpful suggestion to many list members) is this: your discussions might be more fruitful if you managed to keep in mind that just because other list members disagree with you it doesn't mean they are drooling incompetents or arbitrary obstructionists. They might simply disagree with you. Mike Tribby Senior Cataloger Quality Books Inc. The Best of America's Independent Presses mailto:mike.tri...@quality-books.com Wearing the sensible shoes for one more day, then it's back to Spanish boots, Roman sandals, and brogans (thanks to Jeff Beck, Merle Haggard, and Bo Diddley)
