[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast 174: MARC time

[OPLIN Director]

*OPLIN 4Cast #174: MARC time*

April 21, 2010


  /4casting technologies that could have an impact on public libraries.///

The MARC records for Learning Express Library and EBSCO have recently 
been updated so that they can be added to your OPACs.  You can find them 
and records for other statewide databases on the OPLIN web page. 
<http://www.oplin.org/marc-records>

    * Here is an interesting article about people and technology working
      together to catalog the books of the world.  From The Library IS
      the Machine
      <http://go-to-hellman.blogspot.com/2010/04/library-is-machine.html> :
      "The problem that Google's machines are having with these records
      is that the descriptions have always been meant for humans to
      read, not for computers to parse and understand."

    * New MARC Records for Items in the Google Books & Hathi Trust
      Digital Collections Being Added to WorldCat
      <http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/04/05/news-from-dublin-oh-new-records-for-items-in-the-google-books-and-hathi-trust-digital-collections-now-being-added-to-worldcat/>

    * Sources for free MARC records:
      biblios.net <http://biblios.net/>
      Library of Congress Catalog <http://catalog.loc.gov/>
      Library of Congress Authorities <http://authorities.loc.gov/>

    * MARC Standards Office <http://www.loc.gov/marc/> at the Library of
      Congress has general MARC information, MARC formats, tools,
      development, and optional listservs.

*/Cool link:/*
Just for fun: "MARC Horrors" <http://www.archive.org/details/MARCTHULU> 
[video]

The first part of the video to whet your interest:

"Deep within the bowels of systems on the Horizon,
Of systems from beyond the Millennium,
Of systems known only to small aliens as V-ger
We see the signs of MARC records --

MARC records that should not be ---
MARC records with control characters in the leaders --
MARC records that require 25 characters per tag and yet have no 
indicators ---
MARC records that although apparently valid, have two 245 tags --
And syntaxes and obsolete fields that have not existed since time beyond 
memory ---
Since eons beyond which were known...."

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-- 
Bobbi Galvin
OPLIN Customer Relations&  Support
P: 1-888-966-7546
www.oplin.org

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