Core MARC Formats Transition Interest Group

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✉ Send an email to ALA-CoreMARCFormatsTransition@ConnectedCommunity.org to start a discussion or share a file.

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Purpose: Provides a forum to educate the library community about ongoing efforts to transition from the MARC Standard for bibliographic data and examines new approaches and strategies for implementing bibliographic data models within the framework of linked open data and semantic web technology.

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This interest group is part of Core's Metadata and Collections Section.

Portraits of three Core members with caption Become a Member: Find Your Home: Core.

 

  • 1.  MARC Formats Transition IG

    Posted Apr 27, 2021 03:20 PM

    Dear All,

     

    I sent this email a long time ago and was a little dismayed that I received no responses. Turns out I just never updated my email address on the ALA site, so it never went through ��

     

    Thank you for your interest in the MARC Formats Transition IG, and apologies for the delay in getting my act together. I recently relocated from the University of Illinois to the University of Alabama, and it has taken some time to settle in. I'm Brian Clark, and I will be serving as Chair this year. Full disclosure: this is the first group I have chaired, so if anyone has the time and interest to co-chair, please feel free to reach out. I'm sure I could use the help!

     

    I have reviewed documents past chairs have been kind enough to share with me, and was hoping to get the ball rolling with some discussion within the scope of the group. Past calls for proposals have focused on (not exclusively) the following topics:

     

    • Tell your story about crafting linked open data to enhance discovery of your library collections
    • Discuss your efforts to enhance and/or "sanitize" your library data in preparation for a format transition/transformation
    • How to define "open access" resource
    • How to enhance discovery with multilingual access points embedded in library catalog records
    • Share your learning and research experiences in transitioning MARC to linked open data

     

    If there are suggestions for additional topics to include, please put them forward. I would also be interested to hear about your work and research that falls under these topics, or anything interesting you have recently read within this scope.

     

    I have been in touch with Core's Director of Advocacy, Connections, and Engagement regarding the 2021 ALA Conference & Exhibition, which will be held virtually. It has not yet been determined if interest groups will be holding meetings then or during a virtual IG week that will likely be held later this summer. At Annual, we would get more visibility beyond Core, but the session would be listed on a separate page, not in the main program schedule. We would also likely get more registrants, but would be up against more programming than during the IG week. Please share your thoughts if you have strong feelings either way.

     

    Finally, if you have been a part of this group for some time, I would be grateful for any insights you can share (what worked, what didn't, what you would like to include, etc.), either with the group or in a separate email.

     

     

     

    Best Regards,

     

    Brian Clark | Metadata Librarian

    (pronouns: he, him, his)

    Divider line

    Resource Acquisition and Discovery
    The University of Alabama
    2012-2 Gorgas
    Box 870266
    Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
    Phone 
    205-348-6022
    bpclark2@ua.edu

    Divider line

    The University of Alabama box A with stacked words logo

     

     

     

    Brian Clark | Metadata Librarian

    (pronouns: he, him, his)

    Divider line

    Resource Acquisition and Discovery
    The University of Alabama
    2012-2 Gorgas
    Box 870266
    Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
    Phone 205-348-6022
    bpclark2@ua.edu

    Divider line

    The University of Alabama box A with stacked words logo

     



  • 2.  RE: MARC Formats Transition IG

    Posted Apr 28, 2021 08:49 AM
    Hi Brian and all- 

    I am new to this IG so I will throw out a few ways my work intersects and look for advice on a current idea that is in very beta form right now. 

    This open access article I recently co-authored dovetails nicely with this IG in its attempt to find new ways to utilize the MARC record to help students find books in more culturally congruent ways ( e.g. search terms & music lyrics) : 

    A Preliminary Study Interrogating the Cataloging and Classification Schemes of a K-12 Book Discovery Platform through a Critical Race Theory Lens

    De Gruyter Open | Published online: September 3, 2020


    Also, i am working with a software designer who has an app called Rhymes With Reason and my goal is to create a platform or model that woll allow librarians and students to pair books with Hip Hop music by establishing a key word system in the MARC record that maps themes and key words of books ( identified by librarians) onto key words in Hip Hop Lyrics ( identified by librarians and students) through a lyrics database that has been develped by the aforementioned developer. 


    I need to walk through a sample scenario from start to finish but my brain is stopping at the points where the MARC record comes into play. It's still foggy but I know there's a way to make it work. 


    KK





    Kafi Kumasi, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor

    Wayne State University

    School of Information Sciences

    (313) 577-1146

    Dr. Kumasi's website






  • 3.  RE: MARC Formats Transition IG

    Posted Apr 29, 2021 10:22 AM

    Hi Kafi,

     

    Thanks for sharing! I downloaded and read the abstract of your article. It looks really interesting and is on my reading list ��

     

    For the other project you mentioned, would you be comparing subject headings in MARC records to song metadata in the lyrics database or the lyrics themselves? And would you be reviewing/enhancing MARC records beforehand? In my experience subject headings in fiction records have been spotty.

     

    Best,

     

    Brian Clark | Metadata Librarian

    (pronouns: he, him, his)

    Divider line

    Resource Acquisition and Discovery
    The University of Alabama
    2012-2 Gorgas
    Box 870266
    Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
    Phone 205-348-6022
    bpclark2@ua.edu

    Divider line

    The University of Alabama box A with stacked words logo

     

     

     






  • 4.  RE: MARC Formats Transition IG

    Posted Apr 28, 2021 05:07 PM
    Thanks for putting this out for feedback!

    I would be interested to hear about the following as well. I think this is in scope because it seems that staff working with MARC data will be the first to transition to working with new forms of data.

    • Experiences with working directly with linked data, rather than transforming Marc data. What was surprising, what did staff training look like?
    Erica

    Erica Findley (she/her)
    Systems & Metadata Librarian
    Multnomah County Library 
    Isom Operations Center
    I am teleworking: Monday-Friday 8:00 am-5:00 pm
    My pronouns are she/her/hers






  • 5.  RE: MARC Formats Transition IG

    Posted Apr 29, 2021 10:23 AM

    Hi Erica,

     

    Thanks for bringing this up, I agree. Defining the scope will be helpful in determining what, if any, activities/events we want to present this summer during the ALA conference (though that will be June 24-29, so there wouldn't be much time to advertise and review proposals) or IG week. The options are:

     

    1. A virtual discussion (not a panel or program) during the ALA Annual Conference
    2. A virtual discussion, panel, or program during the Interest Group Week later in the summer
    3. A virtual discussion, panel, or program on our own, outside of Annual Conference and IG Week
    4. Or not holding any synchronous activities this summer

     

    Given Annual is right around the corner, I'd like to aim for something during IG Week.

     

    On a separate note, your email reminded me an interesting webinar recently hosted by ASERL on the On These Grounds project, where the researchers developed a Linked Open Data ontology to describe the lives and experiences of enslaved people at universities with a history of slavery. The recording and slides are saved here if anyone is interested: http://www.aserl.org/archive/

     

    Thanks,

     

    Brian Clark | Metadata Librarian

    (pronouns: he, him, his)

    Divider line

    Resource Acquisition and Discovery
    The University of Alabama
    2012-2 Gorgas
    Box 870266
    Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
    Phone 
    205-348-6022
    bpclark2@ua.edu

    Divider line

    The University of Alabama box A with stacked words logo

     

     

     






  • 6.  RE: MARC Formats Transition IG

    Posted Apr 30, 2021 03:24 PM
    Brian,

    Thanks for sharing the On These Grounds Project. What a great use of data modeling. I like how it is grounded in a highly relevant and immediate need. I will definitely be looking at it more.

    I really enjoyed IG week and so my vote would be for #2. I think there is a lot to leverage with participating in IG group week in terms of open access to the sessions and all of the publicity Core does around it.

    Erica

    Erica Findley (she/her)
    Systems & Metadata Librarian
    Multnomah County Library 
    Isom Operations Center
    I am teleworking: Monday-Friday 8:00 am-5:00 pm
    My pronouns are she/her/hers