Electronic Cataloging: AACR2 and Metadata for Serials and Monographs
Edited by Sheila S. Intner, Sally C. Tseng, Mary Lynette Larsgaard
A Review
For this book, I took a deep breath and dived into the highly complex world of metadata. With my own background in serials management rather than in cataloging, I readied my mind for full absorption and extreme alertness, fearing that if I did not concentrate enough I could be drowned in this turbulent sea of metadata standards and schemas. But, with great joy, I survived. I walked to the shore with an inspired mind and uplifted spirit, planning to go back for a second dive!
This book is a feast for those who crave to know the latest exciting developments in cataloging and metadata. Rich in content and vision, it is a collection of eleven papers presented by twelve forward-thinking cataloging practitioners at the 2001-2002 Association for Library Collections & Technical Services Regional Institutes on AACR2 and Metadata, held in San Diego, California, in March of 2002. In the editors' own words: "The intention of this volume is to explain, describe, and illustrate the brave new world libraries are creating through the use of metadata".
The work is organized into three parts, with the broadest topics presented first and the most specific last. Part 1 begins with two introductory papers, which examine the role of cataloging in an electronic age and address fundamental questions such as why librarians should care about metadata and how librarians could contribute to the development of metadata systems. Part 2 moves away from fundamentals to a focus on how libraries can employ metadata. It starts with an insightful paper covering the information model and the steps in developing a metadata strategy. The next two papers offer case studies on implementing metadata schemas in a specific subject area, cultural heritage, and in a specific library, the Shanghai Library. The last paper in this part explores alternative approaches for information retrieval, drawing experiences from the commercial world. Part 3 covers five papers on specifics of AACR2 and metadata. The topics include AACR2 revision, other metadata standards, the global semantic Web, MARC and mark-up languages, seriality, and ISSN.
Collectively, the eleven papers explore wide-ranging topics--from MARC, ISBD, AACR, and ISSN, to Dublin Core, CDWA, VRA, and RDF; from encoding schemas to metadata and architectural schemas; and from metadata strategy to implementation issues. This 182-page volume is packed with valuable observations and useful information. It is a significant document on the advances of cataloging and metadata, which is appropriate for practitioners of electronic cataloging as well as anyone who is interested in the issues surrounding metadata and interoperability in an electronic age.
Published in 2003 by: Haworth Information Press, Binghamton, New York. (182 p.) ISBN: 0-7890-2224-9 ($39.95); 0-7890-2225-7 (pbk. - $29.95) Co-published simultaneously as Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, Vol. 36, Nos. 3/4, 2003.
Reviewed by: Paoshan Yue
Electronic Resources Access Librarian
University of Nevada, Reno
Last updated: September 24, 2004
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