> One of the original motivations for the DC workshop series was the
> notion that authors could supply their own descriptions... I see this as
> an opportunity as much as a problem, given that
> the public trust is among our most important assets.
This is absolutely correct. My own experience shows that what allows for
better search results in library catalogs is not so much the format itself,
as the information that is put into the format.Librarians have traditionally
followed the concept of consistency when they create library records (a
consistent form of name, of title, and of subject analysis). I readily admit
that being able to search "Green" as a name separately from "green" in the
title is a large step, but it pales in comparison with being able to select
the correct "David Green" from a multitude of names.
I also see an opportunity here.
Jim Weinheimer
Princeton University
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