Gary E. Masters wrote:
>
> Have started learning Dublin Core for planned use to organize image files.
> Any suggestions for what one shoud start with?
> Am working on the OCLC web page and will read these messages.
>
> thanks,
>
> Gary Masters
> Gary E. Masters
> Automated Services Librarian
> Texas A&M International University
Gary and all:
I've been reading this list for several weeks in the attempt to upgrade
the quality of the metadata utilized for the web pages created from our
library collections. It seems to me that the Dublin Core project has
among its goals to allow those of us at the grassroots level, i.e.,
creating the web pages, to apply a standard which will facilitate access
via the web.
Gary, I jumped right in and read everything available on the OCLC Dublin
Core (DC) pages and its links. For most of my metadata I utilized upward
of 13 of the 15 elements. I will admit that the use of the Relation and
Source elements are as unsettled to me as I infer, rightly or wrongly,
they are to the working groups. Perhaps that is as it should be for
something that is a work in progress.
Gary, I'm a former cataloger so I am comfortable with the entire
concept, although after years in public service I will lean toward the
vernacular. For instance, in the DC.Subject element, for the most part
I use LCSH, however, one of our web pages is a collection of glass
lantern slides. LCSH would apply "Slides (Photographic)" to
this...well...anyone trolling the net interested in *glass lantern
slides* is going to use the vernacular.
My institution is a medium-sized public library and my department's
digitization and web development project doesn't even qualify as a *mom
& pop* operation, it's one person, me. When I started informing myself
about DC, I found that for the most part, it was the large academic
libraries which are implementing DC. From the vantage point of
institutions such as mine, the large academics have unlimited resources
to apply to digitization and web development projects, which I am sure
is a case of the "grass always looking greener...."
The success of DC will be in the ease with which it can be understood
and implemented no matter the size of the institution; I would venture a
guess that mine is among the smallest which is making the effort. Best
of luck to you.
Joyce
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Joyce A. McMullin, Branch Manager
Special Collections Division
Alexandria Library, Lloyd House Phone: 703.838.4577
220 N. Washington St. FAX: 703.706.3912
Alexandria, VA 22314 USA
http://www.alexandria.lib.va.us/exhibit.htm
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