Taxonomy for Academic Publishers
The School of Library and Information Science at San José State University (SJSU) is partnering with RedLink, a Silicon Valley startup, to develop a new taxonomy for academic publishers.
Three Librarians Walk Into a Casino
If you are still on the fence about whether to attend the American Libraries Association (ALA) Annual Meeting in Las Vegas this summer, this bit of news might help you make your decision. There will be a special performance by the Oxford Commas, a band composed of librarians and university press editors who are dedicated to raising the grammatical standard in popular music. The set list will include such favorites as: Whom Do You Love?, You Haven’t Seen Anything Yet, and Two Out of Three Is Not Bad.
Webinar Address Authority Files
The American Society for Indexing is hosting a webinar titled - Creating Name Authority Files for Large Indexing Projects. Leading the event is Linda Dunn from Dunn Information Organization. Linda has been a periodical indexer for over thirty years and has been interested in authority files since she began indexing. Through her work with multiple databases she has become familiar with many types of authority files both proprietary and open source.
The Wide World of Vocabulary
The average English-speaker knows between 25,000 and 40,000 words. The Oxford English Dictionary bills itself as the “definitive record of the English language.” To date, they have recorded 800,000 words and counting.
Information and Data Governance/Management – Adding Ideas From Complementary Disciplines
After critical business information has been identified at a high level and a focal has been assigned, best practices from complementary disciplines can be incorporated. Identify the main subjects for a business specific controlled vocabulary. Each company or organization develops its own language for talking about what it does. Like all languages, organizational languages are based on a common way of seeing and thinking. A technology or farm machinery company may use alphanumeric designations to identify thousands of products. An entertainment firm may use cryptic acronyms in discussing thousands of events or programs. An agricultural organization may talk about plans and events as they relate to “the harvest.” Even within one company, the language varies between departments. A finance department is likely to have a language that is different from the language used in research or operations departments.
Language Comes into the Future
The Oxford English Dictionary is progressing towards a third edition with over 619,000 words compiled between its binding. To compile a dictionary of nearly every word in the English language was an endeavor typical of Victorian times. This mammoth-sized task resulted in the first installment emerging in 1884 with its contents “A to Ant.”
Learning Opportunities with the Access Staff
Several of the Access Innovations' staff are still out and about as they wind up 2013. Check out these learning opportunities that just might be in your own neighborhood.
Collaboration Increases Access
The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) is working with 13 libraries on three continents to beta test OCLC WorldShare Metadata Record Manager. This new feature offers new record management functionality to enhance a library’s ability to catalog its collections, including electronic, digital, and physical materials. Information Today brought this news to our attention in their article, “OCLC Working With Libraries to Test Record Management Functionality.”