Like Bill, I respectfully disagree on the MARC record being
archaic. The MARC
record actually represents a minor triumph of design. It is
very compact,
migratable, defines the rules of its database
format/organization at its head,
even at its most granular point. It is simply elegant in
ways that much of our
technology today is not.
I am open to alternatives, as there have been many along the
way. But, the
fact that MARC has survived all this time could lend one to
think that its
design has an advantage.
I am someone who really loves good technology. I define
that (roughly and,
quickly here) as useful and usable stuff. I don't define
technology as merely
electron-based novelty.
What I try to do in both my personal and professional lives
is keep what is
good & adopt what is novel and good. Leave what is bad
behind & go right past
what is novel and bad.
I think that there is a bit of a frenzy around innovation
since we are often
quickly professionally rewarded for that. Conversely, there
are strong
disincentives for wanting to retain something old.) And
then we go onward.
Alot of that invention/innovation is left by the way side.
Why? Possibly
because it was too ahead of its time? Possibly because it
just didn't serve a
need? Possibly because it is a design failure?
I enthusiastically support the investigation of ideas. I
always hope most of
us are better than just embracing the new without too much
question just
because it is new (broadly done in society).
e roel
------ original message ------
date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 08:51:49 AM EDT
from: "Bill Drew" <bill.drew gmail.com>
to: "Jesse Ephraim" <JEphraimci.southlake.tx.us>Cc: web4libwebjunction.org
re: The Ultimate Debate: Do Libraries Innovate?"
One problem with this type of statement: "My biggest
pet peeve with library
technology is MARC records - until the library world is
ready to move to a
non-archaic form of data storage, I doubt that much will
improve."
It implies that there is one world wide monolithic group or
organization known
as "the library world." It is much more
complicated than that.
-- on 6/26/07, Jesse Ephraim <JEphraimci.southlake.tx.us> wrote:
I'm also very interested in finding out how the
"Ultimate Debate" went. I was
a professional programmer for almost a decade, so I tend to
have pretty strong
feelings about the technical side of library innovation. My
biggest pet peeve
with library technology is MARC records - until the library
world is ready to
move to a non-archaic form of data storage, I doubt that
much will improve.
If anyone went to the event, was that discussed?
Jesse Ephraim
Youth Services Librarian
Southlake Public Library
1400 Main Street, Suite 130
Southlake, TX 76092
(817) 748-8248
jephraimci.southlake.tx.us
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