I had recently posted a "HELP!!!" request concerning the difficulty I'm having getting raw data from a library collection and its associated subject authority files.
I was touched by haw many of you answered me with offers of data or locations where I could get some. I had been adamantly warmed by faculty not to expect support from our local libraries. Turns out library managements I've contacted have given me positive responses...I have no data yet but it seems wheels are turning. I feel humbled by the experience and am reminded how local politics can easily cloud one's (i.e., my) judgment. Some felt it necessary to warn me I might be stepping into a world of pain by trying to build an interactive visual LCSH structure. I've read and appreciated the warnings/related articles (McGrath in Code4Lib, inkdroid pointing to two Dykstra articles in 1988 Lib Journals, any others?). Research often means tinkering, there seems to be much opportunity for that with LCSH. I'm naively looking forward to developing "something" which dramatically increases the visibility/usability of subject browsing and I'll be sure to share it with this community if and when I do. Thanks again for your patience, Charles-Antoine Julien Ph.D Candidate School of Information Studies McGill University