Re: [CODE4LIB] authority work with isni

[McDonald, Stephen]

I don't have any useful answers for most of your questions.  But you might be 
interested to know that ISNI is working with Library of Congress to get ISNI 
identifiers into LC name authority records.  When this gets implemented, any 
existing ISNI identifiers in the National Authority File will be removed, and 
new ISNI identifiers based on VIAF matching will be inserted.  Thereafter, the 
NAF will be periodically updated with new ISNI identifiers.

It is not clear to me how soon this might be implemented.

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu


> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of
> Eric Lease Morgan
> Sent: Friday, April 15, 2016 5:17 AM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: [CODE4LIB] authority work with isni
> 
> I am thinking about doing some authority work with content from ISNI, and I
> have a few questions about the resource.
> 
> As yo may or may not know, ISNI is a sort of authority database. [1] One can
> search for an identity in ISNI, identify a person of interest, get a key,
> transform the key into a URI, and use the URI to get back both human-
> readable and machine readable data about the person. For example, the
> following URIs return the same content in different forms:
> 
>   * human-readable - http://isni.org/isni/35046923
>   * XML - http://isni.org/isni/35046923.xml
> 
> I discovered the former URI through a tiny bit of reading. [2] And I 
> discovered
> the later URI through a simple guess. What other URIs exist?
> 
> When it comes to the authority work, my goal is to enhance authority
> records; to more thoroughly associate global identifiers with named entities
> in a local authority database. Once this goal is accomplished, the library
> catalog experience can be enhanced, and the door is opened for supporting
> linked data initiatives. In order to accomplish the goal, I believe I can:
> 
>   1. get a list of authority records
>   2. search for name in a global authority database (like VIAF or ISNI)
>   3. if found, then update local authority record accordingly
>   4. go to Step #2 for all records
>   5. done
> 
> My questions are:
> 
>   * What remote authority databases are available programmatically? I
> already know of one from the Library of Congress, VIAF, and probably
> WorldCat Identities. Does ISNI support some sort of API, and if so, where is
> some documentation?
> 
>   * I believe the Library Of Congress, VIAF, and probably WorldCat Identities
> all support linked data. Does ISNI, and if so, then how is it implemented and
> can you point me to documentation?
> 
>   * When it comes to updating the local (MARC) authority records, how do
> you suggest the updates happen? More specifically, what types of values do
> you suggest I insert into what specific (MARC) fields/subfields? Some people
> advocate $0 of 1xx, 6xx, and 7xx fields. Other people suggest 024 subfields 2
> and a. Inquiring minds would like to know.
> 
> Fun with authorities!? And, “What’s in a name anyway?"
> 
> [1] ISNI - http://isni.org
> [2] some documentation - http://isni.org/how-isni-works
> 
> —
> Eric Lease Morgan
> Lost In Rome

Re: [CODE4LIB] LCSH, Bisac, facets, hierarchy?

[McDonald, Stephen]

LCSH is only subject headings, not genres.  LCSH has been used in the past for 
fiction and non-fiction genres, but that is now technically incorrect.  Genres 
are now covered by LCGFT.  This is why I said you would have difficulty 
covering both non-fiction subjects and fiction genres with any translation from 
LCSH.  You will still find fiction genres coded as subject headings in prior 
decades, but going into the future you should expect those to disappear as they 
are cleaned up.

To get both subject headings and fiction genres, you will probably have to look 
at both LCSH and LCGFT.

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu

> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of
> Mark Watkins
> Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2016 10:42 AM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] LCSH, Bisac, facets, hierarchy?
> 
> Very interesting thank you! It looks to be only Non-Fiction, does that sound
> correct?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> mark

Re: [CODE4LIB] LCSH, Bisac, facets, hierarchy?

[McDonald, Stephen]

Fiction->Mysteries->Historical Mysteries is an example of genres, not subject 
headings.  There is a subtle difference--the difference between "what is this 
type" and "what is this about".  LCSH does have a very structured hierarchy, 
but it was not intended for the kind of shelf browsing you seem to be 
interested in.  Different taxonomies have different purposes, and it is quite 
difficult to repurpose a taxonomy or translate between taxonomies intended for 
different purposes.  It will never work as well as a dedicated taxonomy.  
That's one reason that genres never worked well in LCSH.  LCGFT was created to 
remove genres from LCSH. I think it might be useful to go further and split 
LCGFT into separate taxonomies for forms and for genres.

BISAC was created for yet another purpose.  It is a combination of broad 
subjects (where LCSH focuses on very specific subjects) and fiction genres 
(where LCGFT includes both fiction and non-fiction genres plus forms).  It 
works well in a specific setting--a bookstore type environment for casual 
browsing of both fiction and non-fiction materials.  I'm not sure it is 
possible to translate LCSH into BISAC, at least not very well.  You could 
probably do all right for the non-fiction categories, but LCSH really doesn't 
have fiction genres.

Our library did create a taxonomy for our libguides and our database list.  The 
taxonomy is basically a cut-down version of LCSH, focusing on the subjects of 
greatest interest to the university, falling generally along the lines of 
departments and degrees.  It works well for our purposes.  But it does not 
include fiction genres, because specific genres are not an important category 
of study for the university.  (Certain programs do study fictional material, 
such as film studies, but the subject terms we use are adequate for these 
interests.)  Our taxonomy is designed for a specific audience--the faculty and 
students of our university--and works well within that environment.  If you are 
looking for a combined non-fiction subject plus fiction genre hierarchy, I 
think it will be rather difficult to translate or cut down LCSH the way we have.

I would suggest that, before you begin working, you make some decisions about 
the scope and nature of the project.  What is the intended audience for this 
taxonomy?  What is the purpose of the taxonomy?  Will it include fiction 
genres?  Non-fiction genres?  Forms?  Subjects?  How broad will the categories 
be?  How deeply layered will the hierarchy be?  After answering these (and 
other) questions, you can do a better analysis of whether it will be possible 
to translate LCSH into what you seek.

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu


> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of
> Mark Watkins
> Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2016 8:05 AM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: [CODE4LIB] LCSH, Bisac, facets, hierarchy?
> 
> I'm interested to use the LCSH data contained in the Harvard Open Metadata
> project to provide some hierarchical browsing (e.g. Fiction -> Mysteries ->
> Historical Mysteries on top of a book database.
> 
> I'm a library sciences newbie, but it seems like LCSH doesn't really provide a
> formal hierarchy of genre/topic, just a giant controlled vocabulary. Bisac
> seems to provide the "expected" hierarchy.
> 
> Is anyone aware of any approaches (or better yet code!) that translates lcsh
> to something like BISAC categories (either BISAC specifically or some other
> hierarchy/ontology)? General web searching didn't find anything obvious.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Mark

Re: [CODE4LIB] talking about "digital collections" vs "electronic resources"

[McDonald, Stephen]

My question would be, why are you trying to keep them separate?  Why not group 
them all together?  People don't want to have to look all over the place to 
find what they want.  They want it all in one place.

Re: [CODE4LIB] lita

[McDonald, Stephen]

Another problem with the ALA data is that some of us have an MLS but work in a 
position classified as support staff that does not require the MLS.

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu


> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of
> Andreas Orphanides
> Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2015 12:06 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] lita
> 
> I don't disagree with that, that's for sure. What it DOES suggest is that the
> closest thing to tracking "librarian" vs "not" is likely how they 
> self-identify for
> dues purposes, which means that the data is probably not so good.
> 
> On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 12:01 PM, Cindi Blyberg  wrote:
> 
> > Based on previous experience, I doubt this truly captures whether
> > someone thinks of themselves as a librarian.  I've always found those
> > categories arbitrary (an MLS does not a librarian make) and sometimes
> divisive.
> >
> > On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 11:58 AM, Andreas Orphanides
> > 
> > wrote:
> >
> > > There's a different dues schedule for librarians
> > > (-slash-certification
> > > required-slash-managerial) and "support staff", so along that
> > > dimension
> > it
> > > presumably gets tracked, at the very least.
> > >
> > > On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 11:51 AM, Cindi Blyberg 
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Honestly, I don't know if ALA tracks whether people have an
> > > > MLS/related degree or if that's self-selected.  I know folks who
> > > > call themselves librarians but who aren't degreed--those would be self-
> selected.
> > > >
> > > > I'll see if we can find this out--I'm curious!
> > > >
> > > > -Cindi (wearing my LITA hat)
> > > >
> > > > On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 11:43 AM, Haitz, Lisa (haitzlm) <
> > > > hait...@ucmail.uc.edu> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > I'd be curious about something: how many LITA members are not
> > > librarians?
> > > > > I work in a library as a web developer, which includes a medical
> > > library,
> > > > > but I don’t have an MLS. So, question: is the  Code4Lib list
> > > > > more
> > open
> > > to
> > > > > technical folks, but not necessarily librarians?
> > > > >
> > > > > Lisa Haitz
> > > > > University of Cincinnati Libraries
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >

Re: [CODE4LIB] Library Services on Small Devices (like Watches): Discuss

[McDonald, Stephen]

Interesting question.

What if future devices could interact with local wireless systems to questions 
relevant to the local services, which can respond to questions like Siri, such 
as:

"Where is the bathroom?"
"I want a librarian"
"Where are books on metaphysics?"
"Is a study room available?"
"When does the library close?"

The device checks with local servers to see whether the question can be 
answered locally, before checking more globally.

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu

Re: [CODE4LIB] CLARIFICATION : Anybody know a way to add a MARC tag on-mass to a file of MARC records

[McDonald, Stephen]

You CAN do that with MarcEdit.  I have several MarcEdit scripts which I use 
regularly.

MarcEdit allows you to create Tasks, which are basically just a series of 
standard MarcEdit operations in sequence, executed through a menu or by 
assigning it to a keystroke combination.

MarcEdit also has a Script Wizard, which can create a VB script executing 
MarcEdit COM functions.  The resulting script can be further customized to do 
logic which is not possible in the script wizard.  I have a script which I run 
frequently on batches of e-resource records, which modifies them to 
vendor-neutral compliance, and adds certain fields depending on material type 
and open access status.


Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu


> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of
> Schwartz, Raymond
> Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2014 2:47 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: [CODE4LIB] CLARIFICATION : Anybody know a way to add a MARC
> tag on-mass to a file of MARC records
> 
> Sorry for not being more explicit.  I need to automated this in a script on 
> our
> voyager server to be performed monthly.  So any windows programs like
> MarcEdit would not be appropriate.  Thanks again, /Ray
> 
> From: Schwartz, Raymond
> Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2014 2:27 PM
> To: 'Code for Libraries'
> Cc: Schwartz, Raymond
> Subject: Anybody know a way to add a MARC tag on-mass to a file of MARC
> records
> 
> Anybody know a way to add a MARC tag on-mass to a file of MARC records.  I
> need to add the tag 918 $a with the contents "DELETE" to each of the
> records.
> 
> Thanks in advance. /Ray
> 
> Ray Schwartz
> Systems Specialist Librarian
> schwart...@wpunj.edumailto:schwart...@wpunj.edu>
> David and Lorraine Cheng Library   Tel: +1 973 720-3192
> William Paterson University Fax: +1 973 720-2585
> 300 Pompton RoadMobile: +1 201 
> 424-4491
> Wayne, NJ 07470-2103 USA
> http://nova.wpunj.edu/schwartzr2/ hwartzr2/>

Re: [CODE4LIB] What can be done to stop deleting of records belonging to users of our Minuteman Library Network in Massachusetts?

[McDonald, Stephen]

Don Warner Saklad said:

> a) Forensics studies deal with how to retrieve "deleted" "unarchived"
> data. So called "deleted" data is actually available.

Computer forensics cannot always get the data back.  Television crime shows 
greatly exaggerate the capabilities of computer forensics.  It depends on what 
format the data was in, how the data was deleted, and what has happened on the 
computer since it was deleted.  Even in the cases where it is possible, it 
requires taking the system offline (making it unavailable for other people to 
use), requires specialized software, can take days of work, and often can 
retrieve only part of the data.  This is not feasible in a working database 
like your library network.

> b) Setup the system not to delete records belonging to users. Let users keep
> their information saved for followup. Or at the very least notify users
> beforehand.

Millennium cannot do that.  The only internal mechanism in Millennium to 
prevent records from being deleted is by controlling who can perform deletions. 
 There is no mechanism in Millennium to notify either the person deleting or 
the owner of a review file that a record being deleted is in a review file.  It 
is not feasible for someone deleting records to manually check every review 
file to see whether a record is in one of them.

The only way to control deletions is by careful training, limiting who can 
delete data, and establishing policies on when and how data are deleted.  This 
is something between you and the consortium, but it sounds like Minuteman has 
established policies and is following them.

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu

Re: [CODE4LIB] De-dup MARC Ebook records

[McDonald, Stephen]

Michael Beccaria said:
> Thanks for the replies. To clarify, I am working with 2 (or more in the 
> future)
> marc records outside of the ILS. I've tried using Marcedit but my usage did
> vary...not much overlap with the control fields that were available to me. I
> have a feeling they are a bit varied. I'm also messing around with marcXimiL a
> little but I'm having trouble getting it to output any records at all. I also 
> was
> looking at the XC aggregation module but I was having trouble getting that to
> work properly as well and the listserv was unresponsive. It seemed like good
> software but it required me to set up an OAI harvest source to allow it to
> ingest the records and that...well...enough is enough... I think I will 
> probably
> need to write something, and at least that way I know what it will be doing
> rather than plowing through software that has little to no support. Please
> feel free to let me know of a particular strategy you think might work best in
> this regard...

If you couldn't get adequate deduping from the control fields available in 
MarcEdit deduping, what control fields do you think you need to dedup on?  You 
can actually specify any arbitrary field and subfield for deduping in MarcEdit.

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu

Re: [CODE4LIB] Libraries and IT Innovation

[McDonald, Stephen]

> As for cloud computing I am rather unsure of how that can be applied to the
> libraries.  Possibly it can be used as part of the collaborative space?
>  Possibly it can be utilized for file redundancy in digital archives to help 
> with
> preservation of born digital records?  I simply am not sure but it is an area 
> of
> IT innovation so it would be neat to hear people's ideas.

Several discovery platforms qualify as cloud-based services.  One example is 
the EBSCOhost Discovery Service.  OCLC WorldCat Local has long been an example 
of a cloud-based library service.  Now, WorldCat Local is also a component of 
OCLC WorldShare Management System.  WorldShare (previously called Webscale 
Services) is an attempt to move the services provided by the traditional ILS 
into the cloud--acquisitions, licensing, catalog maintenance, discovery, 
circulation, and patron management.

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu

Re: [CODE4LIB] III loading module cannot handle non-English characters

[McDonald, Stephen]

It sounds like your catalog is set to use MARC-8 encoding, and you are trying 
to load records with UTF8 encoding.  You can use MarcEdit to change the 
encoding of the records to MARC-8, or you can ask III to switch your encoding 
to UTF8 (which may require a service fee).

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu


> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of
> Han, Yan
> Sent: Friday, January 18, 2013 7:03 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: [CODE4LIB] III loading module cannot handle non-English characters
> 
> Hello,
> We have problems using III loading module to load MARC files (.mrc) to our
> catalog.  This is to use "Data Exchange" > "Load Electronic Records (itm)".
> Basically  non- English characters (French, Arabic ) will be changed to
> unknown symbols. The MARC files (.mrk and .mrc) are verified before
> loading to III. There are only two issues:
> 1. the III configuration might be wrong.
> 2. The III loading module has a bug and it probably does not know how to
> deal with non-English characters.
> 
> Anyone having similar experience or resolving it?
> Thanks,
> Yan

Re: [CODE4LIB] Question abt the code4libwomen idea

[McDonald, Stephen]

I believe the problem is that you somehow read that initial post proposing the 
IRC group as saying it would be exclusively for women.  As far as I can tell, 
no one else read it that way.  If that is your only concern, I believe you can 
be reassured.

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu


> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of
> MJ Ray
> Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2012 12:28 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Question abt the code4libwomen idea
> 
> Tim Donohue 
> > However, I think some/many are taking offense to the implication that
> > 'libtechwomen' is discriminatory or prejudice against men or minority
> > groups just because its name includes "women". [...] To call a group
> > discriminatory just because they initially planned to concentrate on
> > specific gender issues is just wrong (in my opinion).
> 
> Whoa! Hang on a minute!  I don't think the name is great and I feel that we
> could do better for a first support group, but I'm not objecting to either of
> those.
> 
> It's not "just because" either of those and it's rather frustrating if anyone 
> still
> thinks it is.  (Similarly in the other email from Steve, I never meant to 
> suggest
> the "completely spurious" thing.)  My objection arose because the opening
> post in this thread suggested it would be discriminatory:
> https://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-
> bin/wa?A2=ind1212&L=CODE4LIB&F=&S=&P=166649
> described it as a "group for just women".
> 
> There are later emails which claim otherwise. twitter.com/libtechwomen and
> http://libtechwomen.tumblr.com/ don't say either way, as far as I can see (if
> you'll excuse the pun).  I don't really want to hop on IRC and ask because of
> past bad experiences with a previous group.
> 
> Is there clarity that deliberately-discriminatory groups should have no
> platform in code4lib?  And is it sure that libtechwomen is not the
> aforementioned women-only group?
> 
> Thanks
> --
> MJ Ray 
> Setchey, Norfolk, England

Re: [CODE4LIB] Maker Spaces and Academic Libraries

[McDonald, Stephen]

I agree.  These are basically the same reasons we built a Digital Design Studio 
in the
Library last year.  During the past year, the director of the DDS worked 
closely with 
several professors who incorporated multimedia assignments into their 
coursework.  
In addition to an instruction session for each class, there are student staff 
available 
to assist while they use the high-end multimedia design software on 
high-resolution 
screens.  As usage expands, we expect that students will start coming to the 
studio 
on their own for projects they want to do.

I think this may become a trend in academic libraries, moving from "where do I 
get
information" to participating in the entire information life-cycle, from 
identifying 
and selecting information sources to integrating information together, 
presenting 
results, and creating new information.

Steve McDonald
Tufts University
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu


> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of
> Emily Lynema
> Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2012 9:07 AM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Maker Spaces and Academic Libraries
> 
> I find this conversation interesting, mostly because the "why do it"
> reasons given parallel so closely what we are working on at NC State in our
> new library building. Except it doesn't have anything to do with makerspaces!
> 
> Our emphasis is on taking expensive visualization and high performance
> computing capacity and making it available to students all across our campus.
> Some would ask why we are building massive visualization walls and working
> on creating a cloud computing environment where anyone can request
> temporary access to high performance computing in order to build "stuff" to
> render on the visualization walls. And it's just the same as the reason given
> for doing makerspaces in academic libraries: while faculty on fancy grant
> projects have access to high performance computing nodes, nowhere on
> campus is this kind of computing and visualization openly available for
> undergraduate students to creatively use.
> 
> It's neat to see the different directions we go with the same underlying
> reason.
> 
> -emily

Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea

[McDonald, Stephen]

Hm.  And if you collected and recorded the data for some period of time, you 
might be able to use it to convince Building Services (or whoever) to try to 
fix the problem.

> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of
> Junior Tidal
> Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2012 4:09 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
> 
> Hi Ellen,
> 
> I think this is a great idea. If you could collect temperature readings with a
> date/timestamp, you could even create graphs of indoor weather over time.
> Maybe this could be done with a PHP/MySQL script, or even have the
> temperature "tweeted" using the Twitter API?
> 
> I actually had the idea of scraping temperature readings from weather.com
> and running Javascript on our blog to represent the weather. Things like
> snow or changing the brightness of the page if there's overcast.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Junior Tidal
> Assistant Professor
> Web Services and Multimedia Librarian
> New York City College of Technology, CUNY
> 300 Jay Street, Rm A434
> Brooklyn, NY 11201
> 718.260.5481
> 
> http://library.citytech.cuny.edu
> 
> 
> >>> "Ellen K. Wilson"  5/1/2012 3:39
> PM
> >>> >>>
> This is really more of a thought experiment than an actual project, but I
> thought some people might get a kick out of it - maybe someone has even
> done it.
> 
> We are in the process of redesigning our library homepage. During the fall
> semester we had a team of freshmen CIS students do a basic usability and
> design service learning project and we are now incorporating as much of
> their feedback as possible. We'd like to be as student-centric as possible.
> 
> This got me thinking about the top two suggestions in the library's feedback
> box - 1) we want a coffee shop and 2) it's too cold/hot in the library. I 
> figure I
> covered number one by throwing in some Javascript on the page (*groan*)
> but I see an opportunity with the second one. We do have microclimates
> within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's 
> freezing
> on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what 
> if we
> put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed
> their readings on the library homepage?
> 
> So, if one were to attempt this:
> -How would you go about it? (hardware- or software-wise) -Could it be done
> for cheap?
> -Would it be OCLC-approved?
> 
> Best regards,
> Ellen
> 
> DISCLAIMER: The a/c is out in the library (again) and I think the high
> temperatures in my office may be frying my brain.
> 
> --
> Ellen Knowlton Wilson
> Instructional Services Librarian
> Room 250, University Library
> University of South Alabama
> 5901 USA Drive North
> Mobile, AL 36688
> (251) 460-6045
> ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu

Re: [CODE4LIB] copyright/fair use considerations for re-using Seattle World's Fair images

[McDonald, Stephen]

Look at the page for the image you found on Flickr.  Near the bottom of the 
page is a link labeled "Request to license".  If you click that link, it gives 
you directions on how to license that image for your own use through Getty.  
That would be the first thing I would check.  Getty might be in a better 
position to find out the copyright status.  And even if the original artwork is 
no longer under copyright, you might have trouble using this particular image 
of that artwork.  But Getty has people who deal with this type of stuff.

I have no expertise in copyright law.  But because there is that easy link 
right on the page, I suspect that simply using that image without even trying 
the license link it would be viewed as flagrant disregard if there turns out to 
be a problem.

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu


> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of
> Doran, Michael D
> Sent: Friday, December 09, 2011 1:34 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: [CODE4LIB] copyright/fair use considerations for re-using
> Seattle World's Fair images
> 
> I was hoping to re-use/re-purpose a couple of 1962 Seattle World's Fair
> images found on the interwebs [1][2].  Both images were originally
> created for souvenir decals.
> 
> According to the U.S. Copyright Office's "Copyrights Basics" [3]
> section on works originally created and published or registered before
> January 1, 1978, "copyright endured for a first term of 28 years from
> the date it was secured" -- i.e. for these images, from 1962 to 1990.
> It goes on to say that "During the last (28th) year of the first term,
> the copyright was eligible for renewal."  This however, was *not* an
> automatic renewal.
> 
> So, unless the copyright was explicitly renewed in 1990, the images are
> in the public domain.  Since these images were for souvenir decals
> (rather than something like a poster), I'm inclined to think the
> original copyright owner probably didn't renew the copyright.  However,
> I don't know who the original copyright owner is and really have no way
> of finding out, and therefore I can't ascertain whether or not the
> copyright was renewed.
> 
> For those with more experience in copyright, any thoughts regarding
> situations like this?
> 
> I realize this isn't a coding question, but figured I might get some
> helpful responses from those of y'all working in archives and various
> digital projects where copyright issues regularly come up.
> 
> ps  I've eliminated the "Century 21 Exposition" logo in my proposed
> reuse, if that matters (on one image, there is a registered trademark
> symbol next to the logo).  I'm also not retaining the original "Seattle
> World's Fair" text.
> 
> -- Michael
> 
> [1] http://www.flickr.com/photos/hollywoodplace/6007390480/
> 
> [2]
> http://media.photobucket.com/image/seattle%20world%2527s%20fair%20monor
> ail/bananaphone5000/NEWGORILLA/SeattleWFDecal.jpg
> 
> [3] http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf
> 
> # Michael Doran, Systems Librarian
> # University of Texas at Arlington
> # 817-272-5326 office
> # 817-688-1926 mobile
> # do...@uta.edu
> # http://rocky.uta.edu/doran/

Re: [CODE4LIB] Announcing OLAC's prototype FRBR-inspired moving image discovery interface

[McDonald, Stephen]

Susan Kane said:
> This is not my area of expertise ... but  if Work in FRBR doesn't
> mean
> any particular manifestation, expression or item ... what does it mean?
> 
> Do Works live in Plato's world of Ideas where abstracted version of
> things
> exist in a more real and more true sense than any shifty mimes in our
> world
> of sensation and change?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Forms

Sort of.  You could also say that it is similar to a meme.  A Work is 
independent of any particular Manifestation, and has no physical form form 
itself.  When a Work is represented in a physical form, that form is a 
Manifestation.  The Work-Manifestation relationship applies equally to all 
manifestations of the Work.  There can be a first Manifestation of a Work (and 
a library would have little reason to catalog a Work if there were no physical 
Manifestation), but every Manifestation of that Work is just as much a physical 
representation of the Work as any other.  In many ways, it is indeed similar to 
the Platonic Ideal.

> 
> Is it a bit like copyright law -- Works (ideas) can't be copyrighted
> but
> manifestations, expressions and items can?
> 
> Or is Work actually an empty container that doesn't really exist --
> even in
> the World of Ideas hovering over the Earth -- until it is filled with
> at
> least one (manifestation, expression, item)?

I couldn't really say, and I'm not sure that it matters.  Libraries have no 
need to worry about Works which have no Manifestation, so in practice I don't 
find it hard to recognize the Work-Manifestation relationship in the materials 
we actually work with.

> And if so, who chose this particular word?
> 
> Was something wrong with calling it ... Idea?  Or even ... Thing?
> 
> Why work?  Work to me in plain English and even librarianese definitely
> implies a manifested thing, not the idea of thing that transcends any
> particular and specific expression.

Idea and Thing are way too vague for my comfort.  The word Work is already used 
with a definition similar to FRBR's.  When we speak of Shakespeare's works, we 
aren't talking about any particular edition, translation, or adaptation.  We 
are talking about the stories themselves, independent of any physical 
manifestation (unless we are more specific by saying Shakespeare's works in 
English, etc.).  An author working on his masterpiece might call it his life's 
work.  He may wave around the manuscript when saying it, but he really isn't 
talking about the physical document, but the conceptual content of the 
material.  It will still be his life's work when it comes out in first edition, 
and third paperback reprint.  All FRBR has done is take this definition which 
already exists in the English language and refine it into a formal structure 
with other components describing both the physical and conceptual aspects of 
bibliographic material.

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu

Re: [CODE4LIB] simple,flexible ILS for a small library.

[McDonald, Stephen]

> I was only thinking that if any ILS had the ability to handle book
> lending,
> it would be through creative use of ILL, as no other common function
> has
> anything to do with a library borrowing a book.  So, while looking
> through
> available ILSs, ILL was the functionality I was most curious about.
> And I
> agree that even creative use of ILL is probably not good enough.

ILL is a _lot_ more complicated than simple borrowing.  Almost all ILS systems 
have a mechanism to handle simple borrowing.  Only a few are designed to handle 
ILL.

> Out of curiosity, where does the difficulty of implementing borrowing
> come
> in?

It _isn't_ that difficult.  As I said above, it is ILL that is difficult.  If 
what you really want is support for borrowing, then you don't need to require 
ILL support.  Say what you _really_ want, not what you assume you need in order 
to get that.

Steve McDonald
steve.mcdon...@tufts.edu