Re: Dynamic vs. Fixed World Views was Re: MARCXML to Topic Maps? MODS to Topic Maps?

*delurk*

If an ILS can parse a MARC record, why can't a MARC record be parsed into a
Topic Map?  If they really are as rubbish as you claim, how is it possible
to do anything at all with them?  How is it that library programmers have
created things like, say, SolrMarc, and the things built upon them like
VuFind and Blacklight?

Is the situation really so dire?


-marijane

2010/7/18 Alexander Johannesen <[email protected]>

>
> Patrick Durusau <patrick-Q/[email protected]>:


[snip]

 > I think you are way too hung up on the presentation of the data. Sure,
> MARC
> > records are difficult to read, rely on whitespace, etc.
> >
> > All of that is presentation. Don't like that presentation, write another
> one
> > and view it that way.
>
> That's not presentation, Patrick, this is MARC proper. Having various
> characters in your various fields that aren't part of the actual meta
> data, *that* is presentation, and not only that but presentation that
> makes the meta data even less valuable. Have a look (and don't be
> fooled by the XMLishness of this; you'll find this stuff in binary
> MARC as well) ;
>
> <marc:subfield code="a">New York, N.Y. :</marc:subfield>
> <marc:subfield code="b">Atlantic,</marc:subfield>
> <marc:subfield code="c">[1957?]</marc:subfield>
>
> See those : , [ ] stuff? You might think that is presentation, but it
> is not. This is *part* of the MARC standard. Many ILS systems rely on
> these presentation artifacts, because they are assumed to be part of a
> MARC record. I kid you not. And it became standard because back in the
> olden days of 70-80's, when librarians printed out MARC records of
> given books it looked funny and was a bit hard to read, so they added
> this so that it printed nicely. And that is legacy embedded in all
> library systems to this day. Seriously.
>
>

_______________________________________________
topicmapmail mailing list
topicmapmail-Zo64W7twoUFWk0Htik3J/[email protected]
http://www.infoloom.com/mailman/listinfo/topicmapmail