Shawne D. Miksa

Learning from artifacts: metadata utilization analysis

Describes the MARC content designation utilization project, which is examining a very large set of metadata records as artifacts of the library cataloging enterprise. This is the first large-scale examination of descriptive metadata utilization. Presents an overview of study activities and suggests the studys significance to the broader use of metadata in digital libraries

You Need My Metadata : Demonstrating the Value of Library Cataloging

ABSTRACT How do we demonstrate the value of cataloging to doubting library administrators? What sort of data need to be gathered to support this effort? Catalogers face a dilemma in that they often have to endure misunderstanding of their jobs from colleagues, patrons, and, most unfortunately, administrators. If the library cataloging practice is to continue evolving then administrators should be informed of the long- and short-term effects of investing in professional catalogers and cataloging departments. This paper examines cataloging practice from the point of view of library administrators with the aim of clarifying strategies that will ensure both quality of cataloging and the longevity of the cataloging process. In order to do this, we must demonstrate the quality of our work as it relates to funding, information systems, and the indispensable library patrons.

Comparison of MARC Content Designation Utilization in OCLC WorldCat Records with National, Core, and Minimal Level Record Standards

Commonly used fields and subfields in 56 million Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) WorldCat bibliographic records are identified based on the analysis of format-specific record sets and the calculation of utilization thresholds, with the purpose of comparing these elements with existing recommendations by Library of Congress (LC) agencies for national, core, and minimal level records. The background and purposes of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) BIBCO, CONSER, and National and Minimal Level Record Requirements are reviewed. Methodology for conducting the analyses, as well as factors affecting and influencing the analysis methodology, is explained. Results of the comparison of commonly used fields and subfields with the elements prescribed in PCC BIBCO, CONSER, and National and Minimal Level Record Requirements are presented. Results provide standards designers and the cataloging community at large with information to facilitate development of cataloging recommendations and guidelines and inform practice.

Factors influencing faculty attitudes towards open access institutional repositories: Factors Influencing Faculty Attitudes Towards Open Access Institutional Repositories

Open access institutional repositories (OA IR) have increased in popularity in last decade. However, research shows they remain thinly populated in large part due to faculty reluctance to participate. The focus of previous research has been on external factor (social or technological context) and there is a lack of understanding of the internal factors and the psychology of the reluctance. This study investigated the factors affecting faculty participation in IRs and examined the extent to which these factors influenced faculty willingness to participate in IRs by drawing upon the theory of planned behavior and the model of factors affecting faculty self‐archiving.

Quality over time: a longitudinal quantitative analysis of metadata change in RDA-based MARC bibliographic records representing video resources

Everyday hundreds of millions of metadata records provide users access to information. To remain functional, metadata schemas changes in response to shifts in information user needs and standards of information representation. This poster presents results of the longitudinal quantitative analysis of change occurring in a select group of library metadata records over time. This study traces the evolution of a sample of OCLC WorldCat metadata records created in MARC format according to new RDA standard of information representation. The same records were obtained at four data collection points at approximately one year intervals. Findings reveal a significant increase in the number of instances of a variety of metadata elements: both those introduced by the RDA standard and traditional pre‐RDA elements. This study, along with related research, contributes to the understanding of metadata change and its relation to improvements in metadata quality and information access.

A science of public knowledge? Theoretical foundations of LIS. Sponsored by SIG HFIS

In this session, we examine several related aspects of the ongoing quest to map the intellectual structure of our field and to consolidate its theoretical foundations. The conceptual relationships between bibliometrics, informetrics and related fields are explored; the historical connections between classification and information retrieval researchers are examined; and the distinction between information science and information technology is analyzed both bibliometrically and from the perspective of social epistemology.