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Worldwide (English) Change

RLG Programs Metadata Tools Forum

Open to RLG Partner staff only

May 8, 2008
Boston Public Library

As a follow-up to the successful 2006 RLG Forum on the economics of description, the RLG Programs Metadata Tools Forum will showcase some tools for creating "more, better, faster, cheaper" metadata. We are bringing together developers and implementers, allowing tool developers to showcase their tools and implementers a chance to consider which tools might be usefully employed in their institutions. We expect that the forum will also provide guidance and feedback to the research community and identify areas where further tool development is needed.

Respondents to the 2007 RLG Descriptive Metadata Practices survey (.pdf: 99K/13 pp.) cited more than 260 tools used for creating, editing, and storing metadata. This forum is focusing on tools that expedite metadata creation or editing that can be used by multiple institutions and do not require purchasing a new system—tools that rely on commonly available software most institutions would already have in-house or that are based on open source components.

Tool Presenters

  • Jim LeBlanc, Cornell University. Tool: "LS Tools" to extract, import, export, modify, reload MARC records in batch using a Web interface.
  • Michael Park, Brown University. Tool: A metadata tool for creating and editing MODS records using XForms technology which can be used with many different types of digital asset management systems.
  • Mark Phillips, University of North Texas. Tool: Metadata analysis tools to identify various types of problems.
  • Terry Reese, Oregon State University. Tool: MARCEdit, an application for database maintenance including a MARC validator and URL checker.
  • Scott Schwartz, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Tool: Archon, a Web-based tool for archivists and manuscript curators that publishes archival descriptive information and digital archival objects to a Web site.
  • Brad Westbrook, University of California, San Diego. Tool: Archivists' Toolkit, an open source archival data management system.
  • David Williamson, Library of Congress. Tool: WebCat Assistant, an application that converts an abstract page on the Web for a PDF paper into a MARC record, with an automatic notification service when Web sites change.
  • Raphael Villena, University of California, Los Angeles. Tool: UCLA's version of LC's WebCat Assistant to create records for series of papers deposited in the e-Scholarship Repository at California Digital Library.
  • Wan Wong, National Library of Australia. Tool: Web-based tool for subject heading and classification selection.

RLG Partners are invited to join us in Boston and share their ideas and experiences; meet new colleagues and help identify areas for further development.

Questions about the agenda or schedule? Get in touch! or Register Now!

Merrilee Proffitt proffitm@oclc.org
Karen Smith-Yoshimura smithyok@oclc.org
Roy Tennant tennantr@oclc.org
RLG Programs, OCLC Programs and Research

We have arranged for a block of hotel rooms at a discounted rate. Reservation details are available here.

Agenda

Thursday, May 8, 2008
Boston Public Library

9:00 a.m.

Welcome, context for the day, review questions distributed before the meeting to think about during interactive sessions 

9:30

Lightning round: each of eight tool developers speaks for no more than 7 minutes to describe the tool, why it was developed, what it does

10:30

Tool showcase I, four tools showcased in concurrent sessions, and people visit as they like

Noon

Lunch break

1:30 p.m.

Tool showcase II, other four tools showcased in concurrent sessions, and people visit as they like

3:00

Discussion. The types of questions to be addressed based on the demonstrations:
  • What tools show the most promise for meeting a community need?
  • What gaps did people see that should be addressed?
  • Where is further tool development needed?

4:30

Adjourn

Area Details:

  • Boston Public Library is located at 700 Boylston Street, right at Copley Square. Guests should enter the Dartmouth Street entrance (between Boylston and St. James).
  • There are a number of lunch spots at Copley Square, including Au Bon Pain, Pizzaria Uno, Atlantic Fish Co. and the Prudential Center Food Court. There are also many restaurants along Boylston Street.