Offer a Partner Forum to Showcase Metadata Tools

As a follow-up to the successful 2006 RLG Forum on the economics of description, RLG programs is planning an RLG Partner Forum in 2008 to showcase some tools for creating “more, better, faster, cheaper” metadata. The event will bring 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; identify areas where further tool development is needed, and which tools could be components of OCLC grid services.

The tools will be selected among respondents to the 2007 RLG Descriptive Metadata Practices survey (.pdf: 99K/13 pp.) and those who proposed tools in response to an open invitation in December 2007. The focus will be on tools that expedite the creation of descriptive metadata and that can be used by multiple institutions that 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.

Forum details will be posted on the RLG Programs Events page when available.