- Email: [email protected]
Digital Preservation and Metadata: History, Theory, Practice
330
Book Reviews / Libr. Coll. Acq. & Tech. Serv. 26 (2002) 329 –334
Overall, this is a basic introduction to cataloging for the novice student or beginning staff member. It provides a starting point and builds a foundation from which those interested in pursuing a career in cataloging should progress. It zips the reader through a variety of cataloging concepts without going into much depth on any of them. I think that certain sections of the text can be dropped as outdated, i.e. sections on closing the catalog and filing. I also found the book to be very OCLC-centric. Although not necessarily a distraction, readers should be aware of other bibliographic utilities. This is recommended for libraries supporting library/information studies programs. Rosann Bazirjian Pennsylvania State University Libraries 507 Paterno Library University Park, PA 16802 E-mail address: [email protected] PII S1464-9055(02)00255-5
Digital Preservation and Metadata: History, Theory, Practice By Susan S. Lazinger. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2001. 359 pp. price not reported soft ISBN 1563087774 At first glance, one might shy away from the subject of digital preservation, considering it to be too technical or narrow in scope. The challenges facing the information society with regard to digital preservation are daunting. One will not find this volume daunting, however, since Lazinger is successful in writing a wonderful mix of enlightening and inviting background and current practice descriptions and discussion. She argues that it is our digital heritage at stake, and that the subject is of importance to information professionals generally, as well as others concerned with how a permanent record is achieved. Divided into nine chapters, Digital Preservation and Metadata: History, Theory, Practice strives to present and answer the basic questions of why, what, who, how, and how much in relation to the topic, followed by a nicely framed discussion of metadata standards, frameworks and wrappers, and an extensive list of current initiatives. The volume includes a helpful table of contents, lengthy bibliography and useful index. Lazinger calls identification and selecting the “first act” of preservation. Collection development of digital resources includes a layer of complexity not found in the usual selection approach, and one that calls into question factors not relevant to print resources, such as version selection, different (and shorter) decision-making workflow, the dynamic nature of the resources, and fundamental questions related to how much should be preserved. The appeal to a wider audience is again suggested in the definition of stakeholder, in which Lazinger includes such traditional players as publishers, distributors, systems administrators, librarians, archivists and users, but also a yet-to-be identified group—anyone interested in some aspect of digital information. Lazinger believes that the roles among the stakeholders will be distributed, even though to date libraries have been at the forefront in
Book Reviews / Libr. Coll. Acq. & Tech. Serv. 26 (2002) 329 –334
331
researching and implementing digital information policies. She states that “the traditions of stewardship and best practices institutionalized in the print environment are not always adequate, appropriate or well-known among the changed groups of stakeholders in the electronic era of digital objects.” Refreshing, migrating and emulating are practices covered in Lazinger’s discussion of “how” or dealing with the “cycle of obsolescence.” This first part of the volume, covering issues, concludes with information about factors that can affect cost, such as who carries out the digitization, the types of materials used, an analysis of the general condition of the material and metadata creation. The second part of the book, called Models, Formats and Standards, deals with metadata and current projects. In Chapter 6 Lazinger describes uses and values of metadata, defining metadata to include its traditional sense and “the management and preservation of the information package being described.” She continues with a detailed summary of the various categories of metadata, drawing relationships between semantic, syntactic and structural interoperability. Metadata initiatives are presented, including the Z39.50 Interoperability Test Bed Project, Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, Global Information Locator Service, and the Web-based FGDC Metadata Entry System. The volume concludes with an interesting list of initiatives, compiled by Professor Helen Tibbo of the University of North Carolina, providing “some key social science data archives, humanities text . . . centers, and cultural heritage digital ‘libraries’.” This comprehensive volume leaves the reader with an understanding of the many current questions, offering him sound insights and a presentation of the subject that begs involvement for those working closely with these issues as well as for those interested in the broader subject of the challenges of creating and maintaining a permanent record. Laura A. Sill Systems Librarian 213 Hesburgh Library University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN 46556 E-mail address: [email protected] PII S1464-9055(02)00250-6
Managing Cataloging and the Organization of Information: Philosophies, Practices and Challenges at the Onset of the 21st Century Ed. by Ruth C. Carter. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Information Press, 2000. 405 pp. price not reported hard ISBN 0789013126 (also published as Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 30, 1 and 2/3) The 22 articles in this compilation represent mostly academic views of current practice in technical services. The two opening papers are written from national perspectives: in “Managing Cataloging and Cataloging Operations—2000 and Beyond at the Library of Congress,” Beacher Wiggins focuses on initiatives and innovations underway as the LC
Book Reviews / Libr. Coll. Acq. & Tech. Serv. 26 (2002) 329 –334
Overall, this is a basic introduction to cataloging for the novice student or beginning staff member. It provides a starting point and builds a foundation from which those interested in pursuing a career in cataloging should progress. It zips the reader through a variety of cataloging concepts without going into much depth on any of them. I think that certain sections of the text can be dropped as outdated, i.e. sections on closing the catalog and filing. I also found the book to be very OCLC-centric. Although not necessarily a distraction, readers should be aware of other bibliographic utilities. This is recommended for libraries supporting library/information studies programs. Rosann Bazirjian Pennsylvania State University Libraries 507 Paterno Library University Park, PA 16802 E-mail address: [email protected] PII S1464-9055(02)00255-5
Digital Preservation and Metadata: History, Theory, Practice By Susan S. Lazinger. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2001. 359 pp. price not reported soft ISBN 1563087774 At first glance, one might shy away from the subject of digital preservation, considering it to be too technical or narrow in scope. The challenges facing the information society with regard to digital preservation are daunting. One will not find this volume daunting, however, since Lazinger is successful in writing a wonderful mix of enlightening and inviting background and current practice descriptions and discussion. She argues that it is our digital heritage at stake, and that the subject is of importance to information professionals generally, as well as others concerned with how a permanent record is achieved. Divided into nine chapters, Digital Preservation and Metadata: History, Theory, Practice strives to present and answer the basic questions of why, what, who, how, and how much in relation to the topic, followed by a nicely framed discussion of metadata standards, frameworks and wrappers, and an extensive list of current initiatives. The volume includes a helpful table of contents, lengthy bibliography and useful index. Lazinger calls identification and selecting the “first act” of preservation. Collection development of digital resources includes a layer of complexity not found in the usual selection approach, and one that calls into question factors not relevant to print resources, such as version selection, different (and shorter) decision-making workflow, the dynamic nature of the resources, and fundamental questions related to how much should be preserved. The appeal to a wider audience is again suggested in the definition of stakeholder, in which Lazinger includes such traditional players as publishers, distributors, systems administrators, librarians, archivists and users, but also a yet-to-be identified group—anyone interested in some aspect of digital information. Lazinger believes that the roles among the stakeholders will be distributed, even though to date libraries have been at the forefront in
Book Reviews / Libr. Coll. Acq. & Tech. Serv. 26 (2002) 329 –334
331
researching and implementing digital information policies. She states that “the traditions of stewardship and best practices institutionalized in the print environment are not always adequate, appropriate or well-known among the changed groups of stakeholders in the electronic era of digital objects.” Refreshing, migrating and emulating are practices covered in Lazinger’s discussion of “how” or dealing with the “cycle of obsolescence.” This first part of the volume, covering issues, concludes with information about factors that can affect cost, such as who carries out the digitization, the types of materials used, an analysis of the general condition of the material and metadata creation. The second part of the book, called Models, Formats and Standards, deals with metadata and current projects. In Chapter 6 Lazinger describes uses and values of metadata, defining metadata to include its traditional sense and “the management and preservation of the information package being described.” She continues with a detailed summary of the various categories of metadata, drawing relationships between semantic, syntactic and structural interoperability. Metadata initiatives are presented, including the Z39.50 Interoperability Test Bed Project, Dublin Core Metadata Initiative, Global Information Locator Service, and the Web-based FGDC Metadata Entry System. The volume concludes with an interesting list of initiatives, compiled by Professor Helen Tibbo of the University of North Carolina, providing “some key social science data archives, humanities text . . . centers, and cultural heritage digital ‘libraries’.” This comprehensive volume leaves the reader with an understanding of the many current questions, offering him sound insights and a presentation of the subject that begs involvement for those working closely with these issues as well as for those interested in the broader subject of the challenges of creating and maintaining a permanent record. Laura A. Sill Systems Librarian 213 Hesburgh Library University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN 46556 E-mail address: [email protected] PII S1464-9055(02)00250-6
Managing Cataloging and the Organization of Information: Philosophies, Practices and Challenges at the Onset of the 21st Century Ed. by Ruth C. Carter. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Information Press, 2000. 405 pp. price not reported hard ISBN 0789013126 (also published as Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 30, 1 and 2/3) The 22 articles in this compilation represent mostly academic views of current practice in technical services. The two opening papers are written from national perspectives: in “Managing Cataloging and Cataloging Operations—2000 and Beyond at the Library of Congress,” Beacher Wiggins focuses on initiatives and innovations underway as the LC