“Textbases and Databases: Integrating Library Catalogs
with Digital Libraries”
Perry
Willet
Indiana University, USA
Online Public Access Catalogs (OPACs) in libraries now include bibliographic records
for WWW sites. In most or all cases, these records contain direct links to the web
resources themselves, so that someone using a WWW-based catalog could go directly
from a bibliographic description of a website to the website itself, just by
clicking on the URL in the catalog record. OPACs also have records for individual
items within digital libraries, so that readers will be aware of the existence of a
particular text or digital object within larger collections.
However, once someone leaves the OPAC and enters a digital library on the WWW, the
advantages of careful bibliographic control may be lost. Most digital libraries are
based on SGML-encoded files, whether full-text TEI-encoded files, or Encoded
Archival Description (EAD) formatted finding aids (or some other markup language)
while library catalogs use records in the MAchine Readable Cataloging (MARC) format.
It will become increasingly important to find ways to get these SGML-based digital
libraries to interact with MARC-based library catalogs.
In cataloging an item, catalogers spend time determining bibliographic information
and forms of names and titles as a way of making sure the item is exactly described.
Also, subject headings for each item are determined. By not providing links to
online catalog records or including full information within the digital library
searching and browsing mechanisms, readers may be misdirected or misinformed. The
issue is more complex than reproducing or reformatting a MARC record within the TEI
or EAD Header. There are at least three reasons why digital libraries should be
linked dynamically to online library catalogs:
- 1. The difficulties presented by names
- 2. Accepted forms of names and subject headings change
- 3. Digital libraries may combine both cataloged and uncataloged materials