[WEB4LIB] RE: Open Worldcat
Teets,Mike
teetsm at oclc.org
Wed Dec 8 14:58:59 EST 2004
Laura,
Chip is traveling today but I can clarify a few things...
2 million records were made available in the pilot and were indexed by
Google and Yahoo. The entire 57 million set was made available a few
weeks ago as part of the transition from the pilot. Both partners have
begun indexing but it is difficult to put an exact number on which are
currently available on their sites. It is still closer to the 2M number
than the 57M.
OCLC has currently not received any financial gain from the Open
WorldCat program. $0.00.
As far as the metadata, holdings and access: The metadata exposed to the
search engines points back into OCLC systems with the first click.
These systems use FirstSearch profiles and services to route users to
services. While the pilot exposed holdings to anyone, it will likely be
managed in the future using the same policies as a FirstSearch user
would see. For example, in the current pilot we use FirstSearch IP
address recognition to display FirstSearch features to OWC users. More
authentication options are being planned as well as more features
available to authenticated users.
The best way to think about this is that many users are starting
research in the web search engines. This program reaches out to them
and brings them back to the services the library is already funding for
them. Whether you choose the FirstSearch skin, Google skin or Yahoo
skin, the services underneath are the same components you are used to
using.
Mike Teets, OCLC
-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Laura Cohen
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2004 9:57 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [WEB4LIB] RE: WEB4LIB digest 3568
Chip,
Thanks for your message. I find it interesting on several levels.
- You state that you've made "a subset of records available to selected
partners." Your original message stated that you "posted the entire
Worldcat
collection of 57 million records for harvesting by the search engines."
Whould you please clarify this apparent discrepancy?
- I am still unclear about any financial gain that OCLC is *currently*
receiving from Open WorldCat. You addressed future possibilities.
- You are splitting hairs to some extent when addressing what you make
available to your partners in relation to the free access by end users
to
WorldCat data. While it is true that you're giving a certain amount of
metadata to your partners, from there users can freely access local
holdings
information.
I'll admit I don't quite understand WorldCat as "private" and Open
WorldCat
as "outreach." I think libraries need to decide if the additional
metadata
and relative sophistication of the FirstSearch interface is worth the
current costs of providing access to it. This will increasingly become
the
case as Open WorldCat becomes more feature-rich. In my view, the funding
model needs to be re-examined. Based on what? The amount of metadata
made
available? Search options? At the very least, in my view, if you are
syndicating WorldCat to other partners, the libraries that provide this
content should share in the profits of this syndication. I'm sure the
library community would appreciate a discussion on this topic with you.
Laura Cohen
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2004 08:05:16 -0500
From: "Nilges,Chip" <nilgesc at oclc.org>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <web4lib at webjunction.org>
Subject: RE: Open WorldCat Pilot: A User's Perspective
Message-ID:
<A26406E8DCF51B4F8B1DDA74E9F7F7A61B4935 at OAEXCH1SERVER.oa.oclc.org>
Laura,
Thanks for your post about Open WorldCat. In response to your 2
questions
from late last week . . .
Question 1: Now that you've begun the process of handing over WorldCat
to
successful businesses that will provide free access to its contents,
when
will OCLC stop charging libraries (who of course provide this
content) for access to WorldCat through FirstSearch?
First, let me be very clear on one point: we did not "hand" WorldCat
over
to anyone! (We take our job as stewards of the membership's assets very
seriously.) We've made a subset of records available to selected
partners,
and we have released only a small portion of each record to the partner
--
only as much metadata as is needed to support effective discovery of
library
materials within the partner's sites. Moreover, our contracts with
partners
protect the rights of OCLC and its membership to this content. It's
also
important to understand that none of the holdings data is being supplied
to
partners. Users who encounter WorldCat metadata on a partner site and
opt to
click on the link come to an OCLC server for access to holdings
information
and links to local library services.
The second half of the question, regarding funding models, is
interesting.
Currently, WorldCat is a "paid search" service. Libraries purchase
subscriptions, which entitle them to provide access to staff and patrons
affiliated with their institution. Open WorldCat extends this model by
placing pointers to library collections in open Web sites and directing
users who encounter those pointers back to the library for service. In
other words, Open WorldCat is a directory service: libraries can use it
to
make their collections known and available to patrons from popular
search
engines and Web sites, where patrons often begin their search for
information. We view the two services -- WorldCat on FirstSearch and
Open
WorldCat -- as two sides of the same "discovery" coin. WorldCat on
FirstSearch is a "private" service that is highly configurable and
supports
very sophisticated searching, alone and in combination with other
databases.
Open WorldCat is an outreach program, which alerts the Web surfer to the
availability of library materials and connects them to the library for
local
service. The Web demands both approaches: a vertical search site
(WorldCat), tailored to the discovery needs of the community; and a
syndication program (Open
WorldCat) that seeks to integrate library collections at the point of
need
in other services. Because of this necessary symbiosis between WorldCat
as
a library search tool and WorldCat as a library "syndication"
cooperative,
we are including participation in Open WorldCat as part of a library's
subscription to WorldCat on FirstSearch.
Question 2: What, if any, financial gain is OCLC receiving from its
partnership with Google, Yahoo and other partners? This would be of
interest
to those of us following open access scholarship.
To date, the project has been a learning experience for all involved.
We've
devoted resources to this project, and so have our partners. This
doesn't
rule out the possibility that we will consider employing what have
become
traditional models for generating revenue on the Open Web, if these
approaches create value for the community we serve. An increasing
number of
libraries are partnering with best-in-class commercial entities, in an
effort to improve patron service and fund their activities. If the
integration of WorldCat with the open Web creates opportunities to
provide
the membership opportunities to deliver improved service through a
commercial partnership, we'll consider them.
I hope this helps, Laura. I would be very interested to hear ideas
anyone
on the list may have on either or both of theses questions.
Chip
Chip Nilges
OCLC
-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Laura Cohen
Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 10:34 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [WEB4LIB] RE: Open WorldCat Pilot: A User's Perspective
Chip and Mike:
Interesting posting. This leads me to a couple of questions about the
financial side of things.
1. Now that you've begun the process of handing over WorldCat to
successful
businesses that will provide free access to its contents, when will OCLC
stop charging libraries (who of course provide this
content) for access to WorldCat through FirstSearch?
2. What, if any, financial gain is OCLC receiving from its partnership
with
Google, Yahoo and other partners? This would be of interest to those of
us
following open access scholarship.
------------------------------------------
Laura B. Cohen
Library Web Administrator
LI-140 University at Albany
Albany, NY 12222
Tel: (518) 442-3492 Fax: (518) 442-3567
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 13:23:49 -0500
From: "Teets,Mike" <teetsm at oclc.org>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <web4lib at webjunction.org>
Subject: RE: Open WorldCat Pilot: A User's Perspective
Message-ID:
<35A72025A61EE3488E4CF824C717F70EA607FB at OAEXCH1SERVER.oa.oclc.org>
Open WorldCat is a work in progress. We launched the project almost one
year ago with a simple goal -- to help libraries make their collections
visible and available at the point of need on the open Web. Since that
time, we've made a number of enhancements, some planned and others in
response to requests from the membership/library community.
Some recent developments:
- A few weeks ago, we posted the entire Worldcat collection of 57
million
records for harvesting by the search engines. (Before then, only 2
million
records were available for harvest.) Additional records will begin
appearing
as the search engines incorporate them into their
systems.
- Earlier in November, we added hot linked subject headings that users
can
follow to view a list of all items with the same subject heading in Open
WorldCat, in order to facilitate subject access to WorldCat.
- In December and January we will begin adding features to address the
issue addressed in the post below regarding grouping holdings for
multiple
iterations/versions of an item. These features will include the ability
to
retrieve and see holdings for other items with the same author & title
and,
possibly, hot-linked author and titles. We are also thinking about
applications of XISBN, which returns a list of associated ISBNs for a
given
ISBN, and the FRBR algorithm for reducing duplicate records.
- In the next few weeks, we will be providing a section of the Open
Worldcat
informational page featuring user contributed "cool tools" based on Open
Worldcat. It will be at the same location
http://www.oclc.org/worldcat/open/default.htm
- On an ongoing basis, we are talking regularly with potential new
partners
for Open WorldCat and are actively building our directories of OPAC and
OpenURL links, in an effort to improve the likelihood that user who
encounters Open WorldCat will be able to get to a local libraries
catalog or
OpenURL resolver for service. (Any OCLC member library can update their
links at https://www3.oclc.org/app/openwc/ ) We are also doing some
manual
creation of these links as time allows.
This has been a very interesting project for us at OCLC. We hope that
it is
providing the community with a valuable service, and that it is also
serving
as a catalyst for further exploration of the huge potential for
collaboration that we believe exists between libraries and open Web
information sites. We are very happy to see the interest the project
has
generated, through discussion like this one, comments from users, and
the
rapid growth in activity we've seen over the past few months. Libraries
obviously have a central role to play in public access to information,
and
it is our job to help in any way that we can.
Chip Nilges, nilgesc at oclc.org
Executive Director, WorldCat Content & Global Access
Mike Teets, teetsm at oclc.org
Executive Director, Product Architecture and Development
------------------------------------------
Laura B. Cohen
Library Web Administrator
LI-140 University at Albany
Albany, NY 12222
Tel: (518) 442-3492 Fax: (518) 442-3567
------------------------------
End of WEB4LIB Digest 3568
**************************
More information about the Web4lib
mailing list