[Web4lib] MARC strictness

[K.G. Schneider]

> Is this kind of inconsistency a problem, and how do libraries
> handle it?  Do you insist that such errors be corrected (and how
> do you motivate this requirement?), or have you long since given
> up that fight?

It's interesting that Lars' question hasn't been answered so far. It's an
interesting question, one that is important in a big way. I read it as a
much larger question about the value of MARC, which is also a question, at
least in part, about the value of highly structured human-generated
metadata, and about the value and purpose of this metadata in a
search-oriented world.

It intrigues me that the answers so far have provided solutions to the
technical question but have not addressed the question of whether
inconsistency in metadata is worth addressing (and "worth" is a very loaded
word in this context, since metadata is expensive). 

Then again, I could be reading far too much into Lars' question... 

Karen G. Schneider
kgs at bluehighways.com