Serials, from a cataloging, search, and retrieval point of view, are currently described and accessed via metadata records. Each record is tied to the title of the journal, newspaper, or magazine. The record might cover a range of years for that publication under its current title, or it might cover the current iteration and previous titles. But in our libraries, to find a serial we look for the appropriate record, usually a MARC record. As we all know, the cataloging rules are changing and RDA will soon replace AACR2 as the content standard for creating MARC records or other library metadata for books and serials.
The Library of Congress has announced that as the cataloging rules are changing, so too will the bibliographic framework change. All signs are pointing toward a new framework built on RDF and linked data. How will the hierarchical model used in RDA operate in a linked data environment? Should future structures and displays use the traditional hierarchical approach, or should they take as a model the web-like structure taking shape for the Semantic Web?
The educational objective of this session is to review today’s MARC-based environment in which the serial record predominates, and compare that with what might be possible in a future world of linked data. The session will inspire conversation and reflection on a number of questions. What will a world of statement-based rather than record-based metadata look like? What will a new environment mean for library systems, workflows, and information dissemination? The presenters will facilitate a lively discussion about the future, with linked data at the center of the discussion. Attendees will gain insight from the presentation and their colleagues, and a deeper understanding of the issues, as well as new ideas for addressing the challenges they face in their own libraries.
