Initial project of ISBD/XML Study Group
Goals and objectives
IFLA Cataloguing Section's ISBD Review Group approved the
recommendations from its Material Designation Study Group to develop an XML Schema
for the ISBD. This has been considered important for the ISBD Updating
Project from the aspect of researching into the possibilities of
reviewing ISBD concepts and the standard itself by the application of
web technologies to the field such as building an ISBD-XML schema, and
of evolving the standard into a tool open to Semantic Web
technologies and services. The ISBD/XML Study Group was formed and
accepted by the Cataloguing Section Standing Committee during the IFLA
meeting in Quebec, 2008.
The main goals of the project are (1) to build a
consensus on the raison d'être of moving the ISBD into the web
environment, and define possible uses of such a product, (2) to develop
an ISBD-XML schema, (3) to ensure the interoperability of the product
with similar ones such as MARC/DCXML schemas, at least at the conceptual
level, within the current Semantic Web technologies and services, (4)
to liaise with relevant constituencies in the field, and (5) to propose
further development of software tools and services.
Due to the fact that it will not be possible to develop appropriate
software tools and services within the proposed two-year project, and
due to the rapid changes of web technologies, the primary objective
of the ISBD/XML Study Group in this project is to position the ISBD as a
relevant factor in assessing structured bibliographic information in
the global information environment.
Methodology
The methodology will be based on the above goals:
- build consensus and define uses of an ISBD-XML set of tools
- identify and contact a consultant, preferably someone who would liaise between ISBD/XML SG and Semantic Web communities
- identify and contract an XML expert for the purposes of building the ISBD-XML schema
- identify and define bibliographic and/or related XML schemas to verify the possibilities of interoperability
- identify necessary procedures to position ISBD within the Semantic Web environment
Timeline
Beginning of the project (January 2009) - August 2009 (IFLA Conference; 1st meeting):
-
build consensus and define uses of an ISBD-XML set of tools:
preliminary report to be presented to the ISBD Review Group and
Cataloguing Section for discussion and acceptance - identify and contact a consultant, preferably someone who would liaise between ISBD/XML SG and Semantic Web communities
- identify and contract an XML expert
August 2009 - March 2010 (2nd face-to-face meeting):
(1) XML expert to purpose and build the first draft of an ISBD-XML schema; ISBD/XML SG members to consult and comment
(2) ISBD/XML SG members work with the consultant (liaison) to identify
and define bibliographic and/or related XML schemas to verify the
possibilities of interoperability: preliminary report discussed
March 2010 - August 2010 (IFLA Conference; 3rd meeting)
- XML expert to build the first draft of an ISBD-XML schema; ISBD/XML SG members to consult and comment
-
ISBD/XML SG members with the consultant (liaison): draft report on the
interoperability to be presented to the ISBD Review Group and
Cataloguing Section for discussion and acceptance -
ISBD/XML SG members with the consultant (liaison) to identify necessary
procedures to position ISBD within the Semantic Web environment: draft
report to be presented to the ISBD Review Group and Cataloguing Section
for discussion and acceptance - Presentation of the interim results at the IFLA Conference workshop/session
August 2010 - January 2011 (end of the project)
- Finalize the ISBD-XML schema
- Finalize documentation
It is expected that the ISBD/XML SG will have its 4th face-to-face
meeting in late Nov./early Dec. 2010 to finalize the documentation.
Anticipated beneficiaries and stakeholders
It is anticipated that the result of the project will be primarily the
(re)positioning of the IFLA standard and its values of enabling
provision and (re)use of authoritative structured bibliographic
information in the Internet environment. The anticipated beneficiaries
and stakeholders will all be interested in producing/sharing/(re)using
authoritative bibliographic information in the web environment. This is
in accord with the core values defined in the IFLA Statutes,
article 2.3.2: "b) the belief that people, communities and
organizations need universal and equitable access to information, ideas
and works of imagination for their social, educational, cultural,
democratic and economic well-being".
Expected outcomes and results and how these will be disseminated
The expected outcomes are:
- Document on the use and application of the ISBD-XML
- ISBD-XML schema
- Document on the directions of further actions to position ISBD within the Semantic Web environment
The project's outcomes will be presented at the Cataloguing Section and
ISBD Review Group's workshops during the IFLA conferences, published in
relevant journals, while the ISBD Schema and all relevant documentation
will be published on the IFLA website following their approval by the
Review Group and Cataloguing Section.
Contribution to IFLA priorities
This project should be attached to IFLA's profession pillar. One of the aims of the IFLA-CDNL Alliance for Digital Strategies (ICADS) is to focus on digital library issues and standards.
This project can be seen as a constituent part of the Cataloguing Section's Strategic Plan 2007-2009: "3.2 Begin the work on the first revision to the consolidated ISBD for publication in 2009".
Plan of follow-up action
Taking into consideration that the present proposed project's two basic
goals are to identify the relevant issues of new environment for the
ISBD as a web content standard and to build the basic tool such as an
ISBD-XML schema, it is realistic to predict a follow-up project that
will aim at developing software tools and services appropriate to the
then-current web technologies.
Last update: 5 October 2012