Jennifer is from the eXtensible Catalog (XC) project based at the University of Rochester. Jennifer’s slides are available online.

This is the ‘local’ approach, as opposed to Roy’s ‘network level’ – but she sees them as complimentary.

What is the eXtensible catalog?

• Set of open-source tools
• Facilitate resource discovery and metadata management
• Software due to release July 2009

The eXtensible catalog has/will have the following features:

• Empower libraries to customize/develop discovery solutions – lower the bar for creating applications on top of the XC s/w
• Integrate library content into various web environments
• Enabling sharing of metadata and software (we are good at the former, but not the latter Jennifer says)
• Expand the role of libraries

There are 13 fte working on the project, including 6 developers, with two metadata consultants (Diane Hillmann and Jon Phipps)

The XC is not an ILS, but will work alongside the ILS using OAI-PMH to move metadata around. There will be out-of-the-box user interface functionality, but Jennifer is stressing this is not the main point – XC is about a toolset.

XC will provide toolsets for customization, web application development, metadata enrichment; an infrastructure to go beyond MARC cataloging.

There is also the concept of the XC Network – moving metadat from the ILS and other repositories that hold metadata into a ‘Metadata Hub’, which can then push metadata out to other applications – the library website, learning environments or custom applications. Also from these external sites, metadata will flow back into the metadata hub when it is enhanced e.g. by user contributions

Alongside this there will be ‘metadata services’ that can be applied to any metadata moving through the hub – this is stuff like content enrichment. Jennifer is going to talk about this more.

The aim is that XC:

• Empowers libraries
• ‘Lowers the bar’ for local development
• works alongside network-level applications
• focuses attention upon needs of local users
• encourages user research

Jennifer saying we need more ‘user research’ to understand what they need, and the aim is that XC will let us focus on this.

There are new roles for catalogers/cataloging

• Design local applications
• Engage in user research

There are challenges – need to:

• Keep an open mind
• Present options, not objections
• Think broadly

We need to ‘make changes’. We need to look beyond what our standards ‘allow’ – rather say ‘the users need it – so how do we do it?’

If we integrate library content into web environments we can bring metadata to new users – more challenges:

• Perceived loss of control
• Rethink standards development
• Need to make legacy metadata as usable as possible

Jennifer noting that some of these have been difficult for her – can be uncomfortable to contemplate – but need to engage.

The XC metadata services will include:

• Normalizations
• Schema transformation
• FRBRization
• Authority enrichment
• Sharing metadata – post-MARC metadata (MARCXML, with enrichments) – includes sharing user generated metadata
• Share metadata enrichment services – libraries can develop and hare additional services

All this suggests new roles for catalogers:

• Design and test metadata services
• manage flow of metadata
• system/application design
• user research

Jennfier rejecting of ‘centralisation’ of cataloguers (note cataloguers not necessarily cataloging I guess)