Re: Laundry list for NGC

Yeah, even I think there is no such thing as the One True Identifier.


There could arguably be a preferred search order... sort of the way we
had rules in the military during war games: if building A is blown up,
go to building B; if building B is blown up, go to building C; and my
favorite directive: if building C is blown up, "use your initiative to
survive." It is a case where redundancy and a plurality of signifiers is
a Good Thing. (Lots Of Identifers Keep Stuff Findable?)

K.G. Schneider
kgs <at> bluehighways.com

On Thu, 14 Dec 2006 19:32:18 -0500, "Diane I. Hillmann"
<dih1 <at> CORNELL.EDU> said:
> I think this exchange points up the fallacy that
> we'll be able to specify an "ideal" identifier.
> My suspicion is that instead we'll have to come
> up with a multi-pronged approach whereby whatever
> identifying numbers we have available are used,
> and the identification systems themselves are
> part of the deal and specified unambiguously.  So
> I think we might stop searching for something
> that is the all encompassing "standard" and
> settle for a number with it's numbering system
> identified. It's likely that we'll be dealing
> with "de facto" standards for a long time to come.
>
> Diane
>
> >Except for the ISBN, the UPC/EAN code isn't always stored in
> >bibliographic records created in the US. The numbers that are stored for
> >CDs are the publisher numbers ("Philips 422 416-2") and they are not
> >entered in a consistent format, unfortunately. UPC/EANs do seem to be
> >showing up on newer CD records. So getting a link to CDs is going to
> >take some thought. (I looked on Amazon, and CDs seem to be identified
> >only by the ASIN, which Amazon assigns when there isn't another reliable
> >identifier.)
> >
> >I imagine that DVDs will be equally difficult.
> >
> >kc
> >
> >Lynn Reynish wrote:
> >>Hmmmm.... UPC/EAN-code may indeed be an alternative. It would certainly
> >>be no worse than an ISBN.
> >>
> >>Lynn
> >>
> >>Anders Ringnér wrote:
> >>>From: "Lynn Reynish" <lreynish <at> RPL.REGINA.SK.CA>
> >>>>This does sound like a great project. However, I will note that ISBN is
> >>>>probably not enough if you want to include CDs and DVDs - most of which
> >>>>don't have ISBNs. Amazon uses an ASIN for these items but I'm not
> >>>>sure if
> >>>>there are any widespread standard numbers in use for CDs or DVDs
> >>>>outside
> >>>>of mainstream Western classical/pop/rock music (which often has a music
> >>>>number). ISBNs have their own problems of course - but at least they
> >>>>exist
> >>>>for a lot of items.
> >>>
> >>>Would using the UPC/EAN-code be an alternative? If we then converted all
> >>>ISBN-10 to ISBN-13, which in fact is identical to the EAN, we'd end up
> >>>with
> >>>the same style of numbers for all objects, regardless of format (book,
> >>>CD,
> >>>DVD and so on). All pictures would be stored by their EAN-code.
> >>>
> >>>/Anders
> >>
> >>--
> >>Lynn Reynish
> >>ILS Librarian
> >>Regina Public Library
> >>lreynish <at> reginalibrary.ca
> >>
> >
> >--
> >-----------------------------------
> >Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
> >kcoyle <at> kcoyle.net http://www.kcoyle.net
> >ph.: 510-540-7596
> >fx.: 510-848-3913
> >mo.: 510-435-8234
> >------------------------------------
>
>
> --
> *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
> Diane I. Hillmann
> Research Librarian
> Cornell University Library
> Email: dih1 <at> cornell.edu
> Voice: (607) 387-9207
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