[TopicMapsInLIS] Inaugurating the list

[Stringer-Hye, Suellen]

Hi Kevin, 

The Library HiTech Article is not yet out and I'm not sure what issue it
will appear in. It is a special issue on innovations for the ILS. 

On your other question, I don't think there is any consensus whatsoever
as I don't think most bibliographers know much about Topic Mapping
technologies and for those that do, and I hate to keep harping on this,
don't have the time or resources to figure out how to use them,
especially for something that is already possible, (if not all that
effective) in straight html. I think that all of the questions you ask
are good ones and many of the answers to them are probably yet unknown.
For example, I assume that bibliographers might want to merge maps but
would they collaborate on PSIs that would make this possible? 

I think that "baby steps" are in order and maybe over time all of the
dreams (wet or not:>) will come true.

---Suellen 

-----Original Message-----
From: topicmapsinlis-bounces at ligent.net
[mailto:topicmapsinlis-bounces at ligent.net] On Behalf Of Kevin Trainor
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 3:32 PM
To: TopicMapsInLIS at ligent.net
Subject: Re: [TopicMapsInLIS] Inaugurating the list

Suellen & Edward,

Thanks for bringing us up to date on your heroic efforts at flying the
Topic
Maps flag in the U.S. LIS world.  Thanks also for sharing your survey
results and presentation slides.

I am looking forward to seeing your article in Library Hi Tech.  Since I
wasn't able to find the article at the Library Hi Tech Web site, I
assume
that it will appear in a future issue.  Of course, I may have just
missed
it.  After all, it is my difficulty in finding things that drives my
interest in Topic Maps.

>From your description of the article, it sounds like you believe that
subject bibliographers are a likely group to build LIS solutions with
Topic
Maps.  This seems consistent with the results of your survey: 60% of
respondents had used Topic Maps for subject gateways.  This is very
consistent with my own thoughts about what would make a good first Topic
Maps application for libraries.

I agree with your suggestion that a vendor-supplied solution would be an
effective way to overcome some of the technical and financial obstacles
in
this application area.  Yet, I am wondering if there might be more
questions
to be explored before we start building the tool.  Is there any
consensus
among subject bibliographers on the requirements for such a tool?  Would
an
end product implemented with such a tool represent a subject gateway?
Are
the requirements for subject gateways well settled?  Would a subject
gateway
based upon Topic Maps technology support more features than other
subject
gateways?  Or, would they just be easier to build/use?  Would subject
bibliographers from different institutions be interested in merging
their
work product?

These are just a few of the questions that I have about Topic Maps in
LIS.
I am very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts on them (as well
as
the thoughts of everyone on the list).

Thanks for getting us off to a good start.

Best Regards,

Kevin

Kevin Trainor
President
Ligent
847-486-8044
ktrainor at ligent.net
www.ligent.net

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