> >>> [log in to unmask] 09.03.2006 00:05 >>>
> On 3/8/06, Ian Nebe Barnett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Ed's point about the tags being tied to the submitting user so that
> > obvious troublemakers can be blocked is a good one - one that should have
> > occurred to me, but that's why we're having the discussion.  That doesn't
> > address more subtle problems - theoretically, having a large enough
> > userbase to drown out the ignorant or malicious entries with good ones
> > will take care of it, but not everyone has enough users (that will
> > actually enter tags) to make that work.
>
> Actually, this is the best point of all --  (in general) our communities are
> /quite/ small and our collections /quite/ large.  Trying to figure out how
> to make the tagging and other user-added input statistically significant is
> something we've been struggling with here for the greater part of a year.
> The logical choice is to open the collection up to other communities, but
> then we struggle with the accountability issue.

I think the problem of large collections and small communities is an important one, and well described. One solution could perhaps be to build tagging etc. into a service outside of the catalog itself, and let this service span several catalogs/communities. I tried describing this scenario a while back here:
http://www.enger.priv.no/?focus=blog&id=1424

> And then there's the issue (in the case of our collection, at least) of not
> being terribly sure if the collection is anything that anybody would really
> /want/ to add content to.
>
> I think it's much more likely that our users would prefer to tag the content
> we license, rather than that which we own.

Another important point! Much of the focus of the Library 2.0 "debate" has focused on catalogs, leaving out the (at least to academic libraries) very important licensed databases and content. But rather than despairing over what we can't do with this content, maybe we could come up with some creative uses for the increasing amounts of Open Access materials available in OA journals and repositories?

> -Ross.

Magnus Enger
Bibliotekar / Librarian

Høgskolen i Bodø / Bodø Regional University
Biblioteket / The Library
N-8049 BODØ
Norge / Norway

http://www.bibliotek.hibo.no/