On 9/25/07, Andrew Nagy <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> This topic came up a few weeks ago on code4lib too, where were you Ed!? :)

Sorry Andrew, I was probably busy executing @blockparty in #code4lib :-)

> > I will echo something that Roy mentioned in the thread from a few weeks back, would the LOC be willing to create a web service where you could supply a call number and it would return the heirarchy of topic areas for that number?

It's a good idea. I know there's significant interest here at LC to
follow OCLC's lead in making data and services available to the
public. In particular I know there's a rich API hiding behind the NDNP
aka ChroniclingAmerica [1] project that's waiting to be documented and
released. I'm personally hopeful that we'll see some of these services
and data feeds emerge in the coming year.

I don't know if Roy mentioned this when it came up, but Rob Sanderson
(azaroth) actually added a simple server [2], and a mod_python handler
[3] to that skos code I pointed at in the previous email. So you could
run the service yourself. Of course the point of running it at LC
would be that it could be kept up to date, and hopefully would be more
than just the outline.

Maybe a bunch of us could get together and brainstorm about what some
services and feeds could look like at the next code4libcon?

//Ed

[1] http://www.loc.gov/chroniclingamerica/
[2] http://www.inkdroid.org/svn/lcco-skos/trunk/rdfizer/lccn/server.py
[3] http://www.inkdroid.org/svn/lcco-skos/trunk/rdfizer/lccn/handler.py

//Ed