So the other question is whether metadata gets updated at Google. I have
had the experience with non-librarians working on library (and other)
bibliographic data that they don't realize that the records get updated
at the source and need to be updated in the receiver's database. When
Google gets data from libraries or from Amazon, does it process updates
from those sources on the records it already has? How is metadata (or is
metdata) ever corrected?

kc

Boheemen, Peter van wrote:
> It gets its metadata in different ways. the strange thing about this
> example however, is that in the metadata of this specific book at Google
> the correct ISBN is shown !! (well I presume ii ts the correct isbn
> (ISBN 0851993575) However, it can not be found with a query on this
> ISBN, but it is found on an incorrect isbn:0851992544
>
> Peter
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Karen Coyle
> Sent: dinsdag 18 maart 2008 1:16
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Free covers from Google
>
> I've seen this frequently in publisher data -- especially from small
> publishers. Their metadata goes out with the same ISBN for every book
> they publish. I don't know if this gets corrected later (I assume it
> does to make the ordering process work). My guess is that they send out
> the first metadata before they've gotten an ISBN assigned to the book,
> so they just re-use one because the ISBN is required.
>
> In the few examples I saw, the Amazon records had the correct ISBN, but
> the Library of Congress records had the wrong ISBN that was originally
> (presumably) transmitted. The publishers have an incentive to keep
> Amazon up to date and correct (and perhaps also the bookstore databases
> and Books in Print).
>
> The real question is: where is Google getting its metadata, and what is
> it doing with metadata from different sources for the same item?
>
> kc
>
> Boheemen, Peter van wrote:
>> Hmm, just found an example where Google clearly does something wrong:
>> Look at: http://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/catalog/lang/948125
>>
>> It shows a cover and links to the wrong book !!!
>> The look up is based on isbn 0851992544, but this book has got isbn
> 0851993575 and this is also clearly stated in the Google book info !!
>> If you just go to Google book search and type isbn:0851992544 in the
> search box. You will find 4 titles !! of which the first one is the one
> I get from the service I use. The second one is the correct one. If you
> type isbn:0851993575 you even get 6 hits and they all seem to share this
> ISBN !!!
>> I don't know if it does a lot of these mistakes. I just ran into them
>> and I only request covers if Amazon can not provide them, so
>> occasionally, so I suspect this must happen pretty often or I am just
>> lucky this time (as opposed to any lottery I have ever been in.)
>>
>> Peter
>>
>>
>>
>> Drs. P.J.C. van Boheemen
>> Hoofd Applicatieontwikkeling en beheer - Bibliotheek Wageningen UR
>> Head of Application Development and Management - Wageningen University
> and Research Library
>> tel. +31 317 48 25 17
> http://library.wur.nl <http://library.wur.nl/>
>> P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
> -----------------------------------
> Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant [log in to unmask]
> http://www.kcoyle.net
> ph.: 510-540-7596   skype: kcoylenet
> fx.: 510-848-3913
> mo.: 510-435-8234
> ------------------------------------
>
>

--
-----------------------------------
Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
[log in to unmask] http://www.kcoyle.net
ph.: 510-540-7596   skype: kcoylenet
fx.: 510-848-3913
mo.: 510-435-8234
------------------------------------