> b) expanding it to be actual useful and interesting.

But here I think you've missed the very utility of MARC-XML.

Let's say you have a binary MARC file (the kind that comes out of an ILS) and want to transform that into MODS, Dublin Core, or maybe some other XML schema.  

How would you do that?  

One way is to first transform the MARC into MARC-XML.  Then you can use XSLT to crosswalk the MARC-XML into that other schema.  Very handy.

Your criticisms of MARC-XML all seem to presume that MARC-XML is the goal, the end point in the process.  But MARC-XML is really better seen as a utility, a middle step between binary MARC and the real goal, which is some other "useful and interesting" XML schema.

--Dave

==================
David Walker
Library Web Services Manager
California State University
http://xerxes.calstate.edu
________________________________________
From: Code for Libraries [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alexander Johannesen [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 12:38 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] MARCXML - What is it for?

Hiya,

On Tue, Oct 26, 2010 at 6:26 AM, Nate Vack <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Switching to an XML format doesn't help with that at all.

I'm willing to take it further and say that MARCXML was the worst
thing the library world ever did. Some might argue it was a good first
step, and that it was better with something rather than nothing, to
which I respond ;

Poppycock!

MARCXML is nothing short of evil. Not only does it goes against every
principal of good XML anywhere (don't rely on whitespace, structure
over code, namespace conventions, identity management, document
control, separation of entities and properties, and on and on), it
breaks the ontological commitment that a better treatment of the MARC
data could bring, deterring people from actually a) using the darn
thing as anything but a bare minimal crutch, and b) expanding it to be
actual useful and interesting.

The quicker the library world can get rid of this monstrosity, the
better, although I doubt that will ever happen; it will hang around
like a foul stench for as long as there is MARC in the world. A long
time. A long sad time.

A few extra notes;
   http://shelterit.blogspot.com/2008/09/marcxml-beast-of-burden.html

Can you tell I'm not a fan? :)


Kind regards,

Alex
--
 Project Wrangler, SOA, Information Alchemist, UX, RESTafarian, Topic Maps
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