> Crosswalking doesn't hold water as a justification for MARCXML.

To be fair, though, most of us have simpler cross walking needs than OCLC.  

And if I need to go from binary MARC to some XML schema (which I sometimes do), then MARC-XML and the XSLT style sheets at LOC seem like a pretty good starting point to me.  Better than starting from scratch.

Which isn't to say that that approach is always the right one for every project. I very much agree with MJ: If it works for you, use it.  If not, don't.

But if someone else has a better, general purpose solution to this problem, then by all means open source that puppy and let the rest of us have at it!

--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 Smith,Devon [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 7:44 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] MARCXML - What is it for?

> 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.

Unless "useful and interesting" is a euphemism for Dublin Core, then
using XSLT for crosswalking is not really an option. Well, not a good
option. On the other end of the spectrum, assume Onix for "useful and
interesting" and XSLT simply won't work.

Crosswalking doesn't hold water as a justification for MARCXML.

/dev
--
Devon Smith
Consulting Software Engineer
OCLC Research
http://www.oclc.org/research/people/smith.htm




-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Walker, David
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 8:57 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] MARCXML - What is it for?

> 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
--- http://shelter.nu/blog/
----------------------------------------------
------------------ http://www.google.com/profiles/alexander.johannesen
---