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It's hard to explain, but the Web-based mind of the Internet Archive just can't seem to grasp the role of individual library catalogs in helping people find books. The attitude seems to be: well, they should just search OL. The project I mentioned is an IMLS experiment to test ebook usage of these works through the addition of catalog records. There are lots of reasons why this is a good idea (selection, service to users...) but folks who don't use libraries don't and probably won't get it. There is an on-again off-again Internet Archive project to fill in the missing MARC records. I was told that if someone can create a file of MARC records with links to IA books, that they could be loaded. If anyone wants to work on this, I can put you in touch with the appropriate person. kc On 8/18/14, 5:32 PM, Dana Pearson wrote: > Karen, > > It seems to me that the Open Library would want to broaden use of this > great collection as much as possible. Yet, MARC records for the 1/3 or so > items in the collection cannot be downloaded so that they could be imported > into local library systems. > > Lots of users searching local libraries who might well use google and Open > Library, Internet Archive for finding ebooks less frequently. > > I'll look at Tom Morris's code to see if I might automate record selection > of Open Library records compared with element of MARCXML records of this > last group of Guterberg Project additions. Thanks for that information. > > regards, > dana > > > On Mon, Aug 18, 2014 at 6:57 PM, Karen Coyle <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> About 1/3 of the 1M ebooks on OpenLibrary.org have full MARC records, and >> you can retrieve the record via the API. There is also a "secret" record >> format that returns not the full MARC for the hard copy (which is what the >> records represent because these are digitized books) but a record that has >> been modified to represent the ebook. >> >> The MARC records for the hard copy follow the pattern: >> >> https://archive.org/download/[archive identifier]/[archive >> identifier]_marc.[xml|mrc] >> >> Download MARC XML https://archive.org/download/myantonia00cathrich/ >> myantonia00cathrich_marc.xml >> Download MARC binary https://www.archive.org/download/myantonia00cathrich/ >> myantonia00cathrich_meta.mrc <https://archive.org/download/ >> myantonia00cathrich/myantonia00cathrich_meta.mrc> >> >> >> To get the one that represents the ebook, do: >> >> https://archive.org/download/[archive identifier]/[archive >> identifier]_archive_marc.xml >> >> https://archive.org/download/myantonia00cathrich/ >> myantonia00cathrich_archive_marc.xml >> >> This one has an 007, the 245 $h, and a few other things. >> >> Tom Morris did some code that helps you search for books by author and >> title and retrieve a MARC record. I don't recall where his github archive >> is, but I'll find out and post it here. The code is open source. We used it >> for a project that added ebook records to a public library catalog. >> >> You can also use the OPenLibrary API to select all open access ebooks. >> What I'd like to see is a way to create a list or bibliography in OL that >> then is imported into a program that will find MARC records for those >> books. The list function is still under development, though. >> >> kc >> >> >> On 8/18/14, 3:04 PM, Stuart Yeates wrote: >> >>> There are a stack of great free ebook repositories available on the web, >>> things like https://unglue.it/ http://www.gutenberg.org/ >>> https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page http://www.gutenberg.net.au/ >>> https://www.smashwords.com/books/category/1/newest/0/free/any etc, etc >>> >>> What there doesn't appear to be, is high-quality AACR2 / RDA records >>> available for these. There are things like https://ebooks.adelaide.edu. >>> au/meta/pg/ which are elaborate dublin core to MARC converters, but >>> these lack standardisation of names, authority control (people, entities, >>> places, etc), interlinking, etc. >>> >>> It seems to me that quality metadata would greatly increase the value / >>> findability / use of these projects and thus their visibility and available >>> sources. >>> >>> Are there any projects working in this space already? Are there suitable >>> tools available? >>> >>> cheers >>> stuart >>> >> -- >> Karen Coyle >> [log in to unmask] http://kcoyle.net >> m: +1-510-435-8234 >> skype: kcoylenet/+1-510-984-3600 >> > > -- Karen Coyle [log in to unmask] http://kcoyle.net m: +1-510-435-8234 skype: kcoylenet/+1-510-984-3600