Comments on: The library of the (near) future: the catalog IS the library https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/the-library-of-the-near-future-the-catalog-is-the-library/2006/03/23 Researching, documenting and promoting peer to peer practices Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:02:39 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.5.14 By: Family Man Librarian » Blog Archive » The catalog is the library: a perspective https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/the-library-of-the-near-future-the-catalog-is-the-library/2006/03/23/comment-page-1#comment-368 Thu, 23 Mar 2006 14:51:23 +0000 http://blog.p2pfoundation.com/?p=138#comment-368 […] Today I found an interesting post via Pubsub, written by an ex-librarian, discussing the role of [tag]library[/tag] [tag]online catalog[/tag] for [tag]libraries[/tag] in the (near) future. Basically he posits that the online catalog IS the library, and goes on to describe ways in which that promise or ideal can be reached. These include combining [tag]tags[/tag], [tag]facets[/tag], and [tag]flexible hierarchies[/tag], as well as combining book lending with book buying. It’s a somewhat provocative proposal but one of the things I find interesting about it is that the writer is obviously not at all in the mainstream of current library discussions; in fact, he seems to be in an entirely different arena. Yet his proposals are akin to what others have already been proposing in the library world. E.g. Paul Miller of Talis just wrote the other day about the idea of bookstores combining with libraries. […]

]]> By: Norbert Mayer-Wittmann https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/the-library-of-the-near-future-the-catalog-is-the-library/2006/03/23/comment-page-1#comment-367 Thu, 23 Mar 2006 12:30:22 +0000 http://blog.p2pfoundation.com/?p=138#comment-367 Hi Michel,

this was brought to my attention by a colleague.

I think (as you also have much experience WRT databases) you will readily acknowledge that the whole idea of an “isolated text” is rather in flux. But even several years ago I met Susan Sontag and she explained how all texts are interlinked — speaking WRT the traditional notion of literature.

At any rate, units of information are quite an interesting field that I am currently doing research in.

I think your idea in “part 2” already exists in several locations. Personally, I am not very interested in paper (or even any kind of non-machine-readable document auch as audio/video, though I do enjoy listening to music while I work ;D). I expect that in the future reading will incorprate more and more computation — such that we will move beyond hypertexts into a world in which the interface allows quite sophisticate navigation — and such a palette of browsers will function much like “translators” of original works. Even presently you can see how people write texts with particular software applications in mind (e.g. Google’s and/or Yahoo’s search algorithms).

Your part 1 idea (basically combining both tagging and faceted access methods) is very provocative. In fact, I agree with Esther Dyson that market forces are quite efficient at reaching such “optimal states”. She and I also agree in our belief that the various TLDs will eventually come to describe various aspects of the same concept (e.g. CARS.COM would be related to commerce/commercials, CARS.INFO would show information about cars, and perhaps CARS.MD might even have to do with auto repairs).

😀 nmw

ps: “In the long run, we’re all dead.” (John Maynard Keynes)

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