Comments on: An odd time to start http://walt.lishost.org/2005/05/an-odd-time-to-start/ The library voice of the radical middle. Fri, 24 May 2013 04:22:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: walt http://walt.lishost.org/2005/05/an-odd-time-to-start/comment-page-1/#comment-158 walt Thu, 12 May 2005 21:38:32 +0000 http://walt.lishost.org/?p=47#comment-158 I’d same some details might be confidential. We’re moving (have almost entirely moved) databases and services from a mainframe platform to an open server platform and industry-standard database software. In the process, to be sure, we’re storing records in XML (but since all of our searching is Z39.50-based, there’s a lot of XML->MARC conversion happening).

The tools I’m talking about have nothing to do with bibliographic data, at least not directly: Along with my Eureka and OpenURL and other analysis duties, I’m now Internal Reports Guy, so I’ve been learning the Cognos suite of report-building/database-analysis products and our own newly-implemented data repository.

RLG is actually a small organization that does a lot (there are fewer than 90 of us on staff, but we serve hundreds of libraries worldwide and have the second-largest union catalog around). Our webpages do indeed tell a lot (and you can sign up for the wonderful RLG Diginews!)

]]> By: Jon Gorman http://walt.lishost.org/2005/05/an-odd-time-to-start/comment-page-1/#comment-156 Jon Gorman Thu, 12 May 2005 18:37:12 +0000 http://walt.lishost.org/?p=47#comment-156 “You don’t need more details.”

Wow, way to drive my curiosity up. Way up. Perhaps you don’t want to give away any secrets; or more likely I suppose bore most visitors who care less. But now I’m wondering what new forms of data and tools it could be. XML is popular nowdays, perhaps that and XSLT/SAX processing of some sort? FLOWR? Maybe it’s some bizarre new MARC format developed in a dark, dank castle by a group of crazed monks turned mad scientists? Of course, I’m a bit new to the fields so I’m not entirely sure what all RGL does besides it’s a big organization. You’ve at least got me to check out their webpages a little more closely ;)

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