OpenWEMI
The concepts of Work, Expression, Manifestation and Item were introduced for use in library catalogs around 2000. Because of constraints appropriate to those catalogs, they may not be usable by other communities. OpenWEMI is an RDF vocabulary that defines WEMI with a minimum semantic commitment so that these concepts can be used outside of the library catalog context. This implements the ideas in the Code4Lib article.
DCTAP
Dublin Core Tabular Application Profiles is a a table-based model for application profiles that can be used by anyone who can work in a simple spreadsheet. With only twelve column elements this model provides a core
for defining your specific metadata, very much in the spirit of Dublin Core itself.
2010: Berkeley Public Library RFID Analysis
There was a lot of controversy about using RFID at the Berkeley Public library. Many people believed the scare stories that library RFID would be used to track people and what they read. (Little did these people know that in terms of privacy, this was the least of their worries). I was a consultant on an analysis of RFID for library check-out and -in. The library did implement RFID and, as far as I know, it has worked out well.
2006: California State Library study on RFID and Return on Investment
In 2006 I was a consultant on a CSL-funded project to investigate the return on investment (ROI) for library use of RFID as an item identification system. The study was completed but is no longer visible on the CSL web site, therefore I am posting it here. In addition, I am making available an Excel file that I developed (but never fully completed) that can be used to help libraries make an ROI estimate prior to purchasing an RFID-based system. (Licensed as CC-SA. See document properties.)
It was easy to show that even with the cost of implementing RFID tags for the existing collection, that cost is amortized over a relatively short time. The studies looked at
- RFID Implementations in California Libraries: Costs and Benefits. By Elena Engel, July, 2006
- Example ROI Calculation (in Excel format)
- ROI for RFID
2008: Patron Privacy and Library Privacy Audits
This page contains the documents that either supported or arose out of the work done by the San Francisco Public Library relating to patron privacy. It has links to presentations by me, Vivian Pisano (SFPL), and Mary Minow (librarylaw.com); the final report of the audit that was undertaken; and forms and documents that were used in doing the audit. Those latter are offered for other libraries to aid in undertaking their own audit. The page also has various links to privacy resources, including the privacy audit performed at the University of California.