Re: Electronic archiving and IIS talk

From: Steve Hitchcock <sh94r_at_ECS.SOTON.AC.UK>
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2000 22:20:54 +0100

I'm not clear what David disagrees with.

At 10:56 10/09/00 +0100, David Goodman wrote:
>I do not think Steve Hitchcock is altogether correct that
>
> > > > ... It has never
> > > > been the role of those who provide access to
> > > > information, librarians or publishers, to FIX
> > > > content, i.e. to select a particular version, but to
> > > > enable users to MAKE SENSE of it.
>
>Libraries do make an effort to collect the definitive version of documents
>as defined by the academic system of scholarship. There are certainly
>cases (literature, for example) where we try to collect all usable
>significant edition and versions, but in general most of us I think do
>consider it important to collect the version or edition that scholars and
>students will need to quote.
>
>Collecting and preserving working papers has in the past been a
>job for the archivist, not the librarian, and they have been different,
>though related, professions.

If it is that the work of archivists is different from, say, librarians, I
agree. The practice of archivists must change in the new medium, but that
hasn't been the focus of my comments.

>E-print does blur this distinction. It also extends the possibility for
>keeping track of the versions. As a librarian I consider it up to the
>scholarly community to consider whether it wants to continue the concept
>to final published version. If it does, I will provide access to it
>primarily, and secondarily and to the extent feasible and if it helps the
>users, also to other accessible versions with appropriate indicators to
>avoid misleading beginners. If the distinction disappears, I will provide
>access to all that the users use; if this means organizing indexes so
>they index each revision or variant, that is possible.

This supports my point, that bibliographic services must keep up with the
content that is indexed, not the other way around. Once we get beyond this
idea of 'collecting' when we are discussing online documents, we seem to be
on the same wavelength.

Steve
Received on Mon Jan 24 2000 - 19:17:43 GMT