Notice: Undefined index: ga_export_settings in /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/google-analytics-async/google-analytics-async.php on line 403
Couple of weeks now since the launch of Discovery, and I’ve singularly failed to blog it up.
Some notes, then, so it doesn’t go completely unremarked-on here.
Discovery (“a metadata ecology for UK education and research”) is a natural progression from the JISC/RLUK Resource Discovery Taskforce programme. Only with a catchier name.
And a nice logo.
The intention is that Discovery will build a UK-wide critical mass of open and reusable data—from libraries, archives and museum collections—through innovative discovery interfaces such as… I dunno… this one 
The launch took place at the Wellcome Trust in London under the title ‘Discovery – building a UK metadata ecology‘. They’re announcing some useful, practical things, such as:
- Establishing an agreed set of principles for releasing Open Metadata;
- Maintaining and developing the fantastically useful Open Bibliographic Data Guide, initiated by the RDTF programme;
- Working with developers on Open Metadata projects;
- Publishing a newsletter (Jerome appears in the May issue);
- Running events.
If I’m being honest – this maybe wasn’t the conference for me. It was a bit teaching-and-learning-theoretical/academic for my tastes. I got more out of the last RDTF event in Manchester where some practical library discovery problems were discussed in detail. (But that’s a problem with my unsubtle mind, not a problem with Discovery!)
Also, I have to say I wasn’t convinced by the ‘long tail’ competitive exercise in the afternoon of the launch event… is the real value (and the real convincing case for library discovery) genuinely to be found in providing easier access to more-and-more obscure collections, even if tied to a popular [populist?] ‘hook’ like the 2012 Olympics? Maybe. But I can’t help but feel that there’s still so much more work to be done in the mainstream of library discovery before we all get too special-collection-y. Quibbling aside – this is important stuff and it’s great to see momentum building. I’m wondering now where I can stick some of these. Discovery bumper sticker tiem?
