Repository

The article titled “OCLC Research Publications Repository” by Shirley Hyatt and Jeffery A. Young is an overview of the content, how to access the content and infrastructure of the content on the Online Computer Library Centre’s, OCLC, research repository. The OCLC’s initiative to construct a repository was to, “maximize the visibility, usage and impact of OCLC’s research output…to make the publication section of the OCLC Research website more nimble…and to demonstrate OCLC Research technologies” (Hyatt 1).
The intended audiences for this article are information and library science students and professionals. Though audiences are educated, it should be noted that some of the terms used by the authors to describe the architecture of the repository are not adequately defined. For example, “Z39.50 access” is mentioned but not defined (Hyatt 3). Additionally, “XSLT stylesheets” is another term used but not defined. The lack of a definition gives the reader doubt to the validity of using that technology for the repository. The fact that one of the authors, Jeffrey A. Young, is a software architect may explain the assumption that some of the terms the article encompassed are common knowledge. Though the authors do not explain the previously listed technologies, the footnote after the undefined term is hyperlinked to the reference list at the end of the article. For the reader, it may have been more useful to have hyperlinked the undefined term to the website that explains that technology rather than hyperlinking to the reference list which then provides a URL to website that thoroughly explains the technology.
This article is highly relevant to this course: FIS 1311, Introduction to Information Technology. The authors discuss the open access technologies such as Pears technology. Additionally, the authors mention online cataloguing technologies including Dublin Core, MARC, and Connexion. Additionally, the authors detail the cost and labour of implementing their repository. Furthermore, this article’s usefulness is not limited to a specific course stream: it is applicable to all three streams, LIS IS and Archives, the Faculty of Information Studies at University of Toronto offers.
This article demonstrates how to the OCLC built their Research Publications Repository through text and diagrams. The authors invited the reader to visit the repository, comment on the repository, and recreate the repository. The reference list is useful for obtaining more information on the used technologies.
I would recommend this article to any student or professional in the fields of information or library science. While not all of the information technology terminologies were defined, the quality of writing, the detail of the diagrams, and the useful reference list sparked my interest to further investigate the technologies used to create the repository. An article that is one of quality doe not only flow, use correct grammar, and has reliable resources, but also entices the reader to continue to investigate the topics discussed. The article “OCLC Research Publications Repository” by Shirley Hyatt and Jeffery A. Young is informative and advocates further exploration of the repository.