Analyzing library metadata for Web-based metadata reuse services: a case-study examination of WorldCat.org and RefWorks

Abstract

The goal of this article is to analyze problems in citation outputs generated by Web-based bibliographic management software RefWorks in order to illustrate how existing library data in the WorldCat.org database can be repurposed effectively to interact with new Web-based technologies and services. Using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the study finds that, in addition to numerous, repetitive problems that might be easily overcome with improved formatting on the software side, the quality of citations suffers critically from a wide variety of problems in original metadata, such as authority control issues in a multiple-database environment, the presence of legacy data, and the lack of relationship information in most MARC records. The results of the study indicate a pressing need to develop a new, common data model for library services and applications if we want library data to support and integrate easily with a myriad of potential uses on the Web.