Summary reaction to: Reengineering a national resource discovery service: MODS down under

Citation:

Missingham, Roxanne. (2004). Reengineering a national resource discovery service: MODS down under. D-Lib Magazine, 10(9)

This article demonstrates the flexibility and utility of MODS as an intermediary conversion schema. The National Library of Australia is using the full benefits of xml and new technology to convert records, contribute and share information to provide access to library materials. The authors describe a creative way that MODS was used to convert AGLS, a DC-like homegrown metadata schema, to the final product of a MARC record that could be integrated into a national database. MODS served as the middle ground between the two schemas. The conversion worked well because AGLS schema was able to be mapped to MODS, then enhanced, and finally the MODS was converted to MARC.

The human effort to set up conversion profiles seems to be a very labor intensive project. The authors mention that several batches of test records were needed for various formats. Despite the initial output of time and money, a sustainable workflow that can automate much of the record conversion is a worthwhile endeavor, especially if access to materials is enhanced across the national library and its patrons.