Libraries would benefit from topic maps in a number of ways but I ran across a very specific one today.
To escape the paralyzing grip of library vendors, a number of open source projects for system, even state-wide library software projects are now underway.
OK, so you have a central registry of all the books. But the local libraries, have millions of books with call numbers already assigned.
Libraries can either spend years and $millions to transition to uniform identifiers (doesn’t that sound “webby” to you?) or they can keep the call number they have.
Here is a real life example of the call numbers for Everybody’s Plutarch:
920 PLU
920.3 P
920 PLUT
R 920 P
920 P
Solution? One record (can you say proxy?) for this book with details for the various individual library holdings.
Libraries are already doing this so what is the topic map payoff?
Say I write a review of Everybody’s Plutarch and post it to the local library system with call number 920 P.
With a topic map, users of the system with 920.3 P (or any of the others), will also see my review.
The topic map payoff is that we can benefit from the contributions of others as well as contribute ourselves.
(Without having to move in mental lock step.)