Are Current Bibliographic Models Suitable for Integration with the Web?

Svensson, Lars G. "Are Current Bibliographic Models Suitable for Integration with the Web?"  Information Standards Quarterly  25(4)(Winter 2013): 7 - 13. (http://www.niso.org/apps/group_public/download.php/11942/isqv25no4.pdf). - It is unlikely that anyone would ask the title question if the answer was that, yes, current bibliographic models are suitable for integration with the Web. The author takes the reader on a journey through various metadata systems used by more than half a dozen national libraries and consortia such as OCLC and Europeana. At a time when some library schools no longer require a cataloging class, many front-line librarians will find the alphabet soup of FRBR, RDF and BIBRAME, to list only a few of the acronyms, beyond their area of interest or expertise. But whether our patrons can find our physical materials on the Web in the future may depend on whether a "one-size-fits-all model for bibliographic information" can be developed. Currently there are "some elements of bibliographic descriptions where the semantics are extremely fuzzy." (p. 12) The prospect of getting libraries, museums and search engines across the globe to agree on a common model is daunting, but librarians, as domain experts who are accustomed to cooperating and creating consistent standards, are ideally positioned to accomplish it. - NN