Managing Metadata Overload: Automating E-Resource Workflows with Computer Scripts

Abstract

This poster illustrates how I have incorporated three different computer scripts into e-resource workflows to manage the large sets of metadata used to provide access and discovery of the library’s electronic resources and increase the volume of the work. The poster will illustrate the three different workflows and provide screenshots of the computer code and the scripts in action. The first script I will present is the E-Resource Access Checker developed by Kristinia Sprugin which I have edited to meet my library’s needs and use to ensure our patrons are presented with functioning URLs to access an e-resource, cutting down on dead or incorrect links in our discovery system. The second script is one I developed in collaboration with collection development librarians to assist with making decisions about e-resources. The script enables a librarian to input a list of titles being considered for cancelation, and the script then uses the WorldCat Knowledge Base (WCKB) API to find the different means of access and their associated coverage dates, thus making is easier to get the information needed for their decisions. The last script automates batch searches of WorldCat using the WorldCat Search API. I use the script to harvest metadata to enrich publisher-provided metadata in the WCKB and to create new collections in the WCKB to provide access to e-resources which we couldn’t previously. The poster will help facilitate discussions about these kinds of innovative practices and facilitate collaboration on related projects.