It sounds like that response could be summed up in the phrase "don't hold your breath."
On 10/10/2012 1:51 PM, Madeleine Linares wrote:
Hi everyone,Please see the response below from our Collection Development Manager re. the categories.Best, Madeleine *From:*Carol *Sent:* Wednesday, October 10, 2012 10:26 AM *Subject:* RE: from the volunteer discussion list..We're really happy to hear the thoughtful consideration of subject categorization that our volunteers are bringing to the table. As someone who's worked in the library world for over twenty years, I have an abiding commitment to improving the findability of titles in Bookshare, and am glad that you also believe that better subject categorization is an important component of that quest.Our collection development team is currently working with Bookshare technical staff to develop better subject categories, based on practice in libraries and bookstores around the country. (Yes, science fiction and fantasy will be split!) With a collection of over 150,000 books, this is no small undertaking, and we can't make promises about when a new schema will appear to the Bookshare community. But the wheels are turning!Socially generated subject tagging, available through sites like Open Library, Library Thing, Bibliocommons and Goodreads, is another approach of great interest to us. It offers a rich opportunity for members to connect with other members, as well as expanding the information known about our collection. However, implementation of this approach requires even greater technical resources than expanding current categories, and I really can't make any commitments that we'll be able to adopt it in the near or medium term. Having your voices raised in advocacy for this approach will help.Again, thanks for your ongoing commitment to the development of this great collection!*Carol* Collection Development Manager
