Re: [ARSCLIST] 21st Century Discographies

[stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

To whom...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joel Bresler" <joel.br@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> I'd like to kick off a discussion of the content of published
discographies
> these days. Specifically, given the ubiquity of optical storage (CD ROM at
> the least, and increasingly, DVD ROM) and web access at every library and
> most end-users, what could and should be included?
Actually, this is already under extensive discussion on two e-lists created
for the specific projects, as well as incidentally on the 78-L list:

1) Jon Noring is trying to set up a project currently called "Project
Gramophone"
(name subject to change). The eventual intent is to provided sound files of
every
available 78rpm sound recording in the public domain, and if possible to
obtain
permission from copyright holders for recordings not in the public domain
but
not currently reissued or likely to be in the future. This project would
also
involve the creation of an equally comprehensive discographic database on
all
78rpm sound recordings (the contents of this database are so far to be
established)
Jon can be e-mailed at Jon Noring <jon@xxxxxxxxxxx> and the list can be
subscribed
to at the YahooGroups.com site.

2) Ron Fial is providing space for Tyrone Settlemeir's 78Label list. This
would
involve making scanned images of the labels of all extant 78rpm records,
and, like
the above PrGr project would also involve the creation of a discographic
database
related to the label images.
Ron can be contacted at ron@xxxxxxxx, and the list can be subscribed to at
http://www.78online.com

Note that there is some overlap between the two projects insofar as
discographic
data would be concerned; I am in hopes the two groups are maintaining
contact to
resolve this. Once the "ultimate discographic database(s)" has/have been
created and populated, individual limited-interest discographies (i.e.
certain
artists. genres, labels, countries/regions, etc.) would be available just by
defining queries and indexing data. I have been trying to connect
discography
with computer technology since 1989, when I first started using dBASE III+
to catalog my collection and digitize discographic references, as well as
trying to promote others to do so as well; once I saw the difference in time
and effort between searching a dBASE file and searching 15,000 3x5 cards, I
was
enthusiastic about the new technology!
Steven C. Barr