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Report on Research Libraries Group
and the Marcadia Bibliographic Utility
Research Libraries Group
http://www.rlg.org/index.php
Founded in 1974 by NYPL and Columbia, Harvard, and Yale universities (Billings, 2002), RLG is a non-profit organization consisting
of over 150 research libraries, archives and museums.
It is governed and run by its members, staff and board of directors, with its headquarters in Mountain View, California. The
timeline page on their website (http://www.rlg.org/en/page.php?Page_ID=541) gives a brief but excellent history of RLG’s
development, up to and including the 2004 restructuring of membership rules.
RLG works with its members to:
• expand research resources
• organize collaborative programs
• deliver innovative information services
• create operative standards and best practices
To accomplish its broad mission of supporting researchers and learners worldwide, RLG provides a host of products, services,
programs and collaborative projects. Products and services include:
• free LIS access (including AMICO, RLG Union Catalog, Archival and Cultural Materials and Authority Files)
• Online Databases
• Resource sharing and ILL
• Technical Services - record creation and supply (see Marcadia below)
• Purchasing background
Some current projects include Encoded Archival Description and Context initiatives, RedLightGreen, a search tool available
to the public and aimed at efficient student research(Proffitt, 2004), Repository certification, development of Metadata Encoding
Transmission Standards, and a Cultural Materials initiative, to provide greater access to rare or even unique cultural materials(Erway,
2002).
RLG, through its newsletters and other publications, participation in professional conferences, cooperation with other businesses
and network entities and collaboration with its member organizations, is definitely a leading player in the advance of library
culture. The many collaborative efforts they support are driving innovations that will become international library standards
and tools in the future. Of course, most products and services are not free, but some very useful tools are available to all,
and others have been made freely available to library schools and their students. The RLG website provides a good number of
accessible tools, information and resources for the public.
A brief history of Backstage Library Works
http://www.bslw.com/main.html
Marcadia Bibliographic Utility, a division of technical services of RLG, is a cooperative venture between RLG and Backstage
Library Works. BLW has gone through a series of changes, in name and focus, before achieving its current incarnation. The
following are some quick facts:
• The company started as ‘Retro Link Associates’ in 1987 as a complement to Dynix, a developer of library
automation systems, offering retrospective conversion.
• By 1996 RLA was using advanced software taking advantage of scanning technology. Catalog cards were scanned and all
images linked to new MARC records. This scanning and linking greatly improved quality control functions and accuracy.
• In June 1998 Dynix divested itself of RLA, but contracted with RLA – now incorporated as MARC Link - to provide
retrospective conversion (recon) services to existing Dynix clients on an outsource basis.
• Beginning in the mid-90’s the company began expanding its scanning capabilities, working with photo prints and
negatives, slides, lithographs, newspapers, books, and electronic text conversion.
• In 2003, recognizing the broadening range of products and services the company had to offer, the name was changed
to Backstage Library Works.
Current products and services
Through RLG, Marcadia maintains access to records from the high quality RLIN bibliographic files. The company offers services
with on- or off-site assistance, including:
• Cataloging and reclassification,
• Retrospective conversion,
• Scanning of text, objects or images,
• MARS authority control,
• Bar-coding and spine labels.
Backstage Library Works provides links to an extensive list of clients, including the LOC. A report from an LOC newsletter
details the process of contracting work with BLW (Nov. 2001). BLW also works in cooperation with business partners Sirsi and
Data2 to provide further cataloging and labeling services.
Bibliography
Automated Copy Cataloging. (2001, November). Online Newsletter of the Cataloging Directorate Library of Congress, 9, 13. Retrieved
March 11, 2005 from http://www.loc.gov/catdir/lccn/lccn0913.html
Billings, Harold. (2002). Magic and Hypersystems: Constructing the information-sharing library. Chicago: American Library
Association.
Erway, Ricky. (2002, February). Discover the Riches within RLG Cultural Materials. [Electronic version]. RLG Focus, 54. Retrieved
March 11, 2005, from http://www.rlg.org/legacy/r-focus/i54.html#discover
Merrilee Proffitt. (2004, February). RedLightGreen: What We've Learned Since Launch. [Electronic version]. RLG Focus, 66.
Retrieved March 11, 2005, from http://www.rlg.org/en/page.php?Page_ID=12661#article1
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