Library data has been designed to be read and interpreted by the librarians and users who are the end users of the catalog. Today's data, however, needs to be managed and interpreted by computers and integrated into myriad applications that are part of the growing web of services on the Internet. In particular, the Semantic Web technologies being developed put a new emphasis on linking data from disparate sources. To be part of the linked data network, the library world needs to transform its catalog records into true data.

Coyle's expert ability to draw from the deep historical background of cataloging theory to illuminate the potentials of library data on the Web helped win her the 2011 ALCTS Outstanding Publication Award. Here she persuasively argues that to more effectively connect library users with books, movies, music, computer games, and other resources, library data needs to move beyond FRBR towards a more integrative approach to bibliographic models. But doing so requires fundamental changes in the approach to library data. Combing a sweeping perspective with a critical eye, she assesses how we define...