Managing music librettos in SBN using Interfaccia Diretta: the experience of the Echo project

Abstract

The article outlines the methodological strategies adopted in the Echo project in the period September 2006 -2008 (in cooperation with ICCU (Istituto centrale per il catalogo unico delle biblioteche italiane) for correcting and integrating with all the specific data the records of music librettos residing in the Index 2 data base of the National Library Service (SBN). The Echo Project, developed by the Giorgio Cini Foundation of Venice in cooperation with Arcus s.p.a. (Company for the development of art, culture and show business), was the first in Italy to seriously and systematically catalogue music librettos with the application Interfaccia Diretta, so effectively testing its functional character in a complex technological and legislative context. The first part of the article deals with putting the project into context; this is followed by a central part with an analysis of the types of records encountered and a close examination of the main problems faced with their relevant solutions. The final part presents the questions still open and offers a summary of what was previously described. In spite of the difficulties encountered and the many questions left unanswered, it can be safely stated at the end of the project that the experienced was positively conducted and the importance of interventions that involve a number of institutions should be emphasized. The methods of work tried and shared were evaluated positively and it is believed that they can be used as a model for the development of other similar projects, and for the creation of common good practices. The experience of the project highlighted the importance of cooperation and the carrying out of activities that require middle and long-term planning, able to involve those most attentive to cataloguing musical material in positive synergies. If the action strategies identified in Echo turn out to be useful, we should not however forget the necessity for a healthy confrontation with realities outside the realm of SBN and with similar projects for other musical material, especially in a time of great change at legislative level, both in Italy and abroad.