As libraries' collections increasingly go digital, so too does their dependence on knowledgebases to access and maintain these electronic holdings. Somewhat different from other library-based knowledge management systems (catalogs, institutional repositories, etc.), the data found in the knowledgebases of link resol vers or electronic resource management systems are not generally modeled, created, or updated by librarians (though, admittedly, a lot of local work is done to modify or fix these data). Much like working with the subscription-based resources they track, it is difficult to know what exactly libraries are allowed to do with their knowledgebase data. What is known is that a handful of companies are doing roughly the same work and their customers are often simultaneously fixing the same errors and inaccuracies in the data these vendors are aggregating. The entire process is proprietary, inefficient, and redundant and is controlled by a bevy of players who have no incentive to change. A centralized, standardized approach, maintained by librarians, publishers and vendors could not only reduce total cost of ownership, but also improve the quality of the data as well as the services built upon such a repository.
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