Alexander Johannesen wrote:
> Hmm, how about a PDF version? If two PDFs are binary clones, what is
> an item? I think all this talk about physical books is perhaps
> confusing us, and also might be a flaw in FRBR worth investigating.
>
What makes most sense to me is to say those are two different items, of
the same manifestation. After all, items of the same manifestation in
general (even print) are expected to be physically distinct but
more-or-less identical, for the purposes of a certain community. (After
all, even with PDFs, _maybe_ one of them has a copy error introduced
into a bit here or there, you can't be SURE it's not unless you analyze
it, which we generally don't bother to. Hat tip to Jim). So this to me
is no big thing, no big shock to FRBR.
But the real answer is: Whatever is the most convenient way for us to
model it.
I still think that the FRBR gives us a fine model, it's a skeleton on
which we can hang our data in which ever way is most convenient (ideally
in standard community decided upon ways---and that we haven't spent the
last 10 years thinking about these ways is a pity)----but it's useful
that we're all at least using the same skeleton. Useful for
inter-community community, useful for explaining what we are doing to
others (they can learn the skeleton, and then learn how we have hung
things on it), useful to ourselves in in understanding what we are doing
clearly, and in giving our various standards a common point of reference
(that skeleton).
To stretch the metaphor further, if we're all using the same skeleton,
then we all get to know we're dealing with the 'homo sapiens', instead
of all dealing with different unique blobs of protoplasm. Dealing with
a blob of protoplasm is no fun and is confusing and difficult even
_before_ you start trying to compare your blob of protoplasm to someone
elses, but is entirely unworkable once you do start doing that.
FRBR isn't perfect, but it's good enough to start with, and a hell of a
lot better than nothing.
Jonathan
>
> Alex
> --
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Project Wrangler, SOA, Information Alchemist, UX, RESTafarian, Topic Maps
> ------------------------------------------ http://shelter.nu/blog/ --------
>
>
--
Jonathan Rochkind
Digital Services Software Engineer
The Sheridan Libraries
Johns Hopkins University
410.516.8886
rochkind (at) jhu.edu
Received on Wed Dec 05 2007 - 17:10:02 EST