Jonathan Rochkind wrote:
>
> Yes, I agree. So let's start moving on it. Note well though that
> "strongly defined data elements" implies you know what _entity_ those
> data elements apply to, which implies that you've formally defined
> some entities.
>
I'm not sure that's the case with WEMI, which is why I have trouble with
them as entities. Let's take the example of "color" (or "colour" as it
is called in RDA). You have a resource in which color is important. You
code it ("b&w", "colored", "red"). For a film, "standard" RDA puts color
in the E. Film librarians are saying they will put color in the W (so a
colorized film becomes a different Work). Meanwhile, you have a
manifestion that comes out with a particular color, and your library
considers that an attribute of M.
Do you need to define "color of W", "color of E" and "color of M"? If
you do, then the film archive's record won't match the RDA record. If
instead you have an element "primary color of visual aspect of resource"
(or something like that), then they do.
Believe me, this question of how much you need to tie an element to an
entity is not an easy one to answer. We struggled with this a lot in
interpreting the RDA elements for the Metadata Registry. I'm fine with
"Work title" v. "Expression title" -- those make sense to me. But for
other elements, like color, it doesn't seem to work as well. This is
where WEMI breaks down for me, because it seems to force elements into
boxes artifically. Is it because it mixes up the conceptual
relationships (expression of a work) and physical description? And I'm
not sure what to do with Subject as an *entity*.
All of this being why I would prefer to have a "Resource" entity that
has content and carrier, and a lot of relationships like "is expression
of" and "is translation of" rather that trying to fit things like
"color" into a single box.
kc
--
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Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
kcoyle@kcoyle.net http://www.kcoyle.net
ph.: 510-540-7596 skype: kcoylenet
fx.: 510-848-3913
mo.: 510-435-8234
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Received on Wed Oct 21 2009 - 12:28:12 EDT