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Jennifer BowenUniversity of Rochester

jbowen@library.rochester.edu

Rochester Regional Library Council

November 15, 2004Rochester, New York

FRBR: Coming Soon to YOUR Library?

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A Visual FRBR Example

Results Display of a Keyword Search for Susan B. Anthony

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Susan B. Anthony Keyword Search – Top Relevance Hits

1. Biography2. Biography3. Biography4. Susan B. Anthony

Preservation District5. Her Writings6. Biography7. Biography8. Biography9. Correspondence10. Virgil Thomson opera

recording11. Biography

12 Proceedings of her Trial

13 Virgil Thomson opera recording

14 Music from the Ken Burns film

15 The Ken Burns film16 Biography17 Biography18 Analysis of her

writings19 Women’s Studies

Newsletter20 Her papers21 Biography

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Why is this better? Collocation: materials with the same or

related content are grouped together. Easier navigation through search results Precise results with simple search queries.

What could help us to achieve this?

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FRBR: What is it?

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FRBR: Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records

IFLA publication, 1998 Published by K.G. Saur

Also available on the Web Conceptual model

How do users use bibliographic information?

Relates bibliographic data to user tasks

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Significance of FRBR Sheds new light on current

practices, standards AACR, MARC, etc.

A clearer way to communicate about how catalogs should function

Based on needs of catalog users

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Entity-Relationship Model

Entities Relationships Attributes

relationship

Entity 1 Entity 2

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FRBR Entities Group 1: Work, Expression, Manifestation,

Item Products of intellectual or artistic

endeavor: Group 2: Person, Corporate Body

Those responsible for intellectual or artistic content

Group 3: Concept, Object, Event, Place Serve as subjects of works

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FRBR Group 1 Entities

Work

Expression

Manifestation

Item

Goethe’s “Faust”

L. Filmore’s English translation of Faust

As published by W. Smith, 1847

The copy owned by my library

Work

Expression

Manifestation

Item

is realized through

is embodied in

is exemplified by

FRBR Group 1 Entities

FRBR Entity Levels

Work:

Expression:

Manifestation:

The Novel

Orig.Text

Transl. CriticalEdition

Paper PDF HTML

The Movie

Orig.Version

FRBR Entity Levels

Work:

Expression:

Manifestation:

The Novel

Orig.Text

Transl. CriticalEdition

The Movie

Orig.Version

Paper PDF HTML

Item: Copy 1Autographed

Copy 2

FRBR Entity Levels

Work:

Expression:

Manifestation:

The Novel

Orig.Text

Transl. CriticalEdition

The Movie

Orig.Version

Paper PDF HTML

Item: Copy 1Autographed

Copy 2

Family of works

Attributes of Group 1 Entities

Work ID Title Date etc.

Expression ID Title Form/mode of

expression Date Language etc.

Manifestation ID Title Statement of responsibility Edition Imprint (place, publisher,

date) Form/extent of carrier Terms of availability Mode of access etc.

Item ID Provenance Location etc.

Relationships

Inherent among the entities

Content relationships among works

Work

Expression

Manifestation

Item

Whole-Part

Accompanying

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FRBR User Tasks Find

Search for a resource Identify

“What is this resource?” Select

“Will this suit my needs?”

Obtain “How do I get it?”

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What does FRBR mean for catalogs? Collocation: Bring like things

together in the catalog: Expressions of the same work Manifestations of the same

expression Show relationships between records

in the catalog Help users navigate search results

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Where is FRBR most useful?

Classics of literature vs. scientific studies Examples in the OCLC database

Stephen King• 102 works, 231 manifestations

Shakespeare’s Hamlet• 1 work, 2696 manifestations

Rowling, J.K. (Harry Potter stories)• 28 works, 300 manifestations

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FRBR and Cataloging

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Group 1 Entities vs. MARCOr, What are we cataloging?

CAVEAT: This is vastly oversimplified!

Work Authority recordExpression ????Manifestation Bibliographic RecordItem Holding Record

Current bibliographic records may contain attributes of all four entities! See Library of Congress (Tom Delsey) mapping of FRBR and MARC Bibliographic and Holding Formats

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Expression vs. Edition: Same thing? No! Some editions are the same expression,

but different manifestations Reprint editions, simultaneous

publications Some editions are different expressions:

If content has been revised (Rev. ed., 1st ed., 2nd ed.)

Some editions are different works altogether (but publisher calls them “editions”)

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FRBR and Cataloging Works:

We already use uniform titles for collocation

Expressions: Not currently creating headings for

expressions Attributes of expressions now buried

within bibliographic records

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When do we care about Expressions? Bibliographic families:

When a work exists in multiple expressions

When an expression exists in multiple manifestations

Represent a small percentage of all catalog records, but these represent the core of our cultural heritage

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FRBR and Cataloging: Incorporating FRBR into AACR

Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR (JSC) FRBR terminology: work,

expression, manifestation, item.

Incorporating the entity expression into AACR: Format Variation Working Group

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Can We Catalog an

Expression?

Is it feasible to change the basis for a catalog record from a manifestation to an expression?

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FVWG: Can We Catalog an Expression?

Sound archivist: YES! The performance is the expression Link all recordings of that performance

to it Most group members: NO!

Not the way most libraries operate We start by purchasing, and then

cataloging, a manifestation.

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Problems with Cataloging Expressions Not enough info. at the time of cataloging

title of the expression? date of the expression?

If only one manifestation of an expression in the catalog, cataloger may not know: if other manifestations exist, and if so… how the first one relates to others

May needlessly complicate the cataloging process

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Cataloging an Expression?

Working Group Recommendation: Libraries should keep cataloging

manifestations (mostly) Expression–level access can be

achieved instead through collocation of search results

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Expressions: From Cataloging to Collocation

Cataloger-created collocation Propose new rules for AACR for

constructing headings for expressions System-created collocation

Explore what systems can do with expression-level data already in MARC records (e.g. VTLS, OCLC, RLG)

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Format Variation Working Group Proposals for AACR

Replace ambiguous term uniform title with another term Constructed title? Citation?

Add elements to the end of a work heading (uniform title) to identify and differentiate expressions

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Rules for Creating Headings for Expressions in AACR: How?

Possible additions to work headings: Language Edition statement Mode of expression (e.g. Sound) Date of expression: date of

performance, translation, etc. Name of editor, translator, performer

(show relationship to Group 2 entity)

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Rules for Creating Headings for Expressions in AACR: Why? Show relationships between records Move toward rules for how a catalog

should function Demonstrates that collocation at the

expression level is an important function of the catalog

Force an online system to collocate expressions if system won’t do it any other way

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Specific Uses of Headings for Expressions Useful for small, but important, subsets of

library materials Large collections in a specific area Local research interest Many expressions of the same work Many manifestations of the same

expression More specific related-work headings

(related expression headings)

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Possible Headings for ExpressionsMelville, Herman. Moby Dick. Abridged ed.

Homer. Iliad. English (Pope)

Berlioz, Hector, 1803-1869. Symphonie fantastique. Sound (Solti)

…Order of elements, punctuation being discussed

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Problems with Headings for Expressions How to make the rules clear and

easy to use? What elements to add? In what order?

What punctuation? Predetermined strings are limiting

Every possible solution eliminates all of the others

Different users have different needs

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Preparing for FRBR within AACR (AACR3) Become comfortable with

terminology for the Group 1 entities work expression manifestation item

Focus on what’s most new and challenging: expression

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FRBR Within AACR: Questions to Consider What is a work?/What is an

expression? What’s theoretically rigorous? What will help users?

Where might headings for expressions be useful in my library?

Is my system vendor thinking about this?

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Alternative: System-Based Collocation of Expressions

System can identify expression-level data already in the records Use this data to collocate (sort)

displays More flexible than assigning headings

Some system vendors are already working on this

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FRBR and Systems Vendors

What can library systems do now to implement FRBR?

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Possibilities of System-Based FRBR Collocation Works

Can do now, if good uniform titles, clean data

Expressions Possible, but needs work! Can collocate by format, language Can improve collocation without

explicitly identifying every expression

Collocation by Family of Works and Expressions

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Hamlet.+ Texts+ Motion Pictures+ Sound Recordings

Collocation by Expressions Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Hamlet.

+ Texts – Danish+ Texts – Dutch+ Texts – English+ Texts – French+ Texts – Spanish+ Motion Pictures – English+ Sound Recordings - English

Collocation of Manifestations

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Hamlet.- Motion pictures – English

+ 1964 Director, Bill Collegan+ 1990 Director, Kevin Kline, Kirk Browning+ 1990 Director, Franco Zeffirelli+ 1992 Director, Maria Muat+ 1996 Director, Kenneth Branagh+ 2000 Director, Campbell Scott, Eric Simonson

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FRBR-ize MARC records

OCLC’s FRBR Work Set algorithm:

http://www.oclc.org/research/software/frbr/

LC’s FRBR display tool:

http://www.loc.gov/marc

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System-Based Collocation: Potential for Improvement? Relator Information

Identify roles of entries in a predictable place in the record

Proposed revision to AACR2 Rule 21.0D to allow expanded use of relator terms

Linking Entries Show relationship between records Pat Riva, article in April 2004 Library

Resources & Technical Services

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Assigned Headings or System-Based Collocation?

Both! Libraries will demand more of systems to

show structure of catalog and collocate search results

AND Catalogers will be able to assign headings

for expressions when necessary.

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FRBR Interface Questions for Your System Vendor What does the FRBR user interface

look like? Will users see a FRBR-like structure? How do users navigate search

results? Is vendor doing usability testing on a

FRBR user interface?

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More Questions for Your System Vendor What record structure do you use:

“FRBR-Like” (e.g. VTLS) or MARC? Can MARC records be extracted? How will FRBR affect cataloging

interface? How are links made and maintained

between records?

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What if Your System Vendor Isn’t Implementing FRBR? Lobby them! Get other institutions

interested! Make a list of problems that FRBR

would help solve Restate old problems in terms of

FRBR Look for other ways to incorporate

FRBR or parts of it at your library

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Questions?

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FRBR at the University of Rochester

or, Why wait for your System Vendor to implement FRBR?

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University of Rochester Web Projects User-centered web design Alternatives to cumbersome online

catalog searches Use data already in our MARC

records to create websites designed to meet specific UR users’ needs

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Buried Treasure in our MARC Records Relator Information ($e and $4) Shows relationships between Group

1 and Group 2 entities in a predictable place in the record

May refer to manifestation being cataloged, or to work or expression represented in it

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Example 1 UR Video/DVD Collection Circulating collection: for research

AND casual viewing “What directors do you have

represented in your collection?” Use relator info., etc. in MARC

records to create browse lists http://www.library.rochester.edu

/index.cfm?page=videos

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Example 2 UR Audio Recordings Relator Information

Users choose performers or composers Problematic: $4 cmp not used for

composers so… Absence of $4 = composers Some false drops, more data cleanup.

http://www.library.rochester.edu/index.cfm?PAGE=1333

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Other Useful FRBR Data Browse by Primary Language (videos

and DVDs) expression-level attribute

Browse by Genre work-level attribute videos and DVDs: mostly LC genre list audio CDs: local list (“record store

categories”: Jazz, Classical, etc.)

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The Real Truth UR website project designers didn’t

know about FRBR! Project concept based on user needs Demonstrates viability of FRBR

model regarding user tasks/needs

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FRBR: May Already be at Your Library! Catalogs already contain some elements

of FRBR There’s more to FRBR than entities and

attributes: emphasis on the user User tasks: find, identify, select, obtain What are our users trying to achieve? User-centered design

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Is FRBR Really Coming?

It’s already here!