Jonathan:
I asked Gordon your question, and here's his reply:
/The RDA/ONIX framework itself
(http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/jsc/docs/5chair10.pdf) provides information about
how the RDA carrier terms have been derived (see Appendix D in particular). The RDA
carrier type vocabulary (as in the metadata registry) is an example of what the
RDA/ONIX framework refers to as a <base carrier category> vocabulary, which
uses only three of the underlying attributes identified in the ontology
(StorageMediumFormat, HousingFormat, IntermediationTool). The vocabulary does not
incorporate any of the other framework ontology attributes such as EncodingFormat. As
the framework says, these other attributes do not have a closed, controlled set of
instances which is generally applicable across a wide range of communities. In order
to gain the best interoperability potential from the framework, RDA has chosen to
create separate vocabularies incorporating some or all of the non-base carrier
categories, rather than, say, augmenting the base carrier !
categories (the RDA carrier type vocabulary) - because these are guaranteed to interoperate with base
categories from non-RDA communities. For example, RDA has a vocabulary for EncodingFormat (see section
3.19.3.3 in Chapter 3 of the RDA final draft
(http://www.rdaonline.org/constituencyreview/Phase1Chp3_11_2_08.pdf); examples of the terms are <DVD
audio>, <DVD-R>, <DVD video>, <HD-DVD>, etc.
In RDA, a full description/label for the carrier of a specific resource is
created from a combination of terms from several of these vocabularies, by
following the guidance given in Chapter 3. See the examples given in Appendix M
of the RDA draft
(http://www.rdaonline.org/constituencyreview/Phase1AppM_11_10_08.pdf).
Unfortunately, it looks as if the example for a DVD on page 26 might be a source of confusion.
The Carrier type (videodisc) does not appear in the vocabulary of Carrier types in Chapter 3 of
RDA, but this is probably an oversight because it is given as an example base category in the
RDA/ONIX framework. The Extent (2 DVD-videos) presumably invokes RDA 3.4.1.5b (because videodisc
is missing from the carrier type vocabulary) or 3.4.15c (<DVD-video> is the term preferred
by the agency creating the example record - and not to be confused with the Encoding format
<DVD video>). The Extent in this example should probably be <2 videodiscs>.
Although some of the terms in this (flawed) example may appear to be
redundant, in fact only Media type (video) and Carrier type (videodisc) have
genuine redundancy for general metadata purposes (Media type is derived from
Carrier type). For example, a videocassette (carrier type) can also be encoded
as DVD audio (encoding format), while a videodisc can be encoded as HD-DVD, etc.
<Stuff> is complicated in the real world. A further source of difficulty is
the general conflation of carrier and content types in single vocabulary terms, which
is prevalent in most of the cataloguing guidelines in use around the world by
libraries. Many of these guidelines have faced severe difficulty in recent years in
clarifying the difference between content and carrier, especially with developments
in digital technologies. The RDA/ONIX framework was developed to assist metadata
creators to make that clarification (to improve interoperability between different
metadata communities) and avoid the problems in previous cataloguing rules.
For example, Jonathan asks for controlled vocabularies for <multimedia> materials, but
does he mean mixed content types (still images, audio and text on a single carrier such as a
<DVD>) or mixed carrier types (DVD, CD and workbook in a <multimedia kit>), or both?
Whatever, RDA provides a way of creating unambiguous metadata in the fairly ambiguous environment
of human metadata creators and consumers.
Cheers
Gordon
Gordon Dunsire
Depute Director, Centre for Digital Library Research, University of
Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland/
I hope this helps.
Diane
Jonathan Rochkind wrote:
Thanks Diane. That article on RDA/ONIX doesn't seem to include actual
terms, the actual vocabularly. I realize there are plans to 'register'
it officially, but prior to that, can the actual term list be found
anywhere in human-readable format? Or does it not exist yet?
Jonathan
Diane I. Hillmann wrote:
Hi, Jonathan,
Two points as you search out a solution:
1. I agree with your assessment of the current RDA carrier
vocabulary. You might want to look at the RDA/ONIX vocabularies
(still not registered, but there are plans to do so:
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/january07/dunsire/01dunsire.html).
2. These vocabularies are a start, not a finish: once RDA and the
vocabularies are "published" there's an intention to begin improving
them. The first step was to get the out of the text, the second to
build on the NSDL Registry's vocabulary development tools (some
there, some not yet) to build them up in ways that will be much more
useful.
Diane
Jonathan Rochkind wrote:
Anyone know of any good existing controlled vocabulary for 'format'
or 'carrier' for multimedia materials? I'm thinking of things like
"CD", "DVD", "digital", etc.
The closest I can get is from RDA at
http://metadataregistry.org/concept/list/vocabulary_id/46.html
(thanks Karen and Diane), but it seems _really_ insufficient. As far
as I can tell "audio disc" is used for both a CD and a vinyl disc,
and there's nothing available there for "DVD" at all. Or for
"digital". Although I'm not sure what I mean by "digital", I guess
CD and DVD are both digital, but I was thinking of something to
identify a digital file on a computer network free of particular
carrier. I guess that wouldn't be in a carrier vocabulary at all,
after all, that would be sort of a null carrier. Phew, this stuff
does get complicated quick. Which I guess is why nobody's worked out
a good one yet.
Too bad RDA's is so _far_ from good though. Any others anyone knows
about?
Jonathan
Jonathan Rochkind wrote:
Anyone know of any good existing controlled vocabulary for 'format'
or 'carrier' for multimedia materials? I'm thinking of things like
"CD", "DVD", "digital", etc.
The closest I can get is from RDA at
http://metadataregistry.org/concept/list/vocabulary_id/46.html
(thanks Karen and Diane), but it seems _really_ insufficient. As far
as I can tell "audio disc" is used for both a CD and a vinyl disc,
and there's nothing available there for "DVD" at all. Or for
"digital". Although I'm not sure what I mean by "digital", I guess
CD and DVD are both digital, but I was thinking of something to
identify a digital file on a computer network free of particular
carrier. I guess that wouldn't be in a carrier vocabulary at all,
after all, that would be sort of a null carrier. Phew, this stuff
does get complicated quick. Which I guess is why nobody's worked out
a good one yet.
Too bad RDA's is so _far_ from good though. Any others anyone knows
about?
Jonathan
