This thread has taken several twists and turns since I sent my message of 25th October referring to a presentation by Diane I. Hillmann and questioning her opposition to transcription as the basis of a description.
Despite her attempts to enlighten me, I still do not have a clear understanding of her position on this matter. This may be partly due to language difficulties. We tend to assume that, since English is our tongue, we mean the same things by the same words or turns of phrase, whereas the language spoken in England and that spoken in the United States are constantly moving further apart. The overriding impression that I have drawn from this discussion has nothing to do with particular technical details, however important they may be, but has everything to do with the broad approach to handling the enormous problem posed for us all by the great increase in sources of information, especially on the Internet. The discussion which has taken place over the last few days has indicated starkly the gulf that stands between those who see the answer as lying in a much looser organization with fewer restrictive rules than heretofore and those who say that, if anything, more precision than we have now is required for meaningful control of resources. I understand that it is an aim of RDA to provide a set of rules that will satisfy both sides of this argument. It appears to me that this is not going to be feasible at present. The most likely scenario is that different groups will continue to develop their own codes which in the course of time and light of experience will draw closer together, so that eventually it may be possible to provide a single code. My greatest concern is that, in attempting to be all things to all men, the RDA will in fact satisfy no one. I believe the compilers should adhere to their traditional aim of providing for high quality records. Having said that, I am grateful to Ms Hillmann for bringing her knowledge and expertise to RDA-L and hope she will continue to provide the members of the list with food for thought. Philip Davis Redditch England [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
