From: Resource Description and Access / Resource Description and Access [mailto:RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA] On Behalf Of Adger Williams Sent: October-08-13 10:01 AM To: RDA-L@LISTSERV.LAC-BAC.GC.CA Subject: Re: [RDA-L] Uniqueness of titles proper
Thomas said <snip> No, there is no equation of 'preferred title for the work' and the authorized access point for the work. The preferred title for the work is one element only. Mapping it in MARC would mean mapping it to 240 $a,$n,$p,$k -- but not to the rest of the 240 subfields. RDA 5.3 says to record additional elements to differentiate identical titles of works. To differentiate the title one could add tags in bibliographic or authority records corresponding to the additional elements in RDA 5.3: Form of Work - 380 $a Date of Work - 046 $k Place of Origin of the Work - 370 $g (authority record only) Other Distinguishing Characteristic of the Work - 381 $a <snip> >If we can add all these distinguishing characteristics to make the preferred >title unique, why can't we add the most salient distinguishing >characteristic >of all to make the preferred title unique, the author? >You can say that the relationship between the creator and the work is a >different kind of relationship from the relationship between the date of >>composition and the work or the form of the work and the work, or the place >of origin of the work and the work, or "other distinguishing >characteristics" >(yipes, who knows what kinds of relationship to the work these may have; why >do we have to dance around so much to avoid the >creator here?). RDA 5.5 indicates that if the authorized access point for the work (i.e., in name-title form) is used to represent the work, then the differentiating elements are applied when the authorized access point is not unique. RDA 5.3, in making these extra attribute elements 'core' for differentiating reasons, covers the situation when authorized access points are not used (i.e. not in the current MARC scenario). I do think that specifying a relationship to a responsible agent does the job of differentiating as well-- for example, an easy way to differentiate translations is to specify the translator relationship to the expression. In fact, the original FRBR report indicates the range of user tasks for that kind of relationship covers exactly that premise. While RDA focuses on the 'Find' user task of the relationship between a Creator and a Work (RDA 18.2), the original FRBR report specifies that the relationship also serves the 'Identify' and 'Select' user tasks. But that handful of elements in RDA 5.3 has value beyond their role for disambiguating entities. Date of Work is useful generally for identifying the work when people are looking for the work that came out a particular year (such as with motion pictures). Form of Work is a nascent element at this point, as the whole form/genre infrastructure in cataloging needs more attention. There is a difference between attribute elements and relationship elements. As an attribute, Form of Work, is limited to the data present in the field. As a relationship element, Form of Work would become like a subject access point (like a 655). As an entity, Form of Work would have its own attributes and its own separate relationships (such as hierarchical relationships as seen in subject headings). But the reality today, in the current MARC environment, is that 5.5 governs, in that authorized access points for works (in name-title form) are used, and the only time differentiating elements are required is when there is a conflict in access points. That being said, I do see RDA 5.3 as opening the door for the changes necessary to move past this limited use of this data as derived from AACR2 for constructing headings. In RDA, 'core' elements are defined primarily in their role for disambiguating entities. But the elements should be added on their own as separate elements anyways, even if not needed for differentiation, mostly because they assist users in other ways such as 'Identify' (as in confirm resource described is resource sought) and 'Select.' That applies to both these attribute elements, and the relationship elements or subelements such as Creator or Translator. Thomas Brenndorfer Guelph Public Library
