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CONSER Task Group on FRBR and Continuing Resources

Background

The IFLA Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, published in 1998 is beginning to make its mark. The Joint Steering Committee commissioned Tom Delsey of the National Library of Canada to prepare a model of AACR Parts I and II, and while the primary aim was not to reconcile AACR with FRBR, many of his findings will be relevant to doing so.

The JSC has also set up the Format Variation Working Group to explore expression-level cataloging, OCLC is considering FRBR in its new system redesign, and the terminology of FRBR is being introduced into the ongoing revisions of AACR2. Recently, LC's Network Development and MARC Standards Office produced a document that compares the various FRBR entities and attributes with MARC tagging, providing examples to illustrate its use.

To date, most of the work involving FRBR has focused on non-serial publications, particularly literature and music. The JSC Format Variation Working Group which is exploring expression-level cataloging has included serials in its experiments, however, there is very little about them in the original FRBR, nor are they addressed in the MARC document (e.g., "Displays for Multiple Versions from MARC 21 and FRBR").

The FRBR provides great hope for the long-standing problem of multiple versions, an issue particularly problematic for serials and other continuing resources. Thus, it is extremely important that the complexities and requirements of continuing resources be fully incorporated into any solutions that are developed based on FRBR. With that in mind, a CONSER task force is being established to provide ongoing comment and analysis on the uses of FRBR for continuing resources.

Charge

• Consider the entities, attributes and relationships as described in the FRBR and their application to serials and other continuing resources.
• Provide serial examples for the paper "Displays for Multiple Versions from MARC 21 and FRBR"
• Evaluate reports of the JSC Format Variation Working Group and provide feedback relating to continuing resources
• Monitor activities regarding the use of FRBR and provide reports, analysis, feedback, as deemed appropriate

Time frame

This is an ongoing task group. The group should begin with the serial examples for the MARC document. These should be completed by the end of the summer (?) 2002. Other tasks are ongoing and will depend on the work of other groups.

Background reading

Jones, Ed. Multiple versions revisited. Serials Librarian. Vol. 32, no. 1/2 (1997)

Resources

• Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records. IFLA. Munchen : K.G. Saur, 1998.
• (also available online as: http://www.ifla.org/VII/s13/frbr/frbr.htm)
• The Logical Structure of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules
• (available from the JSC web site: http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/jsc/docs.html
• Functional Analysis of the MARC 21 Bibliographic and Holdings Format
• http://www.loc.gov/marc/marc-functional-analysis/functional-analysis.html
• Format Variation Working Group documents
  (available from the JSC web site: http://www.collectionscanada.ca/jsc/rda.html)
• Displays for Multiple Versions from MARC 21 and FRBR
• (http://www.loc.gov/marc/marc-functional-analysis/multiple-versions.html)
• FRBR Bibliography. FRBR Review Group -- IFLA, Division IV, Cataloguing Section.
• (http://infoserv.inist.fr/wwsympa.fcgi/d_read/frbr/FRBR_bibliography.rtf)

Task force members

• Everett Allgood (NYU), co-chair everett.allgood@nyu.edu
• Ed Jones, co-chair ejones@nu.edu
• John Attig (Penn State University) jca@psulias.psu.edu
• Robert Bremer (OCLC) bremerr@oclc.org
• Valerie Bross (UCLA) vbross@library.ucla.edu
• E. Ann Caldwell (Brown) e_caldwell@brown.edu
• Carroll Nelson Davis (LC) cnda@loc.gov
• Regina Reynolds (NSDP/LC) rrey@loc.gov
• Judy Kuhagen (CPSO/LC) jkuh@loc.gov
• Ann Sitkin (Harvard Law) sitkin@law.harvard.edu
• Naomi Young (U.Fla) Naomi@mail.uflib.ufl.edu
• Les Hawkins, ex officio (LC) lhaw@loc.gov

 

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