Re: Laundry list for NGC (long post) -- How does Koha measure up?

Joshua Ferraro wrote:
> The item record:
> http://www.library.org.nz/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?bib=35551
> contains several material types: Video, DVD, Fiction, Talking Book, etc.
>
This is one of those areas where systems designers have been locking
horns with the cataloging rules for quite a while. It even has its own
name: the multiple versions problem, or "mulver." I would love to see
the next generation of rules fix this... The current rules require that
each Manifestation (in FRBR-speak) have its own bibliographic record. In
the case of copies (a microfilm copy of a journal), the records for the
original and the copy are virtually identical because they must both
describe the original item. In the case of items that were issued in
multiple formats, each format gets its own cataloging. Today, the
difference between "different formats" and "copies" is blurred: is a
case of a document in Word that is also saved as PDF a copy, or a
different format? What if you can't tell which is the "original"?
Anyway, what many libraries would like to see (and some are doing
already in a kludge) is using the MARC Holdings record or their library
system's item record to record the data, much like it appears Koha does.
But those libraries cannot share that data in that format, because it
violates the MARC standard and the cataloging rules. It also doesn't
provide them with the fields they need to provide all of the
format-specific data (i.e. the print book is 300 pages long and the
audio book is 6 CDs and lasts 8 hours, and is read by Mr. T.) With the
big digitization projects going on, this means that every time a book is
digitized, a new record will be added to the library catalog. Sheeeesh!
And not good library service.

My fear is that the next set of rules will not address this issue, but
systems designers will be expected to magically make the data look more
like what the user wants.

kc

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Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
kcoyle <at> kcoyle.net http://www.kcoyle.net
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fx.: 510-848-3913
mo.: 510-435-8234
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