Pete-- I'd go with option b): >(b) the capacity to record a relation between the current collection and >an associated collection, where the nature of the association is >unspecified (or something loose like the EAD relatedmaterial definition >- "may be of use to a reader/user")? In our project we're using this to let National Leadership Grant projects make connections between the collection being described and a complementary or otherwise associated collection -- really a sort of catch all category. So it would make sense to just use dc:relation. Sarah At 02:36 PM 8/29/2003 +0100, you wrote: >(These various threads about relation attributes have reminded me that I >meant to highlight this point and ask for comments.) > >The RSLP CD schema property hasAssociation is defined as > > > The identifier or name of a second collection that is associated by >provenance with the current collection. > >and that same definition is used in our current proposal. > >Note that this is not just any association but specifically association >by provenance in the sense that term is used by archivists: > >http://www.ica.org/biblio/cds/isad_g_2e.pdf > > > The relationship between records and the organizations or individuals >that created, > > accumulated and/or maintained and used them in the conduct of personal >or corporate > > activity. > >I think this property was probably included in the RSLP CD schema in >order to provide a mapping to one or both of > >- the Associated Material (3.5.4) element in ISAD(G) 1993 version >("to indicate the existence in other repositories of material associated >by provenance to the unit of description.") >- the separatedmaterial element in EAD 1.0 >("information about materials that are associated by provenance to the >described materials but that have been physically separated or >removed.") > >Note: EAD 1.0 has another element relatedmaterial ("information about >materials that are not physically or logically included in the material >described in the finding aid but that may be of use to a reader because >of an association to the described materials. Materials designated by >this element are not related to the described material by provenance, >accumulation, or use.") > >In practice, I strongly suspect that many implementers of the RSLP CD >schema made a somewhat loose interpretation of the hasAssociation >property, and used it to record relations between collections based on >various criteria that might be of interest to a user, and not only >association by provenance. > >In the 1999/2000 revision of ISAD(G), the distinction between what had >been called "Related units of description (3.5.3)" and "Associated >material (3.5.4)" was removed and there is a single element: > >- Related units of description (3.5.3), covering, "information about >units of description in the same repository or elsewhere that are >related by provenance or other association(s)." > >i.e. the relationship is no longer limited to association by provenance. > >EAD 2002 does continue to provide two distinct elements as above. > >So (with apologies for the long-windedness, but I thought the background >needed explanation), do we need either or both of: > >(a) the capacity to record a relation between the current collection and >an associated collection, where the association is specifically by >provenance? >(b) the capacity to record a relation between the current collection and >an associated collection, where the nature of the association is >unspecified (or something loose like the EAD relatedmaterial definition >- "may be of use to a reader/user")? > >I'm inclined to say we want (b) but I'm less sure we really need (a). >What do others think please? > >And if we do require (b) and not (a) (i.e. our concept of "association" >is loose), do we need to define a specific hasAssociation property, or >should we just fall back on using dc:relation (with a label ("Related >collection" or "Associated collection") and a use definition specific to >this profile, as for some of the other DC properties)? > >Pete