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> -----Original Message----- > From: Simon Pockley [SMTP:[log in to unmask]] > > > It shows > that there is a difference, as David Bearman points out, between > getting to an > object and getting at it. Dublin Core appears to be focussed on > getting to it > (resource discovery) as opposed to resource access. It would certainly > be > useful to hear other people's ideas on why this distinction is (or is > not) > important. > > [Jul,Erik] The International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) once sponsored a study group on the functional requirements for bibliographic records. The report <http://142.78.40.7/ifla/VII/s13/frbr/frbr.pdf> concluded that bibliographic records should assist users to (1) find, (2) identify, (3) select, and (4) obtain resources. These functions are defined as follows (p. 82): 1. Find. To find entities that correspond to the user's stated search criteria (I.e., to locate either a single entry or a set of entries in a file or database as the result of searching using an attribute or relationship of the entity). 2. Identify. To identify and entity (i.e., to confirm that the entity described corresponds to the entity sought, or to distinguish between two or more entities with similar characteristics). 3. Select. To select an entity that is appropriate to the user's needs (i.e., to choose an entity that meets the user's requirements with repsect to content, physical format, etc., or to reject an entity as being inappropriate for the user's needs). 4. Obtain. To acquire or obtain access to the entity described (i.e., to acquire an entity through purchase, loan, etc., or to access an entity electronically through an online connection to a remote computer). For this discussion is seems that the selecting function is paramount: sufficient information must be expressed to enable the user to determine the fitness for use of the identified resource according to user-defined needs. The Dublin Core has long said that its goal was to facilitate "simple resource discovery on the net." This would be the finding function, above. Looking at the DC elements, however, it is obvious that the DC community rightly felt that finding alone is insufficient, and the DC elements began to take on other functions. What is unknown is whether or how well the DC elements set can fulfill the other requirements of identifying, selecting, and obtaining. A useful exercise is to create a matrix with the fifteen elements down the side and the four functional requirements across the top. Then score each element for each function. It rapidly becomes clear which elements are more useful for certain functions, and it becomes equally clear that DC is not really just about simple resource discovery any more. --Erik Erik Jul [log in to unmask]