FRBR: Cataloging’s New Frontier Emily Dust Nimsakont Nebraska Library Commission NCompass Live December 15, 2010 Photo credit:

What is FRBR? Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records

What is FRBR? “a conceptual entity-relationship model … that relates user tasks of retrieval and access in online library catalogues and bibliographic databases from a user’s perspective”

“a conceptual entity-relationship model … that relates user tasks of retrieval and access in online library catalogues and bibliographic databases from a user’s perspective”

What’s a conceptual model? An abstract way of thinking about a particular topic Not cataloging rules

History of FRBR Photo courtesy of Orange County Archives

FRBR grew out of a Seminar on Bibliographic Records held in Stockholm in 1990

A resolution was passed “that a study be commissioned to define the functional requirements for bibliographic records in relation to the variety of user needs and the variety of media.”

A resolution was passed “that a study be commissioned to define the functional requirements for bibliographic records in relation to the variety of user needs and the variety of media.”

A group was formed in 1991 by International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) to carry out the study.

The FRBR report was approved in 1997 and published in It’s available at l-requirements-for-bibliographic-records l-requirements-for-bibliographic-records (Both the 1998 version and the current version)

Related Models Functional Requirements for Authority Data Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Data

“a conceptual entity-relationship model … that relates user tasks of retrieval and access in online library catalogues and bibliographic databases from a user’s perspective”

User Tasks Find Identify Select Obtain FISO

User Tasks “to find entities that correspond to the user’s search criteria”

User Tasks “to identify an 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)”

User Tasks “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 respect to content, physical format, etc....)”

User Tasks “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…)”

“a conceptual entity-relationship model … that relates user tasks of retrieval and access in online library catalogues and bibliographic databases from a user’s perspective”

What’s an entity? “a thing which is recognized as being capable of an independent existence and which can be uniquely identified” Entity

Entities have attributes. Entity Attribute Attributes modify entities.

Entities have relationships. Entity Attribute Relationships are links between entities. relationship

FRBR has three groups of entities. Group 1 Work Expression Manifestation Item Group 2 Person Corporate Body Group 3 Concept Object Place Event Group 1 & 2 Entities

Group 1 Entities These entities are “products of intellectual or artistic endeavor.” They are the things represented by our catalog records. Photo credits:

Group 1 Entities Work Expression Manifestation Item WEMI

Work “a distinct intellectual or artistic creation” Not represented in physical form Photo credit:

Expression “the specific intellectual or artistic form that a work takes each time it is ‘realized’” Still an abstract concept Photo credit:

Manifestation “the physical embodiment of an expression of a work” Representation of a set of items with the same physical characteristics Photo credit:

Item “a single exemplar of a manifestation” One physical copy of a book Photo credit:

Attributes of Group 1 Entities Work Expression Manifestation Item Title of the work Language Dimensions Inscriptions

Group 2 Entities These entities are responsible for the production of the Group 1 entities. They are authors, composers, illustrators, publishers, etc. Photo credits:

Group 2 Entities Person Corporate Body

Attributes of Group 2 Entities Person Corporate body Dates Place

Group 3 Entities These entities are the subjects of Group 1 entities. They are the things that our resources are about. Photo credits:

Group 3 Entities Concept Object Place Event Group 1 Entities Group 2 Entities

Attributes of Group 3 Entities Concept Object Place Event Term for concept Term for object Term for place Term for event

37 Work Expression Manifestation Item is realized through is embodied in is exemplified by recursive one many Group 1 Image credit: Barbara Tillett, Library of Congress Relationships Between Entities in the Same Group

Relationships Between Entities in Different Groups Image credit:

How is this different from what we’ve been doing? Does FRBR make a difference?

WorldCat and FRBR Works with 1 manifestation = 87% Works with 2-5 manifestations = 12% Works with more than 5 manifestations = 1% Eric Childress,“FRBR and OCLC Research,” April 10,

WorldCat and FRBR Works with 1 manifestation = 43% of total holdings Works with 2-5 manifestations = 40% of total holdings Works with more than 5 manifestations = 17% of total holdings Eric Childress,“FRBR and OCLC Research,” April 10,

FRBR-ized Catalogs Worldcat.org Photo credit:

FRBR-ized Catalogs xISBNxISBN and thingISBNthingISBN Can be used with current catalogs

FRBR-ized Catalogs Scherzo, Indiana University

FRBR-ized Catalogs OLAC Work-Centric Moving Image Discovery Interface Prototype

FRBR-ized Catalogs AustLit subscription service sample results available

FRBR-ized Catalogs Open Library

FRBR and RDA RDA = Resource Description and Access = new cataloging rules based on FRBR and its principles

FRBR and RDA RDA Structure – Recording Attributes Section 1 – Recording Attributes of Manifestation and Item Section 2 – Recording Attributes of Work and Expression Section 3 – Recording Attributes of Person, Family, and Corporate Body Section 4 – Recording Attributes of Concept, Object, Event, and Place

FRBR and RDA RDA Structure – Recording Relationships Section 5 – Recording Primary Relationships Between a Work, Expression, Manifestation, and Item Section 6 – Recording Relationships to Persons, Families, and Corporate Bodies Associated with a Resource Section 7 – Recording Subject Relationships Section 8 – Recording Relationships Between Works, Expressions, Manifestations and Items Section 9 – Recording Relationships Between Persons, Families, and Corporate Bodies Section 10 – Recording Relationships Between Concepts, Objects, Events, and Places

FRBR and RDA

FRBR Resources Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records: Final Report requirements-for-bibliographic-records What is FRBR? The FRBR Blog

FRBR Resources University of Colorado at Boulder FRBR Discussion hing-up-on-frbr.html IFLA’s Guidelines for OPAC Displays 3.pdf

FRBR Resources FRBR: A Guide for the Perplexed, by Robert Maxwell Understanding FRBR: What It Is and How it Will Affect Our Retrieval Tools, edited by Arlene Taylor

Thank you! Emily Dust Nimsakont Cataloging Librarian Nebraska Library Commission