For works with more than one manifestation, I would guess that MOST
users are not looking for a particular manifestation. Or don't know
which manifestation they are looking for until they see the options. Or
at least many are not. Users that aren't a particular kind of humanities
scholar don't come to the library looking for a particular edition, they
just come looking for "Hamlet" or "Godel, Escher, Bach," or what have
you. "Which edition would you like?" "There are more than one? What are
the differences?"
This is just me guessing, actual evidence of some kind would indeed be
good.
Jonathan
Daniel Paradis wrote:
Ed Jones wrote:
"(1) Yes, if you were looking for a particular manifestation you certainly wouldn't
want to be presented with work/expression information, but if you're unsure what exactly
you're looking for, it can be very helpful in clarifying things."
The CastAlbumCollector website (http://www.castalbumcollector.com) is a very good example of how a database
(in this case of recordings of musicals) based on FRBR entities can help users navigate large results sets
and clarify what they're looking for. The website lets you browse by show (=Work), by recording (=Expression)
or by release (=Manifestation); you can also do a keyword search by show or recording. If you search for the
work "Les misérables", you will be presented with only two results: the musical by Schönberg or the
one by Spencer (who knew there was another musical on the same subject?). Once you select the Schönberg work,
you can pick among the 55 recordings of the musical in the database. Only after you selected a recording are
you offered with specific releases. At this stage, the details pertaining to the work and expression entities
are neatly grouped together under "Show details" and "Recording details." I was not
surprised to read on his personal website that the creator of this database has an MLS...
(By the way, Schönberg's musical is represented by authority record n 87120341
(Schönberg, Claude-Michel. Misérables). Authority record no97072905
[Misérables]) is for a dramatic adaptation for children, by Jean Avran, of
Hugo's novel.)
Daniel Paradis
Bibliographic Access Librarian
Concordia University Libraries
1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, LB 317-3
Montreal QC H3G 1M8
514-848-2424, x7752
daniel.para...@concordia.ca
