On 27/10/2011 17:42, J. McRee Elrod wrote:
<snip>
When I object that many of RDA's media terms (MARC 336-338) are
obscure, I am told that they are codes, and will be replaced in
individual OPAC displays by alternate terms or icons.
Why not enter, for example, "[s.n]" as a code in 260$b, and have
systems display "[publisher not identified]", "[editeur non
identified]", "[Verlag nicht identifiziert]", "[chuban shang meiyou
queding]", etc., based on 040$b?
That would greatly facilitate international exchange of bibliographic
records, and would absolve bibliographic utilities, and those of us
who serve multiple languages of the catalogue, from having duplicate
records.
</snip>
The main requirement for this kind of scripting is that the information
is consistent. In these cases, 260$b[s.n.], 245$c ... [et al.] and other
terms have been entered very consistently for a very long time, so
scripting would be pretty easy. Even I could do it.
Once these kinds of scripting solutions are accepted (the only choice, I
think) then other similar types of solutions can appear. At least we
should try these kinds of solutions before embarking on manual changes.
After all, that is the very purpose of modern computer systems. They
really can do a lot today.
--
James Weinheimer weinheimer.ji...@gmail.com
First Thus: http://catalogingmatters.blogspot.com/
Cooperative Cataloging Rules: http://sites.google.com/site/opencatalogingrules/
