Message-Id: <mailto:199408021925.OAA26198@library.wustl.edu> Date: Tue, 2 Aug 1994 13:56:44 -0400 From: "Linda McRae(ART)" <mailto:mcrae@SATIE.ARTS.USF.EDU> Subject: VRA DSC's list of Data Elements To: Multiple recipients of list IMAGELIB <mailto:IMAGELIB@ARIZVM1.BITNET>
To everyone who wrote wanting more information about the Visual
Resources Association's Data Elements Project, thank you for your
inquiries. For those who asked for specific information--more than just
how can I get a copy--I will try to answer each of you individually.
While it is very gratifying to know that the document is of interest
and may be of some help to many types of image collections, I regret to
have to tell you--it's not done yet!
I suspect many of you have encountered the same obstacles that caused
the visual resources community to decide it was time to build some
descriptive standards appropriate for image collections. VR
curators/librarians have long been frustrated in their desire to share
records and cooperate in building some kind of collective utility similar
to bibliographic utilities. The frustration is largely due to a lack of
cataloging standards. Some have attempted to adapt bibliographic MARC
formats to meet their needs but have had to create local rules for
applying the information to MARC tags because Chapter 8 of AACR2 simply
isn't adequate for image collections.
We hope that the data elements project may be used in the development
of a communications format that we can use, and because the document will
address issues of application, it may also provide a basis from which we
can build a compendium of descriptive practice (or get AACR2 Chapter 8
changed). In any case, both a format and a set of application
guidelines--cataloging rules--are necessary.
When the committee began this project, we compiled and analyzed data
fields from over fifty visual resources collections. The material is
organized into four large groups:
Oject Elements
Image Elements
Collection Management Elements
Authority Files/Elements
Briefly, the object elements refer to categories of information that
describe the object depicted in the image, i.e. object type, title, date
of creation, subject matter, etc. Image elements pertain to those
categories that record the physical characteristics and other identifying
information associated with the carrier of the information (slide, photo,
digital scan) and those characteristics such as vantage point that are
unique to the image itself. Collection management elements record data
on the acquisition, circulation, processing and maintenance of items in
the collection and record information about the catalog record itself
such as who did the cataloging. Many of the management elements would
probably not be recommended for a standard format as they are so
dependent upon local considerations. The last group is authority files
and elements. Authority files contain information that is linked to a
record but may contain more information than is necessary for the
individual record. For example, a creator name
authority file might have in addition to name, information about the
creator's birth and death dates, nationality, gender, etc.
The committee has compiled a lot of information and is now trying to
decide on the best format for organizing the information and discussing
the many issues involved in applying information to each element. We
hope this work will be completed within a year--perhaps sooner but
probably not--and it is likely that the VRA will publish the document
as a Special Bulletin. I will be happy to post progress reports and let
everyone know when and how they can obtain a copy.
Linda McRae (813) 974-9234 VOICE
College of Fine Arts/FAH 110 (813) 974-2091 FAX
University of South Florida mailto:mcrae@arts.usf.edu
Tampa, FL 33620-7350