This posting was sent to the list by Michael Fox. Because of technical
difficulties, we were unable to send it onto the list when it was first
posted. Mr. Fox's message is below. We apologize for the inconvenience.
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Regarding Proposal 2004-03
The situation is more complex than Mr. Elrod describes. The problem is that
one might want to display this information in some cases and not in others,
even in a single local system. Consider, for example, the name of the source
of acquisition for a manuscript recorded in 541 $a. In some situations, one
might wish to suppress the name as a matter of confidentiality but in others
display it as significant for understanding the provenance of the document
or collection. To implement such a choice would require a signal to the
system in some form. A blanket decision that affects all records will not
work.
Michael Fox
Minnesota Historical Society
345 Kellogg Blvd West
St. Paul, MN 55102-1906
work: (651) 296-2150
fax: (651) 296-9961
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
