Date:         Thu, 27 Jan 2005 13:08:37 -0500
Reply-To:     Metadata Object Description Schema List <[log in to unmask]>
Sender:       Metadata Object Description Schema List <[log in to unmask]>
From:         "Ray Denenberg, Library of Congress" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: why is mods allowed as root?
Comments: To: Metadata Object Description Schema List <[log in to unmask]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

From: "Bruce D'Arcus" <[log in to unmask]>
> It's just that both of these are valid:
>
> <modsCollection xmlns="http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3">
>    <mods>
>       ...
>    </mods>
> </modsCollection>
>
> <mods xmlns="http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3">
>       ...
> </mods>

Ok, I see.

Mods defines both the "mods record" and "mods collection"  where the latter
is a collection of records.

(So <mods> or <modsCollection> can be the root, for a mods record or mods
collection respectively.)

A solution (to the apparent complexity and confusion that this causes) is to
define a separate schema for modsCollection.

We did discuss this long ago and decided it wasn't necessary, but I wouldn't
object to revisiting this.  You could propose it for version 4.

Another suggestion has been to dissalow <mods> as a root, so that
<modsCollection> would wrap even a single mods record. I would  oppose this
approach but would not oppose a  separate schema.

--Ray