Date:         Wed, 3 Dec 2003 16:51:00 -0800
Reply-To:     Metadata Object Description Schema List <[log in to unmask]>
Sender:       Metadata Object Description Schema List <[log in to unmask]>
From:         Karen Coyle <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: genres and governments records
Comments: To: Metadata Object Description Schema List <[log in to unmask]>
In-Reply-To:  <[log in to unmask]>
Content-Type: text/plain

On Mon, 2003-12-01 at 11:47, Bruce D'Arcus wrote:

> Also, what about adding "academic journal" now that we'll have the part
> element with its ability to code journal articles?  If this is the
> case, it suggests to me the genre for articles and such ought to be
> coded on the "host."  Sound right?

I've been through this one before, but then I have to say that the
concept of "genre" is one of the least universal concepts in metadata.
Everyone has their own favorites, or ones that make sense to them but
not necessarily to others. The "academic journal" is one of those for me
-- as far as I'm concerned a journal is a journal, and I can't figure
out how you'd draw the line between academic and non-academic (i.e.
where does something like "Nature" fit in -- it's sold on newsstands,
but it also gets indexed in the A&I indexes that generally cover
scientific and academic articles). Nor can I imagine why designating
something "academic" is useful in the metadata context.

This brings me to a general statement about genres: let's think about
what we want to use them for before we start adding to the list. Having
some "use" criteria will make it possible to discuss whether a genre
fits in to our goals or not. Without goals, where will we ever stop?
-------------------------------------
Karen Coyle
Digital Library Specialist
http://www.kcoyle.net
Ph: 510-540-7596 Fax: 510-848-3913
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