Core CC:DA Public Space

A proposal has been submitted to RSC for the November meeting, https://www.rdatoolkit.org/sites/default/files/uploads/RSC_TechnicalWG_2024_2.pdf: Proposal to revise definitions of aggregate, aggregating work and Aggregates Guidance.

This proposal originated as a fast track suggestion and was referred to the full proposal process as an outcome of the July 2024 RSC meeting. The abstract says:

"Modifications of the definitions for aggregate and aggregating work are proposed for RDA, as well as revisions to the guidance for aggregates in RDA Toolkit, informed by observations from LIS trainers in teaching RDA contacted by the Education and Orientation Officer. The changes de-emphasize the role of the aggregating expression in both the definitions and the guidance."

If you have comments or suggestions on this proposal, please post them here before September 30. As usual there is a short turn around time and NARDAC would like a CC:DA response by October 1.

Note: I have already reported the problem with the missing designation of text to be deleted in the marked up text in Recommendation #1. You do not need to comment on that further.

Thanks!

Kathy

A proposal has been submitted to RSC for the November meeting, https://www.rdatoolkit.org/sites/default/files/uploads/RSC_TechnicalWG_2024_2.pdf: Proposal to revise definitions of aggregate, aggregating work and Aggregates Guidance.

This proposal originated as a fast track suggestion and was referred to the full proposal process as an outcome of the July 2024 RSC meeting. The abstract says:

"Modifications of the definitions for aggregate and aggregating work are proposed for RDA, as well as revisions to the guidance for aggregates in RDA Toolkit, informed by observations from LIS trainers in teaching RDA contacted by the Education and Orientation Officer. The changes de-emphasize the role of the aggregating expression in both the definitions and the guidance."

If you have comments or suggestions on this proposal, please post them here before September 30. As usual there is a short turn around time and NARDAC would like a CC:DA response by October 1.

Note: I have already reported the problem with the missing designation of text to be deleted in the marked up text in Recommendation #1. You do not need to comment on that further.

Thanks!

Kathy

Hi Kathy: Thank you so much for sending the "Proposal to revise definitions of aggregate, aggregating work and Aggregates Guidance" for review.  Here are my thoughts and suggested revision.  

1. Recommendation one: Aggregate: A manifestation that embodies multiple expressions.
2. Recommendation two: Aggregating work: A work that is a plan to select and arrange expressions of one or more works and embody them
   in an aggregate.
3. Recommendation three consists of the following aggregates guidance:

• Aggregate manifestations
     o Collection aggregate
     o Augmentation aggregate
     o Parallel aggregate
• Aggregating works
• Aggregating expressions
• Describing an aggregate

For recommendation one, we need a definition to address the potential for an aggregate to contain a single expression while emphasizing the role of the aggregating expression in facilitating the aggregation of multiple expressions. It also needs to align with the feedback received from users regarding the clarity and practical application of the term within the RDA Toolkit framework.  How about this definition?

Aggregate: A manifestation that embodies one or more expressions, including at least one aggregating expression, which serves to gather and organize these expressions.

 For recommendation two, we need a definition that maintains clarity while emphasizing the role of the aggregating work in the selection and arrangement process, ensuring that it reflects the intention behind creating an aggregate.  How about this definition?

              Aggregating Work: A work that serves as a plan to select, organize, and present expressions from one or more works, ultimately resulting in their embodiment within an aggregate.

 For recommendation three, we need to discuss each aggregate guidance separately.

The guidance for aggregate manifestations is comprehensive and well-articulated.  Its three components: collection aggregate, augmentation aggregate, and parallel aggregate are also well-written and easily understood.  The guidance on aggregating works can be refined for clarity and flow.

Aggregating work: A plan to select and arrange expressions from one or more works, embodying them in an aggregate. This plan may involve aggregating expressions of entire works, parts of works, or extracts.  

An aggregating work is realized by a single aggregating expression. The work represented by an expression that is aggregated does not constitute part of the aggregating work itself.

Common attributes of the aggregated expressions may be recorded as representative expression attributes of the aggregating work. (See Guidance: Representative Expressions of an Aggregating Work.)

An aggregating work is distinct from another if the selection and sequence of expressions aggregated in one differ from those in another.

Th guidance for aggregating expressions is well-structured and informative.  We can refine it for readability.   

Aggregating Expression: An expression that realizes the plan of an aggregating work by selecting and arranging expressions embodied in an aggregate.

 An aggregating expression is represented by an aggregate that also contains the aggregated expressions. However, it does not incorporate or accumulate those expressions or any of their characteristics.

 Indirect relationships between an aggregating expression and one or more aggregated expressions can be recorded using the shortcut elements: Expression: aggregates and Expression: aggregated by. (See Guidance: Data Elements, RDA Relationship Data, Relationship Shortcuts.)

An aggregating expression does not have attributes related to content that can be recorded. (See Guidance: Resource Description, Describing an Expression, Describing Expressions of Aggregating Works and Aggregated Expressions.)

Guidance for describing an aggregate is informative.  I agree with Kate that a diagram is helpful.    In summary, I tried to clarify the definitions and aggregates guidance and make them easily understood by all. 

------------------------------
Amanda Z. Xu
Team Lead, Librarian (Metadata)
National Agricultural Library
Beltsville, Maryland, USA
amanda.xu@usda.gov

Original Message:
Sent: Aug 28, 2024 03:05 PM
From: Kathryn Glennan
Subject: Comments requested: RSC/TechnicalWG/2024/2

A proposal has been submitted to RSC for the November meeting, https://www.rdatoolkit.org/sites/default/files/uploads/RSC_TechnicalWG_2024_2.pdf: Proposal to revise definitions of aggregate, aggregating work and Aggregates Guidance.

This proposal originated as a fast track suggestion and was referred to the full proposal process as an outcome of the July 2024 RSC meeting. The abstract says:

"Modifications of the definitions for aggregate and aggregating work are proposed for RDA, as well as revisions to the guidance for aggregates in RDA Toolkit, informed by observations from LIS trainers in teaching RDA contacted by the Education and Orientation Officer. The changes de-emphasize the role of the aggregating expression in both the definitions and the guidance."

If you have comments or suggestions on this proposal, please post them here before September 30. As usual there is a short turn around time and NARDAC would like a CC:DA response by October 1.

Note: I have already reported the problem with the missing designation of text to be deleted in the marked up text in Recommendation #1. You do not need to comment on that further.

Thanks!

Kathy

After my first few read-throughs, I felt more or less comfortable with the proposed definitions for aggregate and aggregating work. However, I think Amanda's proposed revisions for these definitions help clarify the meaning of these terms in a way that makes them much easier to understand. I also agree that a diagram would be useful as part of the guidance chapter, perhaps one that is similar to the diagram illustrating the model for aggregates in the LRM.

I have a slight preference for retaining the original order of contents in the Toolkit for the Aggregates guidance chapter (i.e., "Aggregate manifestations" followed by "Aggregating expressions" followed by "Aggregating works"). This order more logically follows the flow of the WEMI model.

Hi Kathy: Thank you so much for sending the "Proposal to revise definitions of aggregate, aggregating work and Aggregates Guidance" for review.  Here are my thoughts and suggested revision.  

1. Recommendation one: Aggregate: A manifestation that embodies multiple expressions.
2. Recommendation two: Aggregating work: A work that is a plan to select and arrange expressions of one or more works and embody them
   in an aggregate.
3. Recommendation three consists of the following aggregates guidance:

• Aggregate manifestations
     o Collection aggregate
     o Augmentation aggregate
     o Parallel aggregate
• Aggregating works
• Aggregating expressions
• Describing an aggregate

For recommendation one, we need a definition to address the potential for an aggregate to contain a single expression while emphasizing the role of the aggregating expression in facilitating the aggregation of multiple expressions. It also needs to align with the feedback received from users regarding the clarity and practical application of the term within the RDA Toolkit framework.  How about this definition?

Aggregate: A manifestation that embodies one or more expressions, including at least one aggregating expression, which serves to gather and organize these expressions.

 For recommendation two, we need a definition that maintains clarity while emphasizing the role of the aggregating work in the selection and arrangement process, ensuring that it reflects the intention behind creating an aggregate.  How about this definition?

              Aggregating Work: A work that serves as a plan to select, organize, and present expressions from one or more works, ultimately resulting in their embodiment within an aggregate.

 For recommendation three, we need to discuss each aggregate guidance separately.

The guidance for aggregate manifestations is comprehensive and well-articulated.  Its three components: collection aggregate, augmentation aggregate, and parallel aggregate are also well-written and easily understood.  The guidance on aggregating works can be refined for clarity and flow.

Aggregating work: A plan to select and arrange expressions from one or more works, embodying them in an aggregate. This plan may involve aggregating expressions of entire works, parts of works, or extracts.  

An aggregating work is realized by a single aggregating expression. The work represented by an expression that is aggregated does not constitute part of the aggregating work itself.

Common attributes of the aggregated expressions may be recorded as representative expression attributes of the aggregating work. (See Guidance: Representative Expressions of an Aggregating Work.)

An aggregating work is distinct from another if the selection and sequence of expressions aggregated in one differ from those in another.

Th guidance for aggregating expressions is well-structured and informative.  We can refine it for readability.   

Aggregating Expression: An expression that realizes the plan of an aggregating work by selecting and arranging expressions embodied in an aggregate.

 An aggregating expression is represented by an aggregate that also contains the aggregated expressions. However, it does not incorporate or accumulate those expressions or any of their characteristics.

 Indirect relationships between an aggregating expression and one or more aggregated expressions can be recorded using the shortcut elements: Expression: aggregates and Expression: aggregated by. (See Guidance: Data Elements, RDA Relationship Data, Relationship Shortcuts.)

An aggregating expression does not have attributes related to content that can be recorded. (See Guidance: Resource Description, Describing an Expression, Describing Expressions of Aggregating Works and Aggregated Expressions.)

Guidance for describing an aggregate is informative.  I agree with Kate that a diagram is helpful.    In summary, I tried to clarify the definitions and aggregates guidance and make them easily understood by all. 

------------------------------
Amanda Z. Xu
Team Lead, Librarian (Metadata)
National Agricultural Library
Beltsville, Maryland, USA
amanda.xu@usda.gov

Original Message:
Sent: Aug 28, 2024 03:05 PM
From: Kathryn Glennan
Subject: Comments requested: RSC/TechnicalWG/2024/2

A proposal has been submitted to RSC for the November meeting, https://www.rdatoolkit.org/sites/default/files/uploads/RSC_TechnicalWG_2024_2.pdf: Proposal to revise definitions of aggregate, aggregating work and Aggregates Guidance.

This proposal originated as a fast track suggestion and was referred to the full proposal process as an outcome of the July 2024 RSC meeting. The abstract says:

"Modifications of the definitions for aggregate and aggregating work are proposed for RDA, as well as revisions to the guidance for aggregates in RDA Toolkit, informed by observations from LIS trainers in teaching RDA contacted by the Education and Orientation Officer. The changes de-emphasize the role of the aggregating expression in both the definitions and the guidance."

If you have comments or suggestions on this proposal, please post them here before September 30. As usual there is a short turn around time and NARDAC would like a CC:DA response by October 1.

Note: I have already reported the problem with the missing designation of text to be deleted in the marked up text in Recommendation #1. You do not need to comment on that further.

Thanks!

Kathy

Hi Kathy,

My co-worker provided this comment, which I agree with although i realize it may be considered a larger issue than aggregates rather than feedback for this proposal. More explanation about the difference between the concept of "amalgamation" and "aggregate" (as a noun) would be useful, perhaps in Guidance>Aggregates. I realize that amalgamation refers to an expression and aggregate refers to a manifestation, but knowing that the manifestation contains expressions that can be separated (e.g. parallel text in English and Spanish) helps to understand you have an aggregate situation.

After my first few read-throughs, I felt more or less comfortable with the proposed definitions for aggregate and aggregating work. However, I think Amanda's proposed revisions for these definitions help clarify the meaning of these terms in a way that makes them much easier to understand. I also agree that a diagram would be useful as part of the guidance chapter, perhaps one that is similar to the diagram illustrating the model for aggregates in the LRM.

I have a slight preference for retaining the original order of contents in the Toolkit for the Aggregates guidance chapter (i.e., "Aggregate manifestations" followed by "Aggregating expressions" followed by "Aggregating works"). This order more logically follows the flow of the WEMI model.

Hi Kathy: Thank you so much for sending the "Proposal to revise definitions of aggregate, aggregating work and Aggregates Guidance" for review.  Here are my thoughts and suggested revision.  

1. Recommendation one: Aggregate: A manifestation that embodies multiple expressions.
2. Recommendation two: Aggregating work: A work that is a plan to select and arrange expressions of one or more works and embody them
   in an aggregate.
3. Recommendation three consists of the following aggregates guidance:

• Aggregate manifestations
     o Collection aggregate
     o Augmentation aggregate
     o Parallel aggregate
• Aggregating works
• Aggregating expressions
• Describing an aggregate

For recommendation one, we need a definition to address the potential for an aggregate to contain a single expression while emphasizing the role of the aggregating expression in facilitating the aggregation of multiple expressions. It also needs to align with the feedback received from users regarding the clarity and practical application of the term within the RDA Toolkit framework.  How about this definition?

Aggregate: A manifestation that embodies one or more expressions, including at least one aggregating expression, which serves to gather and organize these expressions.

 For recommendation two, we need a definition that maintains clarity while emphasizing the role of the aggregating work in the selection and arrangement process, ensuring that it reflects the intention behind creating an aggregate.  How about this definition?

              Aggregating Work: A work that serves as a plan to select, organize, and present expressions from one or more works, ultimately resulting in their embodiment within an aggregate.

 For recommendation three, we need to discuss each aggregate guidance separately.

The guidance for aggregate manifestations is comprehensive and well-articulated.  Its three components: collection aggregate, augmentation aggregate, and parallel aggregate are also well-written and easily understood.  The guidance on aggregating works can be refined for clarity and flow.

Aggregating work: A plan to select and arrange expressions from one or more works, embodying them in an aggregate. This plan may involve aggregating expressions of entire works, parts of works, or extracts.  

An aggregating work is realized by a single aggregating expression. The work represented by an expression that is aggregated does not constitute part of the aggregating work itself.

Common attributes of the aggregated expressions may be recorded as representative expression attributes of the aggregating work. (See Guidance: Representative Expressions of an Aggregating Work.)

An aggregating work is distinct from another if the selection and sequence of expressions aggregated in one differ from those in another.

Th guidance for aggregating expressions is well-structured and informative.  We can refine it for readability.   

Aggregating Expression: An expression that realizes the plan of an aggregating work by selecting and arranging expressions embodied in an aggregate.

 An aggregating expression is represented by an aggregate that also contains the aggregated expressions. However, it does not incorporate or accumulate those expressions or any of their characteristics.

 Indirect relationships between an aggregating expression and one or more aggregated expressions can be recorded using the shortcut elements: Expression: aggregates and Expression: aggregated by. (See Guidance: Data Elements, RDA Relationship Data, Relationship Shortcuts.)

An aggregating expression does not have attributes related to content that can be recorded. (See Guidance: Resource Description, Describing an Expression, Describing Expressions of Aggregating Works and Aggregated Expressions.)

Guidance for describing an aggregate is informative.  I agree with Kate that a diagram is helpful.    In summary, I tried to clarify the definitions and aggregates guidance and make them easily understood by all. 

------------------------------
Amanda Z. Xu
Team Lead, Librarian (Metadata)
National Agricultural Library
Beltsville, Maryland, USA
amanda.xu@usda.gov

Original Message:
Sent: Aug 28, 2024 03:05 PM
From: Kathryn Glennan
Subject: Comments requested: RSC/TechnicalWG/2024/2

A proposal has been submitted to RSC for the November meeting, https://www.rdatoolkit.org/sites/default/files/uploads/RSC_TechnicalWG_2024_2.pdf: Proposal to revise definitions of aggregate, aggregating work and Aggregates Guidance.

This proposal originated as a fast track suggestion and was referred to the full proposal process as an outcome of the July 2024 RSC meeting. The abstract says:

"Modifications of the definitions for aggregate and aggregating work are proposed for RDA, as well as revisions to the guidance for aggregates in RDA Toolkit, informed by observations from LIS trainers in teaching RDA contacted by the Education and Orientation Officer. The changes de-emphasize the role of the aggregating expression in both the definitions and the guidance."

If you have comments or suggestions on this proposal, please post them here before September 30. As usual there is a short turn around time and NARDAC would like a CC:DA response by October 1.

Note: I have already reported the problem with the missing designation of text to be deleted in the marked up text in Recommendation #1. You do not need to comment on that further.

Thanks!

Kathy

A proposal has been submitted to RSC for the November meeting, https://www.rdatoolkit.org/sites/default/files/uploads/RSC_TechnicalWG_2024_2.pdf: Proposal to revise definitions of aggregate, aggregating work and Aggregates Guidance.

This proposal originated as a fast track suggestion and was referred to the full proposal process as an outcome of the July 2024 RSC meeting. The abstract says:

"Modifications of the definitions for aggregate and aggregating work are proposed for RDA, as well as revisions to the guidance for aggregates in RDA Toolkit, informed by observations from LIS trainers in teaching RDA contacted by the Education and Orientation Officer. The changes de-emphasize the role of the aggregating expression in both the definitions and the guidance."

If you have comments or suggestions on this proposal, please post them here before September 30. As usual there is a short turn around time and NARDAC would like a CC:DA response by October 1.

Note: I have already reported the problem with the missing designation of text to be deleted in the marked up text in Recommendation #1. You do not need to comment on that further.

Thanks!

Kathy

------------------------------
Kathy Glennan
CC:DA Chair
Director, Cataloging & Metadata Services
University of Maryland Libraries
she/her/hers
------------------------------

A proposal has been submitted to RSC for the November meeting, https://www.rdatoolkit.org/sites/default/files/uploads/RSC_TechnicalWG_2024_2.pdf: Proposal to revise definitions of aggregate, aggregating work and Aggregates Guidance.

This proposal originated as a fast track suggestion and was referred to the full proposal process as an outcome of the July 2024 RSC meeting. The abstract says:

"Modifications of the definitions for aggregate and aggregating work are proposed for RDA, as well as revisions to the guidance for aggregates in RDA Toolkit, informed by observations from LIS trainers in teaching RDA contacted by the Education and Orientation Officer. The changes de-emphasize the role of the aggregating expression in both the definitions and the guidance."

If you have comments or suggestions on this proposal, please post them here before September 30. As usual there is a short turn around time and NARDAC would like a CC:DA response by October 1.

Note: I have already reported the problem with the missing designation of text to be deleted in the marked up text in Recommendation #1. You do not need to comment on that further.

Thanks!

Kathy

I have two example use case for describing an aggregating expression. 

The first example is when the title page is in a language of expression with a different value that that of the expressions that are aggregated. When I cataloged rare books, I saw this a lot--the title page would be in Latin but everything else was in a vernacular language like German. I cannot record "language of  expression: Latin" for any of the individual expressions because it is not true. Currently, it does not seem like I can record this information as a value for the aggregating work as "language of representative expression: Latin" because CONDITION/CONDITION OPTION (12.14.36.98) for an aggregating work Work: language of expression only has CONDITION OPTIONs about recording a value of an expression that is aggregated NOT the aggregating expression. Providing information about the language of expression to users is important as it strongly  informs their preferences about selecting resources.

The second example would be if I want to make a note about the leaf, page, or column numbering, e.g., "Pages are numbered as roman numerals with "IIII" used for the number four throughout." For an aggregate, this would be appropriate to record as a note on expression for the aggregating expression. As a practical matter, since these are numbers that appear on the manifestation, I supposed it would also be appropriate to record as a note on manifestation. However, one has much more wiggle room with note elements than with other attribute elements.

Like others have expressed, my co-workers who are not as familiar with the RDA concept of aggregates found the whole concept very confusing and did not find the proposed revisions introduced clarity.  One co-worker commented, "Why does an entity exist without any attributes? It seems like this is theoretical w/o a use case." Another co-worker said, "The struck-through portion of page 5, particularly the example of the title page, page headings, and numbering, at least provided a hint at the purpose/nature/etc. of the aggregating expression as distinct from the works/expressions/manifestations being aggregated within the aggregating work/expression."

I realize that most of this is a training issue, but given that the reason for the proposal was to clarify aggregates, it doesn't seem to make an appreciable difference. For myself, the key points to understanding what an aggregating expression is are

• It must exist since the aggregating work exists and is manifested in the aggregate manifestation.
•  It where the aggregating of expression happens--I think of it as the action part of plan, action, and result. The plan to aggregate is the aggregating work and the result is the aggregate manifestation.
• There is content that cannot belong to the individual expressions so it must belong to the aggregate expression.
• The aggregating expression is a container that holds the expressions that are aggregates but it does not possess the attributes of those expressions. Similarly, a mixing bowl may hold butter, eggs, and sugar, but it is not butter, eggs or sugar in itself.

Kate 

A proposal has been submitted to RSC for the November meeting, https://www.rdatoolkit.org/sites/default/files/uploads/RSC_TechnicalWG_2024_2.pdf: Proposal to revise definitions of aggregate, aggregating work and Aggregates Guidance.

This proposal originated as a fast track suggestion and was referred to the full proposal process as an outcome of the July 2024 RSC meeting. The abstract says:

"Modifications of the definitions for aggregate and aggregating work are proposed for RDA, as well as revisions to the guidance for aggregates in RDA Toolkit, informed by observations from LIS trainers in teaching RDA contacted by the Education and Orientation Officer. The changes de-emphasize the role of the aggregating expression in both the definitions and the guidance."

If you have comments or suggestions on this proposal, please post them here before September 30. As usual there is a short turn around time and NARDAC would like a CC:DA response by October 1.

Note: I have already reported the problem with the missing designation of text to be deleted in the marked up text in Recommendation #1. You do not need to comment on that further.

Thanks!

Kathy