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  • 1.  Request for Comment: Proposal for Manifestation: Sequence of Units of Extent

    Posted Nov 18, 2025 03:22 PM
      |   view attached

    Below is the abstract and background/justification for this proposal. Please see the attached for the full proposal and comment no later than Monday, December, 22, 2025.

    Abstract 

    As a subelement of Manifestation: extent of manifestation the proposed element Manifestation: sequence of units of extent is used to record identified sequences of any kind of unit of extent within a manifestation through designations of numbering and appropriate terms for a unit of extent. The designation is often taken from the last numbered unit of a sequence as found in a manifestation. Many of the current instructions refer to sequences recorded using a last numbered unit, and only minor editing is required to make this explicit in the remaining relevant instructions. 

    Background and justification

    This element supports the practice of recording a quantity of units of extent through designations of the last numbered and sometimes the first numbered unit of a sequence of extent units. While the resulting value may sometimes mirror an exact quantity as would be found in Manifestation: extent of unit and Manifestation: extent of embodied content, this element is more freeform. The freeform nature of this element means that terms from any applicable vocabulary can be used, as the focus is on recording the designations associated with sequences of those units. This means, for example, that the element can be used to record numbering for pages (a term for Extent of Embodied Content) and for leaves (a term for Extent of Unit). This element can be used to contribute values to the superelement Manifestation: extent of manifestation to construct more complex values through a string encoding scheme. This proposed element updates the element Manifestation: manifestation numbering of extent statement as presented in the Discussion Paper RSC/ExtentWG/2024/1/rev2 (https://www.rdatoolkit.org/sites/default/files/uploads/RSC_ExtentWG_2024_1-rev2updated2.pdf) in that it is no longer a manifestation statement element dependent on a new transcription guideline. Rather, only community-driven string encoding schemes are needed, with most of the current instructions under Extent of Manifestations of Text (https://access.rdatoolkit.org/en-US_ala-8754c7a9-c38c-3735-9cf9865df717f81b/p_vrj_ydz_xdb) requiring only light editing. The feedback from RSC members, particularly as found in RSC/ExtentWG/2024/1/rev2/ORDAC response (https://www.rdatoolkit.org/sites/default/files/uploads/RSC-ExtentWG-2024-1-rev2ORDAC%20response.pdf), was helpful in raising concerns with using a manifestation statement. The approach in this proposal for Manifestation: sequences of units of extent addresses those concerns.



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    Karl Pettitt
    Coordinator of Cataloging and Metadata Services
    University of Denver Libraries
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  • 2.  RE: Request for Comment: Proposal for Manifestation: Sequence of Units of Extent

    Posted Dec 12, 2025 12:40 PM
    Hi all, I have a suggestion and a question and would appreciate your feedback.

    Suggestion:
    The proposed definition of the proposed element uses the term "unit" but I wonder if "subunit" should be incorporated in the definition somehow to make it more consistent with how unit/subunits are used in the superelement?

    The proposed element is a subelement of Manifestation: extent of manifestation. The Prerecording section for extent of manifestation gives examples of units and subunits as follows:

    A unit includes a volume, audiocassette, film reel, a map, a digital file, etc.
    A subunit includes a page of a volume, a frame of a microfiche, a record in a digital file, etc. 

    Based on pages 4-29 of the proposal, it seems to me that the proposed element is often applied in situations related to subunits. As such, it would be helpful to make this explicit in the proposed definition.


    Question:
    Under Recommendation 1.1 (on page 2) in the Prerecording instructions, there is an option to "Record an unstructured description within a value of Manifestation: manifestation extent statement." Does this refer to a subelement that has already been established in RDA? I was unable to locate it but I admit I'm not the best at searching in RDA!


    There are also a couple of possible minor typos on page 2:

    • The approach in this proposal for Manifestation: sequences of units of extent addresses those concerns.

    • Recommendation 1.2: Move the applicable instructions under the section Extent of manifestations of text in the current Manifestation: extent of manifestation to Community Resources, with the applicable edits.


    Cheers,
    --Thumy


    _____________________________________
    Thumy Webb, Original Cataloging Librarian
    Fondren Library · Rice University · Houston, TX (GMT-6)
    thumy.webb@rice.edu · (713)348-2604

    Schedule a meeting with me in Google Calendar





  • 3.  RE: Request for Comment: Proposal for Manifestation: Sequence of Units of Extent

    Posted Dec 15, 2025 04:09 PM

    I'm addressing Thumy's question about where to find "Manifestation: manifestation extent statement" in RDA. This is proposed in RSC/ExtentWG/2025/1, as recommendation #2.

     Kathy



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    Kathy Glennan
    Director, Cataloging & Metadata Services
    University of Maryland Libraries
    she/her/hers
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Request for Comment: Proposal for Manifestation: Sequence of Units of Extent

    Posted Dec 19, 2025 01:57 PM

    I generally support this proposal, with the following comment:

    ALA has previously raised concerns about the use of the term "misleading numbering" applying to numbering "leaves" when there's content on both sides, which makes it "pages".

    The RDA Glossary definition of leaf is: "A unit of extent that consists of a single bound or fastened sheet as a subunit of a volume; each leaf consists of two pages, one on each side, either or both of which may be blank."

    Note that the definition does not require that one side must be blank. For example, if a book has 24 pages, it also could be described as having 12 leaves. If the publisher only numbers the leaves, this is not a "misleading" measurement; it's just that most of us would prefer to record the extent as pages.

    I would like to see the RSC tackle this terminology problem, an issue we raised a decade ago in 6JSC-ALA-Discussion-5.pdf.



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    Kathy Glennan
    Director, Cataloging & Metadata Services
    University of Maryland Libraries
    she/her/hers
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    Original Message