Identifying ‘textual works’

ISTC:controversy and potential

Patrick Le BœufFRBR in 21st century catalogues:an invitational workshopDublin, Ohio, May 2-4, 2005

Facts and figures to start with

• ISTC = International Standard Text Code• ISO DIS 21047 by ISO TC 46 SC 9 WG 3• Work began in 2000• 2004: CISAC / Nielsen BookData / R. R.

Bowker Consortium elected as future Registration Authority

• May 30, 2005: deadline for approval by ISO members

Why ISTC?

• Digital environment of the text supply chain: e-production, e-formats, e-commerce…

• Other available identifiers for “abstract” content: ISRC, ISWC, ISAN

• Need for an identifier “above” the ISBN level, “above” the publication (in whatever form) level

Who was involved in the ISTC development?

librarians rightssocieties

publishers

insisted on FRBR-compatibility

insisted on <indecs>-ONIX-compatibility

focused on the authors’ viewpoint

A key concept: Functional Granularity

• Functional Granularity means:– If I need it, I can do it– If I don’t need it, I don’t have to

do it

• As a consequence, ISTC applies to various things, meets various needs

What does ISTC identify at all?

Overall content

Foreword Texts 1 & 2

Foreword Text 1Translation

of text 1Text 2

Illustra-tions

Prin

cipl

e of

Fun

ctio

nal

Gra

nula

rity

Foreword Text 1, bilingual Text 2, illustrated

What qualifies as a distinct “textual work”?

TextCollection

(anthology,etc.)

Chapter(section, act,

scene…)

TranslationDigest

Adaptation

Prin

ciple

of

Fun

ctional

Gra

nula

rity

ISTC notion of ‘a Work’

different from FRBR

Irreconcilable views? (1)

Hamlet + Tamburlaine

ISTC

Hamletillustrated

ISTC

Tamburlaine illustrated

ISTC

Hamlet

ISTC

Tamburlaine

ISTC

Librarians Publishers Rights SocietiesLibrarians Publishers Rights Societies

Yes Yes, if I need it Yes

Librarians Publishers Rights Societies

Yes Yes, if I need it Yes

No?? Yes, if I need itWarning: two

parties involved!

Librarians Publishers Rights Societies

Yes Yes, if I need it Yes

No?? Yes, if I need itWarning: two

parties involved!

No!!! Yes, if I need itWarning: two

parties involved!

Irreconcilable views? (2)• FRBR:

– Language = Attribute of an Expression, not of a Work(although FRAR recognizes the “Original Language of the Work” attribute)

– The Work Hamlet is not in English; it has English, French, Spanish, etc. Expressions

• ISTC:– Language = Mandatory element in

ISTC metadata for a textual Work– The Work Hamlet is in English and has

derived Works in French, Spanish, etc.

Reconciling the irreconcilable?

• FRBR-CRM Harmonization Group:– A Work cannot be identified unless you

identify a representative Expression thereof– A Work has a representative Expression

that has a Language (= “Original Language of the Work” in FRAR)

• A proposal for reviewing FRBR:– Adopt the FRAR “Original Language of the

Work” attribute and define it as reflecting the privileged relationship between the Work Hamlet and the English language: Hamlet “is” not “in” English, but “was first expressed in” English (or even “was conceived in” English?)

Functional Granularity again

• If librarians don’t need a given type of ISTC (e.g., Hamlet+Tamburlaine), they don’t have to use it

• If librarians need a type of ISTC that is not extant (e.g., Hamlet-as-a-FRBR-supralinguistic-Work), they can apply for it– Problems:

• It costs money – who’ll pay?

• How to explicate in ISTC metadata the subtle distinction between Hamlet-the-Expression (‘Language’ attribute = English) and Hamlet-the-Work (‘Original Language of the Work’ attribute = English)?

ISTC potential for libraries (1)

• xISBN is defined at the FRBR Work level

• ISTC matches more or less the Expression level

ISTC could be used to define Expression-subsets of xISBN

• Possible application for FictionFinder: not just “Hamlet in German”, but precisely which German translation of Hamlet

ISTC potential for libraries (2)

• ILL: Tool for suggesting alternative choices when the requested item is unavailable

• Cataloguing: automated reuse of ISTC metadata in authority records for Expressions???

• Cataloguing: Tool for checking accuracy of data by comparing info from title-page with info from ISTC metadata

• OPACs: Tool for making FRBRization easier (at least at the Expression level, possibly at the Work level too)

ISTC in a network of identifiers

Text Music Movies

archetypal ISAN

version ISTCISWC

ISAN-VEContentsound

recordingISRC

U P C-EA Nmonograph

ISBN ISMNProduct

serial ISSN

Work

Expression

Manifestation

Practical issues

• ISTC is a nice intellectual construct, but is it feasible?

• Not all ISTCs will be useful to librarians – should they record those that are not?

• Should librarians extend the ISTC scope to cover (super)“works”?

• Are libraries willing to manage retrospective ISTCization?

Thanks for your patience!

patrick.le-boeuf@bnf.fr

Thanks to all those who re-read this presentation and helped me correct it:• Anila Angjeli• Mark Bide• Martin Doerr• Elizabeth Giuliani• René Lloret• Godfrey Rust• Jean-Louis Pineau