ALEG

Introduction

This document attempts to enumerate the relationships between the major ALEG entities (agent, work, expression, manifestation) providing some specific requirements behind the notions and visualisations outlined in the introduction to relationships document.

A companion document describes the relationships between the major topics and these entities.

Notation

• abstract

  denotes that this relationship can not be instantiated between two entities, but that this relationship is just a "grouping name" for a set of "concrete" relationships

Agent : Work and Expression

• creativelyAssociatedWith (abstract)

  Indicates that the agent is somehow associated with the work.

  This relationship links a agent entity with a work. However, for agents known by various names (not pseudonyms, but variant names such as "Geoffery Dutton", "Geoff Dutton", "G Dutton", "G Piers Dutton III") the name pertaining to the relationship must be nominated or left to default to the agent's "Common Writing Name" as linked to the agent entity record.

  • author

    Indicates that the agent is an author of the work/expression.

    • coAuthor

      Indicates that the agent is a co-author of the work.

      Note: Can a work have an author and a coauthor, or just two coauthors?

      MLA: Two coauthors only, if we include interpreter

    • interpreter

      Sometimes a agent may help to author a work by interpreting the intentions of/teasing out the story from another agent (? I'm sure Merv Hughes was helped like this with his 'creative' writing).

      Note: Is the agent who was 'helped' recorded as an author, or something else?

  • translator

    Indicates that the agent is the translator of the work.

    Note/Controversy: Are translators associated with the work or a particular expression? FRBR states that a translation is usually another expression of a work, not a new work. However, a 'free translation', in which the translator contributes signficant new interpretation could qualify the translation as a new work, which would be linked to the old work by a translation event.

    WHICH REMINDS ME: in our event based view of these things (eg, one work is expressed by a translation event), we MUST allow for events to repesent multiple simultaneous transformations - eg, a translation AND an abridgement, or translation and an adaptation (creating a new work!) !!

  • editor

    Indicates that the agent is the editor of the work.

    An editor (or sub-class) may optionally have these attributes:

    1. editorRole

       Specifies that type of editor: poetry, literary, review, general, series, etc.

       MLA: add associate, overseas

       Note: We need to fully enumerate these. Is "other" necessary in this list, or would the editorRole attribute just be omitted in this case?

    2. dateRange

       Specifies the date range of the relationship

    • coEditor

      Indicates that the agent is a co-editor of the work.

      Note: Can a work have an editor and a coeditor, or just two coeditors?

      MLA: usually editor and associate editor

    There are many other potential 'roles' a agent could have:

    • illustrator
    • director
    • producer
    • technical support
    • ...

• influenceOn

  Indicates that the agent was an 'influence on'/'influencer of' the work.

  Note: What are the criteria for recording this? I guess the notes attribute for this relationship would want to record more unstructured details, and the source attribute would want to point to evidence!

• influencedBy

  Indicates that the agent was 'influenced by' the work.

  Note: ditto for influenceOn

• subjectOf

  Indicates that the agent is a subject of the work.

Work/Expression : Work/Expression

• subjectOf

  Indicates that the first work is a subject of the second nominated work.

  When not subclassed (following list), this relationship indicates that the first work is just a general subject refered to by the second work.

  Subclasses:
  • reviewof

    Indicates that the first work is a review of the second nominated work. The first work must be of form 'review'.

  • criticismOf

    Indicates that the first work is a criticism of the second nominated work. The first work need not be any particular form (ie, need not be an essay, criticism, ...).

  • inResponseTo

    Indicates that the first work was produced in response to the second nominated work. For example, the first work may be a letter written in response to a review of another work. In this case, the work being reviewed may also be a subject of this letter.

• prevKnownAs

  Where a periodical has been previously known as another periodical, this relationship links the two.

  MLA: periodical only? Or any work? Eg: novels having different names in time?
  KF: OK - need to decide (policy?) when to create a new work and link using prevKnownAs and when to use simple variant titles (and possibly notes to explain their use...)

• versionOf (abstract)

  Subclasses of this relationship are used to link closely related works.

  Subclasses:
  • revisionOf

    Indicates that the first work/expression is a revision of the second nominated work/expression.

  • adaptationOf

    Indicates that the first work is an adaptation of the second nominated work (eg, film or stage adaptation). The type of adaptation (controlled authority file) must be recorded.

  • abridgementOf

    Indicates that the first expression is an abridgement of the second nominated expression.

  • translationOf

    Indicates that the first work/expression is a translation of the second nominated work/expression.

• influenceOn

  Indicates that the first work was an 'influence on'/'influencer of' the second work.

  Note: What are the criteria for recording this? I guess the notes attribute for this relationship would want to record more unstructured details, and the source attribute would want to point to evidence!

• partOf(abstract)

  Subclasses of this relationship are used to link works with other works which they are part of.

  Subclasses:

  • issueOf

    Indicates that the first work (which must be a periodicalIssue) is an issue of the second nominated work (which must be a periodical).

  • partOfSequence

    Indicates that the first work is a part of a sequence defined by the second work (which must be a sequence.

  • partOfSeries

    Indicates that the first work is a part of a series defined by the second work (which must be a series.

  • componentOf

    Indicates the the first work is a component of the second work. For example, a significant foreword or introduction is a component of the expression which includes it.

  • manifestedAsPartOf

    Indicates that the first manifestation is "part of" the second nominated manifestation. For example, the appearance of a short story in an anthology is represented by:

    1. a manifestation entity for the short story
    2. a manifestation entry for the entire anthology
    3. a "manifestedAsPartOf" relationship between the first and second entity which includes pagination information

Agent : Agent

• associatedWith(abstract)

  Subclasses of this relationship are used to link agents with other agents with whom they had relationships.

  Maybe attempting to define and assign specific subclasses is too tricky, and we should stay just at this 'high' level??!!

  Subclasses:

  • familyRelationshipWith

    Indicates that the first agent had a family relationship with the second agent of the nominated type.

    What are the nominated types? Should they be in authority file? Should they be expressed transitively where possible (for example,

    • 'spouse' rather than 'husband' or 'wife',
    • 'sibling' rather than 'brother' or 'sister'
    • 'step-sibling' rather than 'step-brother'...

    - KF votes 'yes'),

    or generically (eg, 'partner' rather than 'spouse' or 'de facto' - KF abstains).

    MLA: what about just familial?

    And is 'step-father' a sub-type of 'father'?

    MLA: LET'S LEAVE OUT

    Probably need 'other' with notes to cope with a variety of other relationships which are not generally used, but may be important in some cases ('cousin twice removed', 'surrogate mother'..)

    Some relationships are scoped over a date range ('spouse'), others are not ('sibling').

  • friendshipWith

    Indicates that the first agent has a friendship with the second agent (assumed to be mutual, ie transitive??)

• influenceOn

  Indicates that the first agent was an 'influence on'/'influencer of' the second agent.

  Note: What are the criteria for recording this? I guess the notes attribute for this relationship would want to record more unstructured details, and the source attribute would want to point to evidence!