1. Subjects in the FR family
Gordon Dunsire
Presented at the CC:DA/SAC joint meeting, ALA Annual, 27 June 2011

2. Overview Functional Requirements and Resource Description Framework
Semantics and inferencing
Treatment of “subject” in each FR model
Reconciling the models
Some open questions

3. FR family history
Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) published in 1997/8
Amended and corrected 2009
Functional Requirements for Authority Date (FRAD) published in 2009
Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Data (FRSAD) published in 2010

4. FR in RDF
FR models represented in Resource Description Framework (RDF)
FRBR Namespace project
RDF is basis of the Semantic Web
Representations made separately for each model to recapitulate historical development
Learning curve for FRBR Review Group
Informs development of consolidated model

5. Resource Description Framework
Metadata expressed as “atomic” statements
A simple, single, irreducible statement
The title of this book is “Treasure island”
Metadata statement constructed in 3 parts: a “triple”
Subject of the statement = Subject: This book
Nature of the statement = Predicate: has title
Value of the statement = Object: “Treasure island”
This book – has title – “Treasure island”
subject – predicate - object

6. RDF triple Subject and predicate MUST be machine-identifiable
Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)
Object MAY be a URI, or a literal
“Treasure Island”
Predicate = RDF Property

7. E-R in RDF Entity Class Property Relationship
Set of individuals with similar characteristics
Property
Relationship
Relates one individual to another individual or value

8. Property domain and range
A property links two specific things
The subject and object of a triple using the property
This book – has subject – that topic
A property may be defined to indicate the type (class) of thing that is its subject: Domain
A property may indicate the class that is its object: Range

9. Inferencing (1) This thing – has subject – that thing Implies:
Domain
Label
Range
Book
has subject
Topic
This thing – has subject – that thing
Implies:
This thing – is a – Book
Implies:
That thing – is a – Topic
Book and Topic are classes (types of thing)

10. Inferencing (2) A sub-class is a sub-type of thing
A sub-property is a refinement of a property
The domain or range of a sub-property is a sub-class of the domain or range of the property
Therefore a thing which is of the class of the domain or range of a triple using a sub-property is also of the class of the domain or range of the property

11. FRBR “Subject” relationships: E-R diagram
Work
Work
Group 1
Expression
has as subject
[is subject of]
Manifestation
Item
Person
Group 2
has as subject
[is subject of]
Corporate Body
Concept
Group 3
Object
has as subject
[is subject of]
Event
Place

12. FRBR “Subject” relationships: RDF properties
Domain
Label
Range
Work
has as subject (work)
has as subject (expression)
Expression
has as subject (manifestation)
Manifestation
has as subject (item)
Item
has as subject (person)
Person
has as subject (corporate body)
Corporate Body
has as subject (concept)
Concept
has as subject (object)
Object
has as subject (event)
Event
has as subject (place)
Place

13. FRBR “Subject” relationships: RDF inverse properties
Domain
Label
Range
Work
is subject (work) of
Expression
is subject (expression) of
Manifestation
is subject (manifestation) of
Item
is subject (item) of
Person
is subject (person) of
Corporate Body
is subject (corporate body) of
Concept
is subject (concept) of
Object
is subject (object) of
Event
is subject (event) of
Place
is subject (place) of

14. FRAD treatment of subject (1)
New attribute of FRBR Work entity
Subject of the work
“The subject aspects of the work and its content.”
“Includes information about the subject of the work. Includes classification numbers.”
New Family entity
Added to the FRBR high-level E-R diagram
Adds subject relationship between Work and Family

15. FRAD treatment of subject (2)
Descriptive relationship
“The relationship between a target work or expression or manifestation or item and a new work that refers to that target as its subject (e.g., criticism, commentary, review, casebook, etc., and the object of that analysis).
This type of relationship is usually expressed in bibliographic data through a subject controlled access point for the target work rather than through authority data.”

16. FRAD treatment of subject (3)
Controlled access point/Corresponding subject term or classification number relationship
“The relationship between the controlled access point for the name of an entity (for a person, family, corporate body, work, expression, manifestation, item, concept, object, event, place) and a subject term in a controlled vocabulary, and/or a classification number for that entity. Here the subject term and the classification number may also be viewed as parallel names/identifiers for the name of the same entity.”

17. Not a “subject of” relationship
FRAD “Subject” relationships: RDF properties
Domain
Label
Range
Work
has subject of the work
has as subject (family)
Family
is descriptive work of
[Work, Expression, Manifestation, Item]
Controlled Access Point
has corresponding subject term or classification number []
Not a “subject of” relationship

18. [Work, Expression, Manifestation, Item]
FRAD “Subject” relationships: RDF inverse properties
Domain
Label
Range
Family
is subject (family) of
Work
[Work, Expression, Manifestation, Item]
is descriptive work of

19. FRSAD: E-R diagram
Work
has as subject
Thema
is subject of
has appellation
Nomen
is appellation of

20. FRSAD “Subject” relationships: RDF properties
Domain
Label
Range
Work
has as subject
Thema
FRSAD “Subject” relationships: RDF inverse properties
Domain
Label
Range
Thema
is subject of
Work

21. FRBR/FRSAD: E-R diagram
Thema
Work
Work
has as subject
Expression
Manifestation
has as subject
Item
is subject of
has appellation
Person
has as subject
is appellation of
Corporate Body
Family
Concept
has as subject
Object
Event
Nomen
Place

22. Implies: G3 – is a sub-class of – Thema G2 – is a sub-class of – Thema
frad:has subject of the work
Work
frsad:has as subject
Work
Thema
frad:is descriptive work of
Work G1
frbrer:has as subject (G1)
Work G1
frbrer:has as subject (G3)
Work G3
frbrer:has as subject (G2)
Work G2
is a sub-property of
G3 – is a sub-class of – Thema
Implies:
G2 – is a sub-class of – Thema
G1 – is a sub-class of – Thema

23. Is Thema a class? (In a non-trivial sense)
Any thing can be a thema (?)
Thema has only 2 attributes
Type
Scope note
Does this imply that Thema is an equivalent class to Thing (the class of all classes)?

24. Reconciling Nomen Nomen is a class of labels?
There are many label-type classes in the FR family
FRAD: Controlled Access Point, Name (of a Person, etc.)
FRBR properties with no range: titles, terms, designations, etc.
Relationship with SKOSXL class Label?

25. Thank you gordon@gordondunsire.com Sponsors ALA
Cataloging & Classification Quarterly
MARCIVE, Inc.