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Re: [ARSCLIST] Was Registry of Digital Masters now, more about organization of information

Karl Miller wrote:
On Wed, 13 Sep 2006, steven c wrote:


Nevertheless, information which has not been enumerated and catalogued is
for all practical purposes worthless. Imagine a dictionary in which the
words were listed in random order!



Which brings up my point about cataloging. I believe that the exponential
growth of information is such that the creation of information has
completely outpaced our ability to catalog it, especially when we rely so
heavily on the outmoded Euclidean linearity of systems like MARC.

Alla breve - this thread has joined many in this group in growing so long and tangled that it has lost any trace of linearity.

1. My first encyclopedia was "The Book of Knowledge". Its non-linear design made it enjoyable to read, but over the centuries (okay, I'm exaggerating) I've forgotten how it was indexed.

2. In an article scheduled for publication in the next issue of "The Record Collector", I argue that no linear organization of a typical compilation of music is sufficient, that at best a multilinear arrangement is needed and that a version of each selection should be included *within* the catalogue. That is viable with CD-ROM, but typical formats (LP, tape, CD-DA) are inherently linear, hence incompatible with a catalogue.

3. I am familiar with three approaches to linear catalogues of music, none of which is satisfying in general. Considering a composer's works, there are indexes by date of (initiation, completion, publication); by alphabetic order of the title - varying with language used; and by genre over which there are numerous debates (is Mavra an opera, a ballet, or something else?).

My contention is that at least multiple indexes be provided and that the catalogue include a representation of the work (low-fidelity audio, monochrome image, etc.) in order that the result have value to the more casual user.

Mike
--
mrichter@xxxxxxx
http://www.mrichter.com/

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