Yes, we're on the same page I think. OpenFRBR needs to offer APIs to
make it easy to embed both retrieval and editing in other applications.
This will not be trivial for the full range of the FRBR model--although
probably isn't too hard to do for a few important things. (Like, sigh,
workset. Workset is important and useful. I just get frustrated when
people think it's all there is to the FRBR model).

The CDDB data model is a lot _simpler_ than the FRBR data model. It's
just CDs and an ordered list of track names contained therein. But the
CDDB apis do in fact allow for both retrieval and editing, of course. If
I put a CD in my computer that is not in CDDB, I can fill out the track
names and submit them to CDDB (CDDB started out getting info ONLY like
this, although now I think much of their info is submitted directly by
labels/publishers).  I was thinking of just this kind of thing, how CDDB
is used both for retrieval and editing but does NOT really provide it's
own interface for either---when suggesting this as a model for
hypothetical OpenFRBR.  OpenFRBR will be more difficult and complex than
CDDB, but can be based on the same way of working.

Jonathan

Tim Spalding wrote:
> Right, but CDDB is mostly about retrieval, not editing. OpenFRBR needs
> to embed its *editing* functions within something else, don't you
> think? Certainly, once it has data, it should offer itself via APIs
> like xISBN and thingISBN.
>
> PS: "Desktop home cataloging software" Bah! ;)
>
> On 11/2/06, Jonathan Rochkind <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> William Denton wrote:
>> > On the site, I say what it might look like in a few months: "A person
>> > grabs a book off the shelf and enters the ISBN into OpenFRBR. OpenFRBR
>> > checks all available sources [...]
>>
>> My suggestion for an even better scenario: A person grabs a book off the
>> shelf, and enters the ISBN into an application they use for dealing with
>> books.  (LibraryThing, Desktop home cataloging software, professional
>> cataloging software (!), firefox extension, local library web page, or
>> the OpenFRBR web site itself). The application contacts OpenFRBR behind
>> the scenes and checks all available....
>>
>> Think of the way the CDDB works.
>>
>> Jonathan
>>
>

--
Jonathan Rochkind
Sr. Programmer/Analyst
The Sheridan Libraries
Johns Hopkins University
410.516.8886
rochkind (at) jhu.edu