This is the first of two posts on the panel discussion “What role can RDA/RDF play in the transition to linked library data?” which took place during the 5th annual meeting of the BIBFRAME Workshop in Europe [1], and featured comments from five distinguished panelists [2]. This post is a transcription of the response from Gordon Dunsire (former chair of the RDA Steering Committee and current member of the RSC Technical Working Group [3]) to a question posed at the BIBFRAME Workshop, followed by an annotated version (annotated by Theo Gerontakos) engaging some of the areas discussed.
The question:
RDA/LRM/RDF contains elements that are essentially reified property chains in RDA, known as shortcuts, while BIBFRAME features many property chains that are not reified as specific elements – what many people call “nested” data. What are the pros and cons of property chains and reification, and do they cause interoperability problems?
Read more Gordon Dunsire on property chains and shortcuts in RDA/LRM