FRBR: A Guide for the Perplexed
This title tries to explain Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), an evolving conceptual model developed to assist users in navigating library catalogs to find the information they want and need. Maxwell, a cataloging expert, directs his book at librarians who are interested in the next step in accessing digital materials. He explains and illustrates the FRBR model, details why the document and model are important for the future of information organization, and explains what a catalog based on FRBR principles might look like. He also briefly illustrates the use of Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD). Some notes are included at the ends of chapters, and there is a short list of suggested readings. An index provides additional points of access to the information.   Although FRBR is an abstraction, Maxwell describes some very practical and helpful applications. The major beneficiaries of successful systems built on FRBR will be library users, since implementation of FRBR will improve access to information in libraries. --Susan Awe