[OAI-implementers] on the OAI-PMH data model

[Fabio Simeoni]

hi,
I don't think this has been directly brought up before on the list
(apologies otherwise).

When writing up about the protocol's exchange model, I found myself
wondering about the *necessity* of the item-resource distinction, which is
otherwise very clear. Given that the unit of exchange remains the metadata
record, what design considerations suggested to identify full abstract
descriptions of resources rather than the resources themselves? IOW, as a
data provider or aggregator, what problems do I incur into by reading a
getrecord request as one for a record in a given format about a resource
with a given identifier? Isn't it indeed the case that DPs at the edge of
the OAI network generate/map OAI identifiers from internal resource
identifiers? As I wonder how the relationship item-resource could not
possibly be one-to-one, the question seems at least licit. Perhaps I am
missing something obvious here. Any suggestion?

cheers,

f



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Fabio Simeoni 
Research Fellow
Department of Computer & Information Sciences
University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

TEL: +44 141 548 (3590)
FAX: +44 141 548 (4523)