IFLA-FRBR

From MetaLexWiki

The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) is a conceptual framework used by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) that identifies and defines the entities of interest to users of bibliographic records. See the specification for more information about the FRBR.

The FRBR distinguishes a number of different entities to which a reference to a book/document can point. The entities defined as work (a distinct intellectual or artistic creation) and expression (the intellectual or artistic realization of a work) reflect (intellectual or artistic) content. The entities defined as manifestation (the physical embodiment of an expression of a work) and item (a single exemplar of a manifestation), on the other hand, reflect form.

A work may be realized through one or more than one expression. An expression, on the other hand, is the realization of one and only one work. An expression may be embodied in one or more than one manifestation; likewise a manifestation may embody one or more than one expression. A manifestation, in turn, may be exemplified by one or more than one item; but an item may exemplify one and only one manifestation.