User verification of the FRBR conceptual model and testing of FRBR prototypes

Abstract

FRBR is a conceptual model of the bibliographic universe. While FRBR is focused on end-users, no user studies were performed for its development. Since its release, two research groups, one at University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and another at Kent State University, USA, started to systematically verify the FRBR model with users. This paper will provide an overview of several studies performed so far that focus on the exploration of mental models of end-users, the verification of attributes needed to support user tasks and the testing of FRBR prototypes. The results validate the FRBR conceptual model and confirm that FRBR can be the basis for the development of bibliographic information systems that provide more effective user information seeking than the traditional catalogs. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.