Identifying Resources: FRBR and Accessibility

Abstract

This paper will outline some of the key aspects of the FRBR family of conceptual models that support resource discovery especially for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled. The FRBR family of models have had a significant influence on the ways in which communities around the globe perceive and understand the bibliographic universe. This paper will focus on two areas where the conceptual models have had an important impact: bibliographic information as data and the precise delineation between content and carrier. The paper focuses on these two areas because they are of particular interest for a user with a print disability who approaches the task of discovering an appropriate resource. FRBR modeling, as expressed in the original models or in the new consolidated model, FRBR-LRM, offers a roadmap for structuring metadata in ways that allow more options for resource discovery in an increasingly global context.