Conceptualizations of the Cataloging Object: A Critique on Current Perceptions of FRBR Group 1 Entities

Libraries face a double challenge in the digital age: both the describing framework and the describing object are under change. Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) attempts to generate a coherent theory and yield a new Paradigm of cataloging. This study deploys current conceptualizations of the FRBR Group 1 entities within the FRBR models family with a view to semantic interoperability. FRBR cannot be considered as simple metadata describing a specific resource but more like some kind of knowledge related to the resource. This study reveals that there are different perspectives of what is introduced by FRBR as the cataloging object in the context of various interpretations of the model, namely Resource Description and Access (RDA), FRBRization projects, and FRBROO.