[Koha] Is there a language field in mysql tables?

[BWS Johnson]

Salvete!

There's an interesting thread on the American Government Documents
listserv right now on OPAC displays, and I figured it might cause
interesting discussion here. I have forwarded one of the messages below.
I am aware that any change to the OPAC would probably involve an awful
lot of work, and I try very hard not to beg and plead for anything I'm
not paying for, so please don't take this as an immediate request for
implementation, but rather something to gnaw on as we all try and figure
out what configuration suits our patrons. 

Cheers,
Brooke @ Hinsdale MA

I am not a cataloger.

But I'm intrigued by the interplay between the (very important) issue
of OPAC display that Barbie focused in on and on the draft document's
question about FRBR-related consequences of multiple records. It seems
to me that describing each item or instance (I don't remember the
exact FRBR nomenclature) makes sense, provided that those records can
be grouped into a work-level record for display so that (in my
understanding) we would get one hit for Statistical Abstract of the
United States with four or five instance records hanging off of it,
one each for web, cd, micro, print and (locally for us) one for a
commercial reprint and several for commercial online versions.

My patrons would love to find ONE record that describes "The Starr
Report" or "9/11 Commission Report" and includes a list of all the
instances of that work, regardless of format (or publisher).
Similarly, if I had one "work" record to display for Code of Federal
Regulations that somehow had my print, fiche and electronic holdings
attached to it, swell.

I don't know what FRBR-type displays will require -- it seems like
separate records per format -- but workflow issues aside, eventually
getting all the instances of a work grouped into one display
(regardless of how man records underlie the display) would be my ideal
OPAC. As far as I know, our ILS (III) won't do this, at least not yet.
If Aleph handles FRBR-ized display, cool.

(I do agree with Barbie that GPO cataloger time is valuable, so
lower-level records for other formats makes sense to me, as long as
one format gets the full treatment.)

I'd love to spend some time at Spring FDLP discussing this.
Scott 
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