Database issues

[Abe' Mark Nornes]

At 11:28 AM 11/16/97 -0800, Michael Hirohama wrote:
>it may be desirable to translate by hand and store the
>translations into additional field(s) for each name field.  

This seems like a good reason to include translaterations in separate
fields, in other words, add a few fields to what we have for Japanese
character renditions of titles and authors.

>The storage of information and the style of its presentation need not be
>linked so permanently as seems to be implied by your comment.  Multiple
>views of underlying data are not difficult to produce.  

I am referring mostly to the imprint data, which includes a variety of
information.

Re subject field,  Koyo wrote:

>'Subject' field is designed to help user search the database simply select a
>subject instead of typing keyword.  The popup window is suppose to show the
>content of the subject file and help the editor cut and paste existing
>subject.  Please try 'ASOL' database at following URL.
>
>        http://pears.lib.ohio-state.edu/ASOL/default.html
>
>If a selected subject matches with teh subject in the record, those records
>are retrieved.  Editor can enter as many subjects as they want.

He also changed the size of the annotations window.

Re: annotations, one Kinema Clubber wrote to me directly:

>Suggestion: Since you have the language field for articles/books,
>readers can limit their searches to e. g. English books. But then they
>might find a Japanese or German annnotation and be frustrated. I guess
>almost everybody with an access to the database reads English so why not
>say annotations have to be either in English or in the same language as
>the book.

The reason not to restrict it is because of our basic premise of
inclusiveness. In the end, of course, most of the annotations will be in
English because most of the energy behind the site is currently coming out
of America. Who knows, that may change in the future!

Markus