> > The -real- issue here though is in scope -- that we can't carry record
> > metadata outside of the record data, and can't request record metadata in
> > a different schema to the data.

> Why not? We have a schema at: http://srw.o-r-g.org/schemas/rec/1.0/
> I thought its purpose was to allow you to request a specific record according
> to that schema, in order to retrieve the record metadata. What am I missing
> here?

How do you make the distinction between record metadata and record data
that happens to be metadata?

For example, I might have a database of METS records.  If I say that I
want the simple 'rec' schema, do I want the METS record in rec, or do I
want the metadata about the METS record?  What about stuff which can't be
described in my simple rec schema?

Initially I put it together as an index set, so you could search by the
metadata to allow for things like OAI style 'give me all the records that
have changed since such and such a date'. But it made sense to have a
schema as well, in particular for sorting which needs to be XPathable.
I don't think the schema itself is comprehensive enough to say that it's a
good metadata solution for everyone and should have different semantics on
the request.  It's just another schema.

Rob

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