It was more of a rhetorical observation than anything else.

As Joe has observed, it's a requirement that doesn't have much bite to
it.

Merrilee

-----Original Message-----
From: Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Jerome McDonough
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 11:23 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [METS] conditional requirement for fileSec and fileGrp in
METS validation?

On May 15, 2007, at 11:44 AM, Proffitt,Merrilee wrote:
> So, forcing a more complex structmap would not serve their needs. If
> someone really has no need for a structmap, then why force it? It  
> calls
> the question, though, about why structmap is even required.

It's required because ultimately, METS is about providing support for  
encoding
digital library objects, including associating content and metadata,  
and a
*minimum* condition for supporting any form of interoperability is  
having
a single, consistent location that software can depend on finding to  
begin
understanding the object's components and the links between them.

I think it was Mackenzie who said at the very first METS meeting that  
METS
is ultimately about structural metadata, and she was right.  And if it's
going to serve as a useful mechanism for that, there needs to be a  
reliable
point-of-entry into METS for looking at the structure.  The structMap  
provides
it.

Jerome McDonough, Asst. Professor
Graduate School of Library & Information Science
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
501 E. Daniel Street, Room 202
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 244-5916
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