An interesting question.  IMHO there's always value to seeing an item, or set of items, situated within the intellectual context of the entire collection, as is done in a hierarchical finding aid.  That's not to say that the "outdated print metaphor" is the best or only way to display collection information, just that we shouldn't hasten to throw the baby out with the bathwater.  Offering multiple options for viewing collection data is becoming easier and easier; we no longer have to choose just one, nor do we necessarily have to discard existing ones when newer/fancier/different ones come along.

Michele

-----Original Message-----
From: Encoded Archival Description List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Fox, Michael
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 11:28 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Links within EAD

<snip>
The semantic question is this: when the elements of a description have become disaggregated within an electronic system (or the institution's website as the writer describes it), what is the finding aid and what are such linkages "going to"?  Are we stuck in an outdated print metaphor?
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