ISBD for Manifestation

Manifestation is one of four entities in the IFLA Library Reference Model (LRM) that represent distinct aspects of an information resource. The other resource entities are Work, Expression, and Item. Manifestation and Item describe the carrier components; Expression and Work describe the content components. An information resource is described fully by at least one instance of each resource entity, and may include more than one instance of a manifestation, expression, or work. An aspect of an information resource is described fully by an instance of a resource entity, and is associated with another instance of an entity by recording a relationship element.

ISBDM provides specific relationship elements that associate an instance of a manifestation with instances of other resource entities that are aspects of the same information resource:

• has item that exemplifies manifestation
• has sub-unit and its inverse has super-unit
• has expression embodied in manifestation
• has work embodied in manifestation

An instance of a manifestation describes characteristics that are common to all of the items that exemplify the manifestation.

The number of instances of resource entities in an information resource is constrained by the LRM to ensure the integrity of a full description of an information resource. A manifestation is associated with:

• at least one item that exemplifies the manifestation
• none, or one or more identifiable sub-units of the manifestation
• none, or only one super-unit of the manifestation that embodies a static work
• none, or one or more super-units of the manifestation that embody diachronic works
• at least one expression that is embodied in the manifestation, and therefore at least one work that is embodied in the manifestation

A manifestation is either published or produced, depending on how the items that exemplify the manifestation are created.

The items that exemplify a published manifestation have the typical characteristics:

• There is more than one instance of item. This does not preclude a published manifestation that is exemplified by only one item
• The items are created by using a mechanical process that results in identical copies

The item that exemplifies a produced manifestation has the typical characteristics:

• There is one and only one instance of item
• The item is created by using an artisanal or hand-made process

Consider a produced manifestation to be exemplified by one and only one item.

Consider a manifestation that is created by using an artisanal or hand-made process that is augmented by a process that creates more than one item to be published.