Modeling FRBR entities and their relationships with TEI

The aim of this paper is to discuss the mapping between FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) and TEI carried out to create bibliographic records and their relationships. FRBR (IFLA, 2008) defines four bibliographic entities (Group 1: work, expression, manifestation and item) amongst other entities such as Person, Concept, Event, Place, etc. while the TEI allows to encode “structured bibliographic citation[s]” with <biblStruct> and “a loosely-structured bibliographic citation[s]” with <bibl>. For illustration purposes, this paper will use HallerNet portal devoted to Albrecht von Haller (Bern, 1708-1777), a key figure of the Swiss Enlightenment, and his circle of friends and collaborators. The website comprises both digital editions and a large collection of 35.600 bibliographic records amongst other types of objects. HallerNet has simplified and adapted the FRBR abstract model to define only two bibliographic entities — due to the current state of the bibliographic records — and their relationships: a work (a distinct intellectual or artistic creation) and its manifestations (the physical embodiment) using the TEI elements <bibl> and <biblStruct> respectively and four potential relationships (embodimentOf, isPartOf, isAReviewOf and isASuccessorOf) encoded with <relatedItem>.