Ray Saintonge wrote:
ISBNs have their limitations too. My copy of the 1977, 22nd edition of "Dorland's Pocket Medical Dictionary" has two different ISBNs depending on whether there are index tabs on the fore-edge. My earlier 1922, 11th edition, "The American Illustrated Medical Dictionary", (edited by Dorland) does not have an ISBN.
These comments, while accurate, are on the absolute layman level.
Even though I think Wikicat is one of most promising project proposals in the last few years, I fear it will have a hard time to explain, over and over again, the basics of bibliography to all newcomers who think they are experts. How can this project sort out the beginners and give them easy but meaningful tasks where they can be productive, without their ignorance causing damage?
Could we perhaps have a separate mailing list (wikicat-l) for discussions about Wikicat, even before the project is formally established? That would be an opportunity to establish some level of common knowledge and "get to know" each other.