Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
Published byDebra Hunt Modified over 8 years ago
1
Subject headings: the province of Luddites or key to effective resource discovery? Presented by Carol Bradsher For NOTSL October 29, 2004
2
Image problem Catalogers as drones and dust jacket jockeys “Assigning subject headings” vs. “postcoordinate full text or semantic retrieval”
3
Subject cataloging Role cataloging plays in the path of a work from generation to consumption
4
Exercise Determine the subject content of a work Write down key words and concepts that describe the subject content
5
Guidelines for assigning Framework bounded by two tracks : 1) Guidelines for evaluating subject catalogs 2) Library of Congress subject cataloging guidelines
6
Evaluating subject catalogs Recall Relevance Precision Exhaustivity Ease of use Cost
7
Recall A subject search should bring back enough, but not too much Is the subject search “Large type books” useful? Compare with searching the Internet
8
Relevance A subject search should match the searcher’s needs Inverse relationship between recall and relevance, i.e. Higher recall, lower relevance Lower recall, higher relevance
9
Precision The searcher should be able to specify exactly what is wanted, without having to use broader subject headings Penguins vs. water fowl
10
Exhaustivity Refers to the indexing level How many headings are assigned and what level do they represent? Is there a subject heading assigned for every idea contained? How does this relate to cost?
11
Ease of use How easily can the general public perform subject searches? What are we requiring of our users?
12
Cost Difference between perfection and excellence What factors are involved?
13
LC Subject Cataloging Guidelines Found in Library of Congress Subject Cataloging Manual Essential cataloging reference tool Available from LC Cataloging Distribution Service
14
Subject Cataloging Manual: Subject Headings (SCM:SH)
15
LC Subject Heading Guidelines Found in SCM, H180 20% of the work Objectivity Exception to 20% rule for names Aboutness
16
LCSH guidelines Rule of 3; rule of 4 bring out the geographical and chronological treatment of a subject Not everything gets a subject heading LCSH based on literary warrant
17
How did we do? Applying the guidelines of evaluating subject catalogs and assigning headings, how would you evaluate the terms and concepts for The professor and the madman?
18
Headings assigned by LC 1. Murray, James Augustus Henry, Sir, 1837-1915 $x Friends and associates. 2. Minor, William Chester. 3. New English dictionary on historical principles. 4. Oxford English dictionary 5. Psychiatric hospital patients $z Great Britain $x Biography. 6. Lexicographers $z Great Britain $x Biography. 7. English language $x Lexicography. 8. English language $x Etymology. 9. United States $x History $y Civil War, 1861-1865 $x Veterans $x Biography.
19
Be not dismayed Study by Lois Chan found a very low level of consistency (15%) for all subject heading elements between LC and non- LC catalogers. Study did find a higher level of partial agreement (80%) between catalogers in terms of the subject heading elements they assign
20
Points to ponder Are subject headings still effective? Do the benefits of a controlled vocabulary outweigh the costs or problems associated with them? Is keyword searching more effective?
Similar presentations
© 2024 SlidePlayer.com Inc.
All rights reserved.