High‐level Subject Access Tools and Techniques in Internet Cataloguing

Citation

du Preez, M. (2004), "High‐level Subject Access Tools and Techniques in Internet Cataloguing", Online Information Review, Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 82-83. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520410522510

High‐level Subject Access Tools and Techniques in Internet Cataloguing is one of a few volumes that have been written about how high‐level browsing vocabularies are developed and used for library purposes. It explores the use of traditional subject organisation tools such as the Dewey Decimal Classification and Library of Congress Classification systems in combination with modern Web tools to develop browsable Web‐based presentations of electronic resources. The six articles contained in this volume are examples of research on testing methods for determining the usability of categories at a high level, while others share ideas of building access tools based on existing classification data.

Vizine‐Goetz compares the DDC hierarchy structure to the subject trees of Internet directory services in terms of categories, hierarchies, and distributions of postings when she revisits classification schemes for Internet resources. She also compares the schemes with respect to several general characteristics that support browsing and draws the conclusion that DDC‐based browsing structures for large collections could be developed effectively.

The second paper is of a more practical nature, since it describes a project undertaken by Columbia University Libraries to develop a system for automatic generation of browsable Web‐based, subject‐oriented presentations of its electronic resources. This was done by mapping LC classification notations present in catalogued records to a hierarchical subject vocabulary derived from the classification schedules. This article is complemented by Rothman’s study in which he describes the mapping approach the University of Michigan Library has taken towards providing a linkage between content and audience‐based subject access tools to date, their thoughts and preliminary research on next steps and new directions. The outcome of these projects suggests that classification, used alone and in combination with keyword searching, is still well suited to resource discovery and remains an important retrieval tool in an evolving online information environment.

The University of Washington Libraries transferred point of delivery for online services to the Web, and part of this transfer involved the design of an electronic resource database called the Digital Registry. Forsythe and Shadle examine the design considerations, workflow maintenance, and usage of the resulting product. Two papers are concerned with vocabularies. The first, by Morgan and Reade, examines the discussion that underlies the profiling and resource description framework of the NCSU Libraries portal <MyLibrary@NCState>. It also highlights some procedural and political problems that designers had to take into account. The second paper focuses on the UK‐based HILT (High‐Level Thesaurus) project, which studied the problems associated with cross‐searching and browsing by subject in a cross‐sectoral and cross‐domain environment encompassing libraries, archives, museums and electronic resource collections.

High‐level Subject Access Tools and Techniques in Internet Cataloguing can be highly recommended for all librarians, especially those involved in providing access to the many electronic resources that have become available.