catalogues and keywords
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
1/28
1
Catalogues and Keywords
A Library Perspective
Karen Stone,State Library of Queensland
April 2009
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
2/28
2
Organising your information
Where does the catalogue fit within todays
information environment?
What part do classification and descriptive
schema play in organizing information today?
How to build the ideal 21st century catalogue?
Where does the catalogue fit within todays information environment?
Are they still relevant with the likes of Google, Wikipedia and online databases?
What part do classification and descriptive schema play in organizing information
today?
What is out there and are they useful or relevant?
How to build the ideal 21st century catalogue?
How do you organise your information in a way that makes it more attractive than
the web?
And if you build it, how to make sure that they will come and use it?
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
3/28
3
Organising your information
Relevant
Current
Comprehensive
Cost-efficient
How to make it -
There are many factors that need to be considered in determining how to makeyour catalogue
relevant to your clientele
Current
Comprehensive
cost-efficient.
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
4/28
4
Organising your information
Client focus
Clients basic needs + Added value
Client focus should be at the heart of all the decisions that are made when
organizing your information and building your catalogue
Determining your clients needs will guide you in making decisions on how yourinformation should be organized and described.
Always remember who will be using the information that you provide? Is it your
library staff or is your clientele? Make sure you are building a system that meets
your clients needs and not just your own.
Find out what your clients basic needs are
What is it that they must have
What is it that they want to access from the catalogue.
Then you can work out ways to provide for these needs and how you can build
on these needs through value added services or resources. Give them more than
they want
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
5/28
5
Organising your information
Client expectations
Remote access
Instant access
One stop shop
Wide range of material
Hard copy
Soft copy
Online resources
In-house collections
Corporate records
Off-site collections
As well as needs, clients will have certain expectations. These may include -
Remote access
Instant access
One stop shop including online doc del requestsOnline delivery requests
Wide range of material
Each set of clients will have a different set of expectations.
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
6/28
6
Organising your information
Client experience
Digital natives or digital immigrants?
Looking for the Google search box or a
traditional library search?
Keyword users or subject heading savvy?
Every set of clients will also have a different set of experiences.
Digital natives or digital immigrants?
Looking for the Google search box or a traditional library search?
Keyword users or subject heading savvy?
These will also help to determine how the catalogue should be structured to meet
clients needs and expectations and provide the capacity for value adding
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
7/28
7
Building the catalogue
What
How
When
Who
Access
Clear plans for
Take the identified needs, expectations and experiences and use these to develop what role your
catalogue will play.
Once this is established you can start to develop a plan for organizing your information and
building your catalogue
This plan or strategy should include
what you will catalogue formats, sources
How will it be catalogued -
when will it be catalogued setting priorities
who will catalogue it inhouse, outsourced, purchased records
how will you provide access to the resulting data
At State Library we have developed a cataloguing strategy that starts with a statement of
principles outlining what we are trying to achieve with our catalogue and then sets out how that
will be done, the standards and schema that we use, the levels of cataloguing that we apply and
the priorities we assign to all types of resources.
This provides the backbone to our catalogue management. Specific guidelines, procedures and
protocols are developed based on the strategy and it gives us a solid base for the efficient
processing of material and for our quality management
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
8/28
8
Building the catalogue
Points to consider
LIMS capability
OPAC capability
Metadata scheme
Cataloguing rules/standards
Descriptive schema
Classification scheme
Along with your clients needs there are a number of points to consider when
developing your plan -
LIMS capability what can it do, what type of data can it handle, what can youmanipulate
OPAC capability display options, access options, search options
Metadata scheme to employ MARC, DC, other
Cataloguing rules/standards to apply
Descriptive schema to employ one or more, free or controlled
Classification scheme that suits your needs
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
9/28
9
What to catalogue?
Points to consider
Audience
Research depth
Coverage
Formats
One of the main considerations will be what to catalogue. This will be the driver
behind many other decisions as you need to tailor your catalogue to suit the type
of information your are organisingDetermine audience of catalogue who will search and what will they be looking
for?
Depth Intensive research, ready reference,
Full coverage of the organisational knowledge or as a resource for additional
information or both?
Formats will you be concentrating on physical resources, online resources,
equal measures of both
Have clients expressed a need for AV resources or access to photos?
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
10/28
10
Online resources
Wide variety
Online versions of print journals
E-journals
Online versions of publications
E-books
Databases free & subscription
Websites
Online resources
More and more resources are becoming available online and increasingly only
available online.Decision on what to include.
Which formats to include,
Online versions of print journals
E-journals
Online versions of publications
E-books
Databases free & subscriptionWebsites
How much to include (individual records for serials indexed in aggregated
databases
Decision should be driven on clients needs - what will they be looking for or
expect to find within the catalogue. How far do you want to make it a one-stop
shop without cataloguing the entire web?
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
11/28
11
Cataloguing rules
The past
Catalog rules: author & title entries (1908)
Vatican Code (1931)
Prussian Instructions (English translation)
ALA Catalog rules: Author & title entries (1941)
ALA Catalog rules for Author & title entries (1949)
AACR (1967)
AACRII (1978)
Once you have decided on the metadata scheme that you wil use, the next step
is to decide what rules you will need to follow.
How you catalogue and classify these resources will be determined by the rules
and standards that you employ as well as your clients needs.
History of cataloguing rules shows us that there were different rules once upon a
time
The past
Catalog rules: author & title entries referred to as AA 1908)
Vatican Code (1931)
Prussian Instructions (English translation)
ALA Catalog rules: Author & title entries (1941
ALA Catalog rules for Author & title entries (1949)
AACR (1967)
AACRII (1978)
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
12/28
12
Cataloguing rules
The present
AACRII used extensively in the English speaking world
While most libraries use the same set of rules, there are choices that can be
made.
How strictly you apply the rules is a decision that you make locally.
If you are using AACRII, you decide locally what level of description you want to
apply to your records. Different records can be described at different levels
depending on their use, value, format, and retention period
State Library
HC rare and valuable fullest extent with extensive notes as resource will be
kept forever
Ephemera collection level record top group many items together
Public library fiction basic record to allow clients to choice; only kept for a few
years
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
13/28
13
Cataloguing rules
The future
RDA (2010?)
FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic
Records)
FRAR (Functional Requirements for Authority Records)
cataloguing rules,
The future
RDA (2010?) Resource Description and Access; updating AACRIi for the digitalworld?
FRBR, entity relationship model as a generalized view of the bibliographic
universe, intended to be independent of any cataloguing code or implementation.
FRAR relating the data recorded in library authority records to the needs of the
users
Again application at local level driven by local needs
The decision on what rules to apply will give you the structure you need to record
general information about the resource
Next step is to decide what you will use to describe the resource how to provide
the best access points for clients to find it and use it
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
14/28
14
Descriptive schema
What to use?
free text vs thesaurus
Keyword - a list of uncategorised words or phrases
associated with an object
Thesaurus - a list of categorized words or phrases
associated with an object
keyword - a list of uncategorised words or phrases associated with an object
thesaurus - a list of categorized words or phrases associated with an object
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
15/28
15
Descriptive schema
What to use?
controlled vocabulary vs natural language vs free indexing
Controlled vocabulary Predefined, authorised terms preselected by the designer of the vocabulary
Only approved terms can be used by the indexer to describe the document
Natural language No restriction on the vocabulary. Any term from within the document can be used to describe it.
Free indexing language Any term can be used from within or outside the document.
Controlled vocabulary sch emes - predefined, authorised terms preselected by the designer of the vocabulary- Onlyapproved terms can be used by the indexer to describe the document
Examples
LCSH
Keyword AAAAPT
AAT
In-house thesaurus
controlled vocabulary can
increase the performance of an information retrieval system, if performance is measured by precision
enhance recall once the correct authorised term is searched, you don't need to worry about searching for other terms thatmight be synonyms of that term.
Claim to improve the accuracy of free text searching, by reducing irrelevant items in the retrieval list.
lead to unsatisfactory recall, in that it will fail to retrieve some documents that are actually relevant to the search question.
quickly out-dated and in fast developing fields of knowledge, the authorised terms available might not be available if theyare not updated regularly.
not as specific as using the words of the text itself
Subject to erroneous allocation if the indexer misinterprets the authors intentIndexers understanding of the controlled vocabulary may differ from the users understanding.
not tagged by the indexer because indexing exhaustivity is low. For example an article might mention football as asecondary focus, and the indexer might decide not to tag it with "football" because it is not important enough comparedto the main focus.
Free indexing language - Any term (not only from the document) can be used to describe the document.
free text searches have
high exhaustivity potential for high recall but will have much lower precision.
No risk of misinterpretations
Not as precise
Less accurate
The decision will depend again on client needs and expectations but also on the type of material you are describing
Is there a controlled vocabulary that suits the type of resources that you collect?
How do your clients like to search?what they are more comfortable with using keywords/buzzwords or specific headings
Best solution may be a combination of types using a thesaurus but also including some free text. Will also depend onwhat your LIMS indexes. The more fields that are indexed the more descriptive terms will be available.
State Library
We use LCSH on our catalogue records but our LIMS allow searching across the whole record. Pick up the words used
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
16/28
16
Classification Schemes
Two roles
Allow subject access
Provide shelf position
Once you have described the resource, the next step is to apply a suitable
classification scheme.
Classification schemes have two roles -facilitate subject access by allowing the client to find resources on a particular
subject
Provide a known location for the information source (e.g where it is shelved).
Some classification systems are more suitable for aiding subject access, rather
than for shelf location.
For example, UDC uses a complicated notation system that is more difficult for
shelf arrangement but is more expressive compared to DDC in terms of showing
relationships between subjects.
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
17/28
17
Classification Schemes
How they work -
One place on shelf One class per resource
unlike subject heading or Thesauri where multiple terms can be assigned to the
same work, in library classification systems, each work can only be placed in one
class.
A book can have only one physical place.
So how do you go about selecting the right scheme for your use?
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
18/28
18
Classification Schemes
How they differ
Type of notation
Expressiveness
Mnemonic support
Expansion capacity
Brevity
Currency and support
Simplicity
can differ in the following ways
Type of Notation - Notation can be pure (consisting of only numerals for example)
or mixed (consisting of letters, numerals, and other symbols).Expressiveness - This is the degree in which the notation can express
relationship between concepts or structure.
mnemonics support using the same notation for the same concept throughout -
For example DDC 44 always represents France.
Expansion capacity - The degree in which the system is able to accommodates
new subjects
Brevity - Length of the notation to express the same concept
Currency & support - The best classification systems are constantly being
reviewed and improved.
Consistency
Simplicity level of difficulty for clients using the system to locate a resource and
for staff in allocating or building the class number
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
19/28
19
Classification Schemes
Whats out there -
LC
Dewey
Moys
UDC
Boggs and Lewis
mark and park
Types of classification schemes (Moys, Dewey, etc),
LC
Dewey
Moys
Boggs and Lewis
UDC
"mark and park" reader interest classification (couple of wide classes (Travel,
Crime, Magazines etc). Think Borders
You can use one or more systems depending on what types if resources you
have. You can also choose how you apply a particular scheme.
DDC offers the user the choice of using full DDC or the abridged version. At the
local level you can choose how many decimal places you want to go to when
constructing a number.
We use DDC for the majority of our resources but B&L for the maps, and our
music scores have a DDC number, a locally created cutter number for the
composer and then a notation for the uniform title!
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
20/28
20
Classification Schemes
Which one?
Browsing vs staff selection
Granularity
Physical vs virtual
You need to think about how your collection is used. How much browsing do your clients do? Dothey ever visit the shelves or do library staff find the resources for them?
You can use what you like and make it as complicated as you like if your clients never touch theshelves. If browsing is not a priority you could put everything in running order start at 1 and keepon going.
If you or your clients need to browse, pick a scheme that suits your subject area that gives youthe granularity that suits your resources but at the same time, makes it easy for the clients to findwhat they are after.
For soft copy resources, a classification system is not essential. If you dont have to shelve it, youdont need a shelf location. It can be useful if you want to produce lists of resources by classnumber and include your soft copy resources as well.
Again think about what you want to offer your clients at the basic level and as added value.
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
21/28
21
Online resources
Creating records
Comply to same rules as other formats
Individual records
Supplied with resource by outsourcing vendor, or
Copy cataloguing from Libraries Australia, OCLC, or
Original cataloguing in-house
Bulk records Sourced from database vendor or
Serials Solutions or
Other third party supplier
Online resources should be treated in the same way as other formats - using the
same rules and the same descriptive schemes
The source for these records can differ
Individual records
Supplied with resource by outsourcing vendor purchase an e-
book from Bennett's with the MARC record included
Copy cataloguing from Libraries Australia, OCLC
Original cataloguing in-house
Bulk records
Sourced from database vendor - EBSCO provides MARC recordsfor all its titles
Serials Solutions or records from many databases supplied from
one source
Other third party supplier NAXOS records
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
22/28
22
Online resources
Creating records
Smart cataloguing
Re-use records
Auto generate records
Should try and use Smart cataloguing for all resources
Re-use records through copy cataloguing, bulk creation, purchasing records
Automated generation of records system such as MARCEdit which takes a
URL and creates a basic MARC record, faster more cost effective method of
creating a record from scratch for a website
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
23/28
23
Online resources at State Library
E-pubs
General websites
Pandora archive websites
E-pubs (online government reports, etc.)
E-books (free & subscribed)
E-journals (free, subscribed & individual titlesfrom aggregated databases)
At State Library includes
General websites
Pandora archive websites
E-pubs (online government reports, etc.)
E-books (free & subscribed)
E-journals (free, subscribed & individual titles from aggregated
databases)
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
24/28
24
Online resources at State Library
E-pubs
Aim provide 24/7 access from one interface
Full cataloguing with LC subject headings
No call number assigned
Aim provide 24/7 access from one interface
Full cataloguing with LC subject headings no difference in quality or level of
descriptionNo call number assigned not required as there is no physical shelf location.
Used to apply a pseudo call number using first 3 letters from title but this was felt
to be meaningless to clients and was the practice was stopped
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
25/28
25
Online resources at State Library
Netlinks
Authoritative websites selected by reference staff
Allocated to one or more topic areas
Catalogued with LC subject headings
Access via State Library website under topic
headings (now)
Plus Access via main catalogue (future)
No call number assigned
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
26/28
26
Management
What next?
Quality control
Staff skills
Maintaining currency
Value add
Once you have built the ideal catalogue, you then need to manage it on an
ongoing basis.
This will involve
Quality control locally created records as well as outsourced or purchased
records
Skilling of staff do they have the necessary skills to create records, do they
need training on how to process newer formats of material, will they need training
on the changes to cataloguing rules.
Maintaining currency
keeping records up to date
If you have chosen to catalogue websites or online resources, maintaining live
links will become a ongoing task
If you have added records from an aggregated database, you will need a
strategy to manage changes, deletions and additions to the list of journals that
they index.
Value add once you have the essential covered, it is time to see what else can
be included to enhance your clients resource discovery experience. This will be
an ongoing task as more and more options, formats and resources become
available
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
27/28
27
Field of dreams?
Is it possible?
Are we dreaming?
If we build it will the come & use it?
If you describe it, will they find it?
-
8/13/2019 Catalogues and Keywords
28/28
Contact details
Karen Stone
Manager Database Services,
State Library of Queensland
P: 07 3842 9165
Catalogue http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au