Subject headings: the province of Luddites or key to effective resource discovery?

Presented by

Carol BradsherFor NOTSL

October 29, 2004

Image problemCatalogers as drones and dust jacket

jockeys “Assigning subject headings” vs.

“postcoordinate full text or semantic retrieval”

Subject cataloging

Role cataloging plays in the path of a work from generation to consumption

Exercise Determine the

subject content of a work

Write down key words and concepts that describe the subject content

Guidelines for assigning

Framework bounded by two tracks :1) Guidelines for evaluating subject catalogs

2) Library of Congress subject cataloging guidelines

Evaluating subject catalogs

• Recall• Relevance• Precision

• Exhaustivity• Ease of use• Cost

RecallA subject search should bring back

enough, but not too much Is the subject search “Large type books”

useful?Compare with searching the Internet

RelevanceA subject search should match the

searcher’s needs Inverse relationship between recall and

relevance, i.e. Higher recall, lower relevance Lower recall, higher relevance

PrecisionThe searcher should be able to specify

exactly what is wanted, without having to use broader subject headings Penguins vs. water fowl

ExhaustivityRefers to the indexing levelHow 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?

Ease of useHow easily can the general public

perform subject searches?What are we requiring of our users?

CostDifference between perfection and

excellenceWhat factors are involved?

LC Subject Cataloging GuidelinesFound in Library of Congress Subject

Cataloging Manual Essential cataloging reference tool Available from LC Cataloging Distribution

Service

Subject Cataloging Manual: Subject Headings (SCM:SH)

LC Subject Heading Guidelines

Found in SCM, H18020% of the workObjectivityException to 20% rule for namesAboutness

LCSH guidelinesRule of 3; rule of 4bring out the geographical and

chronological treatment of a subjectNot everything gets a subject headingLCSH based on literary warrant

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?

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.

Be not dismayedStudy 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

Points to ponderAre subject headings still effective?Do the benefits of a controlled

vocabulary outweigh the costs or problems associated with them?

Is keyword searching more effective?