Crossing the Border. Subject search across library catalogues — attempting to match subject descriptions by a quantitative method
| Date | 01 January 1999 |
| Published date | 01 January 1999 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040712 |
| Pages | 56-66 |
| Author | Bjarne Andersson,Knut Hegna |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Crossing the Border
Subject search across
library catalogues - attempting
to match subject descriptions
by a quantitative method
by Bjarne Andersson, Roskilde
University Library and Knut Hegna,
University of Oslo
This article is a preliminary attempt to discuss
and construct an experimental library user
interface, connecting different libraries in such
a way that each library can search other
library catalogues using its own classification
codes. The second focus of
the
article is to
develop a viable method
to
locate specific
subject clusters in a library catalogue. The
classification codes need not be uniform, and
the user interface allows for natural language
searching. The technique used is the
construction of a concordance table between
different library catalogues' subject codes on
the bibliographic
level,
enabling the system to
determine relative links between different
subject
codes.
The concordance is
established on the basis of shared titles.
Introduction
The work presented in this article was initiated
during a joint visiting period, where both authors1
worked at the research and development depart-
ment at the Technical Knowledge Center and
Library of Denmark2. We were both working on
improvements of subject based user interfaces for
searching. The literature suggested that the task
was relatively easy, but it turned out to be a lot
more complicated than we anticipated.
Our experience is that most libraries have a rather
unsophisticated approach to subject data, as seen
from most OPAC user interfaces. Some systems
hide this bibliographic structure from public use,
leaving it as a magic tool for the professional
staff.
Other systems fail to mention that their subject
codes are quite unique to the library profession,
and therefore almost unusable for users not accus-
tomed to the local practices. You seldom see the
verbal code description used as an integrated tool
in catalogue searching.
As we plunged into the work we realised that most
of the (important) problems weren't even on the
agenda for the discussions in the library profession
in our part of the world. This will hopefully
become apparent in the following paragraphs,
where we will try to elaborate on this statement.
Subject description in libraries
Our critique could very easily become a tiresome
rattling off of trifles, and we will be the first to
apologize for that, but to strengthen our later
argument you will have to bear with us for a
moment.
• Whenever we try to discuss "subject
classification" we get the notion that this
form of description is a kind of art work and
therefore not subject to quantitative
arguments.
• Most libraries are pleased with their own
subject classification method, and wouldn't
dream of changing it. This conservatism
originates in a tendency to avoid obvious
laborious work with little local benefit, i.e.
search-facilitating-features. This fact seems
to originate in a tendency to acquiesce to
already made decisions - once you have
choosen a classification code, and started
to make hand-outs and user guides
incorporating these codes, why should you
change it? Though this be madness, yet
there's method in
't.
• Medium and large libraries are prone to
scientific "slumps" where the intensity and
enthusiasm of the classification personnel
dries up, thus creating areas of obsolete or
inadequate subject codes. This could also be
an effect of the fads and foibles in the
scientific field. When nobody except the
staff uses subject code search, why bother
about it, why put any effort into it ?
• Most subject code systems are typical of a
given period. UDC3 for example was a
postwar endeavour to unite the split in the
scientific fields (between east and west,
56 — VINE 114
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