Mapping the LCSH and MeSH systems

Information Technology and Libraries

Volumn 16, Issue 1, 1997, Pages 5-19

  Olson, Tony ^a   Strawn, Gary ^a  

^a NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0031509844     PISSN: 07309295     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (7)

1. An excellent analysis of the multiple vocabulary problem can be found in Carol A. Mandel, Multiple Thesauri in Online Library Bibliographic Systems (Washington, D.C.: Cataloging Distribution Service, Library of Congress, 1987).
2. The project was funded in part by a one year grant (1990/1991) from the College Library Technology and Cooperation Grants Program, U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement. The grant number is R197D90044-89. The title is College Library Technology - Research and Demonstration Project - Integration of Multiple Thesauri in an Online Public Access Catalog.
3. The modifications were accomplished fairly quickly and easily. Suppression of duplicate index entries arising from identical headings in the same bibliographic record is one of the capabilities of the NOTIS software (version 5.0 or higher) that was installed at Northwestern in 1992. Resolving conflicts between references and headings was a local Northwestern enhancement to the NOTIS software. The technique, which we call "dynamic conflict resolution," turns conflicting see under references into see also under references in the OPAC.
4. Solutions to the fourth problem, identical headings with different meanings, fell outside the scope of the project. It is really the responsibility of the agencies that maintain these thesauri, LC and NLM, to resolve these conflicts.
5. The programs used in this part of the project, along with more detailed descriptions of the procedures used in the project are in the Final Performance Report for College Library Technology and Cooperation Grants Program, Higher Education Act, Title II-D (CFDA No. 84.197), United States Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement. March 26, 1991.
6. A file of MeSH authority records, enhanced by the addition of mapped LCSH headings in linking entry fields, was sent to the National Library of Medicine in 1993. NLM in turn planned to (i) add the mapping data to their Universal Medical Language System; and (ii) distribute the mapping data as part of their MeSH/MARC product. NLM still plans to carry out their first objective; but, at present, there does not appear to be a practical way for NLM to carry out their second objective.
7. Interested libraries can contact either of the authors for more information about the files, as well as the FTP address and file names.