Promoting research and best practices in subject reference structures a decade of work by the subject analysis committee

Library Resources and Technical Services

Volumn 49, Issue 3, 2005, Pages 154-166

  Miller, David ^a   Olson, Tony ^b   Layne, Sara Shatford ^c  

^a CURRY COLLEGE   (United States)

^b NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 23844543804     PISSN: 00242527     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.5860/lrts.49n3.154     Document Type: Review

References (42)

1. F. W. Lancaster, Vocabulary Control for Information Retrieval, 2d ed. (Arlington, Va.: Information Resources Pr., 1986);
2. Thomas Mann, Library Research Models: A Guide to Classification, Cataloging and Computers (New York: Oxford Univ. Pr., 1993);
3. and Arlene G. Taylor, "On the Subject of Subjects," Journal of Academic Librarianship 21, no. 5 (Nov. 1995): 486-91.
4. C. P. R. Dubois, "Free Text vs. Controlled Vocabulary: A Reassessment," Online Review 11, no. 4 (Aug. 1987): 243-52. Dubois summarizes the research done on using keyword indexing and controlled vocabularies for subject retrieval.
5. Ray R. Larson, "Between Scylla and Charybdis: Subject Searching in the Online Catalog," Advances in Librarianship 15 (1991): 178-90;
6. Christine L. Borgmann, "Why Are Online Catalogs Still Hard to Use?" Journal of the American Society for Information Science 47, no. 7 (July 1996): 493-502;
7. Joseph R. Mathews, "Time for New OPAC Initiatives: An Overview of Landmarks in the Literature and Introduction to WordFocus," Library Hi Tech 15, no. 1/2 (1997): 111-14;
8. and Thomas A. Peters, "Why Smart People Fail: An Analysis of the Transaction Log of an Online Public Access Catalog," Journal of Academic Librarianship 15, no. 5 (Nov. 1989): 267-72.
9. F. H. Ayres, "Authority Control Simply Does Not Work," Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 32, no. 2 (2001): 51-54.
10. Jane Greenberg, "Reference Structures: Stagnation, Progress, and Future Changes," Information Technology and Libraries 16, no. 3 (Sept. 1997): 108-12.
11. Marguerite E. Horn, "Garbage in, Refuse and Refuse Disposal Out," Library Resources & Technical Services 46, no. 3 (July 2002): 98-102;
12. Alexis J. Jamieson, Elizabeth Dolan, and Luc Declerck, "Keyword Searching vs. Authority Control in an Online Catalog," Journal of Academic Librarianship 12, no. 5 (Nov. 1986): 277-83.
13. Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, Subcommittee on Subject Reference Structures in Automated Systems, [Final Report] Recommendations for Providing Access to, Display of, Navigation within and among, and Modifications of Existing Practice Regarding Subject Reference Structures in Automated Systems (Chicago: ALA, 2003). Accessed June 4, 2004, www.ala.org/ala/alctscontent/catalogingsection/catcommittees/subjectanalysis/ subjectreference/RefStructuresFinal.doc.
14. Members of the SAC Subcommittee on Subject Relationships/Reference Structures were Gregory Wool (chair), Jane Greenberg, Harriette Hemmasi, Patricia Kuhr, Dee Michel, Steven Riel, Gary Strawn, and Lynn El-Hoshy (Library of Congress consultant).
15. Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, Subcommittee on Subject Relationships/Reference Structures, Final Report. (Chicago: ALA, 1997). Accessed June 4, 2004, www.ala.org/ala/alctscontent/ catalogingsection/catcommittees/subjectanalysis/subjectrelations/finalreport. htm.
16. I b i d.
17. I b i d.
18. I b i d.
19. I b i d.
20. I b i d.
21. Members of the SAC Subcommittee to Promote Subject Relationships/ Reference Structures were Gregory Wool (chair), Kristin Gerhard, Stephen Hearn, Claudia Hill, Heidi Lee Hoerman, Gerard McKiernan, Steven Riel, and Arlene G. Taylor.
22. Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, Subcommittee to Promote Subject Relationships/Reference Structures, [Final Report] (Chicago: ALA, 2000). Accessed June 4, 2004, www.ala.org/ala/ alctscontent/catalogingsection/catcommittees/subjectanalysis/promotesubjectre/ FinalReport.doc.
23. Oh Say, Can We See? See Also? Subject Referencing Possibilities in OPACs, a program organized by the Subcommittee to Promote Subject Relationships/ Reference Structures, Subject Analysis Committee, Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, and held during the American Library Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, June 26, 1999. The program was moderated by Heidi Lee Hoerman and featured speakers Thomas Mann, "Referencing Considerations within OPACs"; Joseph Matthews, "Subject Referencing in Next-Generation OPACs"; Kristin Gerhard, "The Impact of Subject Cross-References on OPAC Search Results"; and Dee Michel, "Getting What We Want: the Politics of Interface Change."
24. Michel, "Getting What We Want."
25. Subcommittee to Promote Subject Relationships/Reference Structures, [Final Report].
26. I b i d.
27. I b i d.
28. I b i d.
29. I b i d.
30. Members of the SAC Subcommittee on Subject Reference Structures in Automated Systems were Sara Shatford Layne (chair), Diane Dates Casey, Michael D. Colby, Heidi Lee Hoerman, Tony Olson, Michelle Martin Robertson, Arlene G. Taylor, and Bruce M. Trumble.
31. Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, Subcommittee on Subject Reference Structures in Automated Systems, Web site, Accessed June 4, 2004, www.ala.org/ala/alctscontent/catalogingsection/ catcommittees/subjectanalysis/subjectreference/subjectreference.htm.
32. Subcommittee to Promote Subject Relationships/Reference Structures, [Final Report].
33. Subcommittee on Subject Reference Structures in Automated Systems, [Final Report]. These are the recommendations referred to in the Introduction to this paper.
34. Getting the Most out of Subject References in the Online Catalog: Better than It Used to Be? a program organized by the Subcommittee on Subject Reference Structures in Automated Systems, Subject Analysis Committee, Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, and held during the American Library Association Annual Conference, Toronto, June 21, 2003. The program was moderated by Tony Olson. In her talk, "Using Subject Reference Structures," Sara Shatford Layne presented a summary of the subcommittee's recommendations, with some examples of their application. Pam Armstrong, from the Library and Archives of Canada (L&AC), in her talk "Navigating Bilingual Subject Headings in AMICUS," discussed L&AC's policy of including headings from three different subject heading systems: Library of Congress Subject Headings, Canadian Subject Headings, and Répertoire de vedettes-matière in their bibliographic records, and the provision of references linking equivalent headings from the three systems in the L&AC's online catalog, AMICUS. Representatives from four vendors of automated systems then gave brief presentations on both the current use and future development of subject reference structures in their systems. The representatives were: Shelley Hofstetler, Endeavor Information Systems, "Subject References in Voyager"; Michael Kaplan, ExLibris (USA), "Subject References in Aleph500"; Claudia Conrad, Innovative Interfaces, "Subject References in Millennium"; Berit Nelson, Sirsi, "Subject References in Unicorn."
35. Subcommittee on Subject Reference Structures in Automated Systems, Final Report.
36. Shannon Huffman, e-mail to Tony Olson, Feb. 25, 2004;
37. and Bruce M. Trumble, e-mail to Tony Olson, Feb. 27, 2004.
38. Armstrong, "Navigating Bilingual Subject Headings in AMICUS";
39. Hostetler, "Subject Access in Voyager";
40. Kaplan, "Subject References in ALEPH500";
41. Conrad, "Subject References in Millennium";
42. Nelson, "Subject References in Unicorn."