Janis L. Young

Bio: Janis L. Young is an academic researcher from Library of Congress. The author has contributed to research in topics: Controlled vocabulary & Thesaurus (information retrieval). The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 3 publications receiving 18 citations.

It Takes a Village: Developing Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Abstract: The Library of Congress (LC) is in the process of developing a separate thesaurus of genre/form terms, which describe what a work or expression is, rather than what it is about. From the beginning, LC policy specialists realized that to accomplish this undertaking, it would be both necessary and desirable to collaborate with the library community. This article examines and evaluates the various methods of collaboration used by LC in the creation of the genre/form thesaurus.

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials

Abstract: Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials (LCGFT) is a multidisciplinary thesaurus that provides indexing terminology to describe what works are, rather than what they are about. Traditionally, access to genres and forms of works has been provided with subject headings, which poses two problems: first, subject headings are by definition more properly restricted to the topic of a work, and second, the rules for application of subject headings often treat forms secondarily to the topic, thereby limiting access. This entry will explain the differences between subjects and genres and forms, and put LCGFT in the context of other vocabularies that provide genre/form access. The development of LCGFT is a large undertaking, and the project management will be described. The majority of the entry will elaborate on the principles upon which LCGFT is built (the choice of authorized terms and the syndetic structure) and the application of terms. Finally, the entry will outline developments in the provision of access to characteristics of works and expressions that are closely related to genre and form: musical medium of performance, intended audience, characteristics of creators and contributors, and time period of creation.

Unlimited Opportunities for Enhanced Access to Resources: The Library of Congress’ Faceted Vocabularies

Abstract: Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is the most widely used subject vocabulary in the world. It includes headings that represent every discipline, as well as headings describing the genres and forms of resources, the characteristics of their creators and their intended audiences, and, in the case of musical works, their mediums of performance. The benefits of LCSH’s comprehensiveness are offset, though, by inconsistently formulated headings that inhibit both intellectual understanding and algorithmic manipulation. In 2007, the Library of Congress began to develop three vocabularies that will enhance retrieval by providing direct access to non-topical aspects of resources: Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials, the Library of Congress Medium of Performance Thesaurus for Music, and Library of Congress Demographic Group Terms. This paper discusses why the exclusive use of LCSH is insufficient for today’s resource discovery needs. It will then describe the scope and structure of each of the three new vocabularies, and conclude by showing how the new vocabularies will provide enhanced access to library materials when used alongside LCSH or another subject vocabulary.

Extracting Features of Entertainment Products: A Guided Latent Dirichlet Allocation Approach Informed by the Psychology of Media Consumption:

Abstract: The authors propose a quantitative approach for describing entertainment products, in a way that allows for improving the predictive performance of consumer choice models for these products. Their ...

Warrant as a means to study classification system design

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of warrant in daily classification design in general and in negotiating disparate classification goals in particular. Design/methodology/approach This paper synthesizes classification research on forms of warrant and uses examples of classification decisions from ethnographic engagement with designers to illustrate how forms of warrant interact in daily classification decisions. Findings Different forms of warrant, though associated with incompatible theories of classification design, coexist in daily classification decisions. A secondary warrant might be employed to augment the primary warrant of a system, such as to decide among equally valid terms, or to overturn a decision based on the primary warrant, such as when ethical impacts are prioritized above user preference. Research limitations/implications This paper calls for empirical research using the application of warrant as an object of analysis. Originality/value The paper connects a ubiquitous and observable element of classification design – the application of warrant – to longstanding divisions in classification theory. This paper demonstrates how the analysis of daily classification design can illuminate the interaction between disparate philosophies of classification.

Faceted Vocabularies for Music: A New Era in Resource Discovery

Abstract: The Library of Congress Medium of Performance Thesaurus (LCMPT) and the music portions of the Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials (LCGFT) are long-anticipated products in a history of problem-solving approaches toward faceted access to music resources. MLA’s Cataloging and Metadata Committee has collaborated with the Library of Congress for the past several years in a multiphase endeavor to design and build out these new vocabularies. Implementation within the Anglo-American music cataloging community began in 2014, and retrospective implementation (the programmatic assignment of faceted terms to legacy metadata) is currently being studied and pursued.

Value Added: Book Covers Provide Additional Impetus for Academic Library Patrons to Check Out Books

Abstract: Publishers attract readers to books and inform them about the books’ contents by adding information to the books’ covers. In many academic libraries, the dust jackets of cloth-bound books are discarded. This study was a physical inventory of 1,319 recently published books in an academic library, and comparison of circulation statistics between different cover types. By every measure, books with publisher-supplied information on the cover circulated at a higher rate than books with plain covers. The implications of our findings for collection management are discussed.