This third edition of what has become a classic among textbooks in schools of library and information science (and related programs) has been thoroughly updated to reflect the evolving technological advancements in the field. Focusing on indexing of the subject matter of material, the beginning chapters review the literature and discuss various principles and practices such as “exhaustivity or depth of indexing,” “specificity,” “checktags,” “pre- and post-coordinate indexes,” and “consistency and quality of indexing.” Discussions on abstracting cover such concepts as the different types of abstracts, purpose of an abstract, structured versus narrative abstracts, informative versus indicative abstracts, subject slanting, modular abstracts, and writing and evaluating an abstract.

Various styles of indexing used in printed publications such as Index Medicus, the Engineering Index, and Chemical Abstracts are illustrated in the text; although the author is quick to note that printed tools are used much less today in favor of their online counterparts. In the online world, indexing has even greater importance in the effort to retrieve relevant data efficiently. Related concepts such as weighted indexing, linking of terms, and relational indicators are discussed as aids to precision. The idiosyncrasies of indexing special formats such as images and sounds and the Internet, as well as the use of computer-generated or automated indexing and abstracting, are also reviewed. The author admits that the Web has become so large and complex that it is beyond the scope of any single book to explain all of its components. He suggests the use of Web-based services such as The Extreme Web Searcher's Internet Handbook News and Updates or Search Engine Watch to keep current with new developments.

Lancaster quotes several authors who see indexing of the Web becoming more impossible with time, but, at the same time, see that the need for automatic abstracts or summarizations continuing to grow in importance. With automation, the need for human intervention at the local level, be it Website design or local resources management, will also increase.

Part 2 of the work includes chapters with practice exercises, a summary of abstracting principles, sample subject modules, and an extensive list of references. The index has grown by over a hundred pages since the award-winning first edition in 1991, which won the Best Information Science Book Award in 1992 from the American Society for Information Science.

The work is primarily a teaching textbook that gives a good overview of the historic theory and principles behind indexing and abstracting and then discusses various applications, practices, and issues related to content analysis. Adequate representation of the material being described is the core challenge with indexing and abstracting. Another work that addresses this core issue is Explorations in Indexing and Abstracting: Pointing, Virtue, and Power by Brian C. O'Connor [1]. O'Connor defines “pointing” as the fundamental definition of indexing; “virtue,” the essence of a work, as equal to abstracting; and the two tools together as giving a person “power” to make meaningful use of the information (p. ix). Another related title, Introduction to Indexing and Abstracting by Donald B. Cleveland and Ana D. Cleveland [2], is more practical than the other two titles in that it provides many examples of what is being discussed and includes a section on “Ninety-nine Web Resources for Indexers and Abstractors,” with leads to useful tools such as indexing services, standards, indexing organizations, and search services. Google , one of the listed search services, is a company working to answer Lancaster's challenge about the daunting task of indexing the Web. Under “Our Philosophy” on the Google Website, cofounder Larry Page states his far-reaching vision: “The perfect search engine would understand exactly what you mean and give back exactly what you want.” Many of the principles discussed in Lancaster's work— precision, specificity, and depth of indexing—are just as applicable and essential in today's online world as companies like Google seek to develop the “perfect search engine.”

Each of the three books discusses the topic of indexing and abstracting with a different emphasis. Lancaster addresses more of the theory and basic principles; O'Connor looks at the topic from a technical viewpoint; while the Clevelands write with a practical slant giving useful examples and suggestions. The three works together provide very comprehensive coverage of the subject. Each would be useful to students in library or information science, those working in indexing and abstracting services, or persons seeking careers in the information and computer industries.

Indexing and Abstracting in Theory and Practice

سائنسی و تکنیکی اصطلاحات = Dictionary of scientific and technical terms

Given the thousands of theses and dissertations (TDs) that are produced each year, and their role in advancing their disciplines, it is well worth disseminating them as widely as possible. A great leap forward in increasing TD distribution has been the electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) movement. ETD information in catalogs provides valuable basic access, especially when bibliographic records are contributed to large databases. While these bibliographic records can be created automatically by harvesting author-supplied metadata from ETDs, for fuller access, cataloger mediation is needed to remove errors and numeric entities; plus name authority control. Fullest access entails subject analysis.

Basic, Fuller, Fullest: Treatment Options for Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper reviews library literature on cataloging and classification published in 2005-06. It covers pertinent literature in the following areas: the future of cataloging; Functional Requirement for Bibliographic Records (FRBR); metadata and its applications and relation to Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC); cataloging tools and standards; authority control; and recruitment, training, and the changing role of catalogers. ********** The literature published in 2005 and 2006 devoted to cataloging and classification reveals a profession in transition. The future of the catalog and cataloging in the Web environment was the focus of severn important discussions, presentations, white papers, reports, conferences, and articles. Another topic attracting attention was the emerging new cataloging standard, Resource Description and Access (RDA). The great importance of the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) was emphasized in a number of scholarly publications. Classification schemas, such as the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) and the Library of Congress Classification (LCC), continued as a topic in library literature. Other areas of interest included metadata, Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC) and the flexibility of Extensible Markup Language (XML), authority control, recruitment, training, and the changing role of catalogers. Research Method A preliminary review of literature on cataloging and classification published in 2005 and 2006 was conducted in two library online databases: Library Literature and Information Science Full Text, and Library, Information Science, and Technology Abstract with Full Text. Other resources, such as the Web-based resources Google Scholar, Google Print, and Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) WorldCat, print library journals, and book reviews in library journals related to cataloging and classification, were also consulted. These resources were searched by keywords or subject headings, or both. The search strategy was limited to journal articles and books in English, and to 2005 through 2006 dates of publication. The search produced a great number of citations (238 items). To deal with the volume of material and the range of topics covered, the author created a spreadsheet of topics derived from the preliminary literature search and the author's knowledge of the current trends in cataloging and classification. The author organized the topics into the following groups: future of cataloging, classification, Library of Congress (LC) series decision, authority control, FRBR, Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules 2nd ed., 2001 revision (AACB2), RDA, subject headings, DDC, recruitment, training, education, cataloging standards, ISBN13, and metadata. Resulting citations were then entered under each heading in the spreadsheet. Citations under each topic were reviewed to determine if the sources of the publication were scholarly and peer reviewed. In limited cases, the author included non-peer--reviewed sources because they provided valuable and relevant information. Some topics, such as the LC decision about series and ISBN13, were not included because of insufficient scholarly literature. The author read and analyzed the articles and wrote brief reviews for each item. Some articles fell outside the scope of this review and were excluded. The focus of this paper is on substantive contributions to the literature. In a few cases, less significant resources are referenced to provide a context for important themes covered during 2005 and 2006. Some articles may have been omitted unintentionally, for which the author apologizes. The Future of the Catalog and Cataloging The future of libraries in general and of cataloging in particular has been the focus of much of the research in recent years. Speculation about the directions that cataloging is taking, as well as suggestions for ways to revitalize and enhance the catalog and retool the cataloging workforce, filled the pages of many articles and reports in 2005 and 2006. …

Cataloging and Classification Review of the Literature 2005-06

This research concerns the frequency of the assignment of author-supplied keyword strings and cataloger supplied subject heading strings within a library catalog. The results reveal that, on average, more author-assigned keywords and more cataloger-assigned Library of Congress Subject Headings were assigned to works emerging from the arts & humanities than to works emerging from the social sciences and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. STEM disciplines in particular received a lower amount of topical metadata, in part because of the under-assignment of name/title, geographical, and corporate subject headings. These findings reveal how librarians could increase their understanding of how topical access is functioning within academic disciplines.

Disciplinary Differences: LCSH and Keyword Assignment for ETDs from Different Disciplines

This guide, for beginning catalogers with humanities or social sciences backgrounds, provides assistance in subject analysis (based on Library of Congress Subject Headings) of theses and dissertations (T/Ds) that are produced by graduate students in university departments in the hard sciences (physical sciences and engineering). It is aimed at those who have had little or no experience in cataloging, especially of this type of material, and for those who desire to supplement local mentoring resources for subject analysis in the hard sciences. Theses and dissertations from these departments present a special challenge because they are the results of current research representing specific new concepts with which the cataloger may not be familiar. In fact, subject headings often have not yet been created for the specific concept(s) being researched. Additionally, T/D authors often use jargon/terminology specific to their department. Catalogers often have many other duties in addition to subject anal...

Lona Hoover

Papers

A Beginners' guide for subject analysis of theses and dissertations in the hard sciences