Showing papers in "Cataloging & Classification Quarterly in 2007"
TL;DR: The main goal is to provide some basic theory behind the Semantic Web and then attempt to ground that theory in a practical solution.
Abstract: SUMMARY This article introduces the Friend Of A Friend (FOAF) vocabulary specification as an example of a Semantic Web technology. A real world case study is presented in which FOAF is used to solve several specific problems of identity management. The main goal is to provide some basic theory behind the Semantic Web and then attempt to ground that theory in a practical solution.
98 citations
TL;DR: The Simple Knowledge Organisation System (SKOS), a Semantic Web language for representing controlled structured vocabularies, including thesauri, classification schemes, subject heading systems, and taxonomies, is introduced.
Abstract: SUMMARY This article introduces the Simple Knowledge Organisation System (SKOS), a Semantic Web language for representing controlled structured vocabularies, including thesauri, classification schemes, subject heading systems, and taxonomies. SKOS provides a framework for publishing thesauri, classification schemes, and subject indexes on the Web, and for applying these systems to resource collections that are part of the Semantic Web. Semantic Web applications may harvest and merge SKOS data, to integrate and enhance retrieval service across multiple collections (e.g., libraries). This article also describes some alternatives for integrating Semantic Web services based on the Resource Description Framework (RDF) and SKOS into a distributed enterprise architecture.
92 citations
TL;DR: How various controlled vocabularies, classification schemes, and thesauri can serve as some of the building blocks of the Semantic Web is discussed.
Abstract: SUMMARY This article discusses how various controlled vocabularies, classification schemes, and thesauri can serve as some of the building blocks of the Semantic Web. These vocabularies have been developed over the course of decades, and can be put to great use in the development of robust Web services and Semantic Web technologies. The article covers how initial collaboration between the Semantic Web, Library and Metadata communities are creating partnerships to complete work in this area. It then discusses some core principles of authority control before talking more specifically about subject and genre vocabularies and name authority. It is hoped that future systems for internationally shared authority data will link the world's authority data from trusted sources to benefit users worldwide. Finally, the article looks at how encoding and markup of vocabularies can help ensure compatibility with the current and future state of Semantic Web development and provides examples of how this work can help impr...
58 citations
TL;DR: It is found that the average proportion of records that are blocked by the presence of a typo ranges from 35% to 99%, depending upon the frequency of the word being searched and the likelihood of theword being misspelled.
Abstract: SUMMARY Typographical errors can block access to records in online catalogs; but, when a word contains a typo and is also spelled correctly elsewhere in the same record, access may not be blocked. To quantify the effect of typographical errors in records on information retrieval, we conducted a study to measure the proportion of records that contain a typographical error but that do not also contain a correct spelling of the same word. This article presents the experimental design, results of the study, and a statistical analysis of the results. We find that the average proportion of records that are blocked by the presence of a typo (that is, records in which a correct spelling of the word does not also occur) ranges from 35% to 99%, depending upon the frequency of the word being searched and the likelihood of the word being misspelled.
31 citations
TL;DR: A conceptual framework and methodology for managing scheme versioning for the Semantic Web and a proposal to use a value record-similar to a term record in thesaurus management techniques-to manage scheme versioned challenges for theSemantic Web are described.
Abstract: SUMMARY This paper describes a conceptual framework and methodology for managing scheme versioning for the Semantic Web. The first part of the paper introduces the concept of vocabulary encoding schemes, distinguished from metadata schemas, and discusses the characteristics of changes in schemes. The paper then presents a proposal to use a value record-similar to a term record in thesaurus management techniques-to manage scheme versioning challenges for the Semantic Web. The conclusion identifies future research directions.
22 citations
TL;DR: An application profile for dealing with the problem of heterogeneity originating from differences in terminologies, domain coverage, and domain modelling, and a root application ontology based on the application profile which can serve as a basis for extending knowledge of the domain are proposed.
Abstract: SUMMARY The semantic heterogeneity of Web information in the Agricultural domain presents tremendous information retrieval challenges. This article presents work taking place at the Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO) that addresses this challenge. Based on the analysis of resources in the domain of agriculture, this paper proposes (a) an application profile (AP) for dealing with the problem of heterogeneity originating from differences in terminologies, domain coverage, and domain modelling, and (b) a root application ontology (AAO) based on the application profile which can serve as a basis for extending knowledge of the domain. The paper explains how even a small investment in the enhancement of relationships among vocabularies, both metadata and domain-specific, yield a relatively large return on investment.
18 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate that library functions are applicable to Semantic Web, with “collection development” translating to “Semantic Web selection”; “cataloging” translate to ‘SemanticWeb ‘semantic’ representation’;“reference” translates to ”Semantic web service” ; and circulation translating to“Semant Web resource use.”
Abstract: SUMMARY This article explores the applicability of primary library functions (collection development, cataloging, reference, and circulation) to the Semantic Web. The article defines the Semantic Web, identifies similarities between the library institution and the Semantic Web, and presents research questions guiding the inquiry. The article addresses each library function and demonstrates the applicability of each function's policies to Semantic Web development. Results indicate that library functions are applicable to Semantic Web, with “collection development” translating to “Semantic Web selection”; “cataloging” translating to “Semantic Web ‘semantic’ representation”; “reference” translating to “Semantic Web service”; and circulation translating to “Semantic Web resource use.” The last part of this article includes a discussion about the lack of embrace between the library and the Semantic Web communities, recommendations for reducing this gap, and conclusions.
15 citations
TL;DR: The present study examines the instantiation of works among a set of entities known to be popular–best selling books of the 20th century, a sample of best selling works from 1900–1999.
Abstract: SUMMARY Studying works allows us to see empirically the problem of instantiation of works, both at large and in the catalog. The linkage of relationships among works is a critical goal for information retrieval because the ability to comprehend and select a specific instantiation of a work is crucial for the advancement of scholarship. Hence, the present study examines the instantiation of works among a set of entities known to be popular–best selling books of the 20th century. A sample of best selling works (fiction and non-fiction) from 1900–1999 was constructed. For each work in the sample, all bibliographic records were identified in both OCLC and RLIN as well as instantiations on the World Wide Web. All but one work in the sample exists in multiple instantiations; many have large networks; and complex networks of instantiations have begun to appear in full text on the Web. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of continuing to gather statistical data about works. Solutions devised for ...
13 citations
TL;DR: This paper follows the thread of changes as, between 1997 and early 2005, JSC pursued a vigorous schedule towards a third edition of AACR, a content standard for multi-formats and communities.
Abstract: In October 1997, the Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR (JSC) held the International Conference on the Principles and Future Development of AACR in Toronto, Canada, to determine if a changing bibliographic landscape warranted fundamental rethinking of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules This paper follows the thread of those changes as, between 1997 and early 2005, JSC pursued a vigorous schedule towards a third edition of AACR Cataloguing constituency feedback on a first draft of AACR3 prompted a change in direction to a code with the working title, Resource Description and Access (RDA)–a content standard for multi-formats and communities
12 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assess the specific needs of nonprint or special format catalogers in relation to education, training, and mentorship and find that nearly half of all special format librarians will retire with...
Abstract: SUMMARY Catalogers are essential for cataloging and classification of resources in library catalogs to create a resource discovery tool to aid users in their research and public service librarians to assist users. The number of catalogers in libraries has declined in past decades; and many more are on the cusp of retirement, resulting in an impending loss of collective history. Previous literature addressed catalogers in general, the training and recruitment of catalogers, and the expected retirements of librarians in general. The purpose of this study is to assess the specific needs of nonprint or special format catalogers in relation to education, training, and mentorship. A voluntary online survey conducted in 2004 asked questions about special format catalogers' current work, involvement in professional organizations, source of their training, their opinions of library school education, and demographic questions. The survey results indicate nearly half of all special format catalogers will retire with...
10 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a process employing a graduate student to provide access to two previously hidden special collections until the materials can be fully cataloged, which resulted in the simultaneous benefits of increased efficiency among the catalogers and greater provision of access to enable users to identify important resources for their research and study.
Abstract: Adapting the method used by many libraries in the acquisitions workflow to export OCLC WorldCat bibliographic records into the local online catalog, the Special Collections Department at the University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries developed a process employing a graduate student to provide access to two previously hidden special collections until the materials can be fully cataloged. The completion of the project undertaken by the student assistant resulted in the simultaneous benefits of increased efficiency among the catalogers and greater provision of access to enable users to identify important resources for their research and study. By initiating similar procedures to represent not-yet-cataloged materials with online in-process records, other libraries can move their hidden collections into the view of their users.
TL;DR: This paper provides a personal recommendation to use the existing machine-generated record control numbers from their authority records as an interim measure until the authors see what future systems need.
Abstract: SUMMARY The advantages of unique identifiers for the entities described in authority records are outweighed by the costs to manage an international system for assigning and maintaining such unique identifiers. Today's and tomorrow's systems perhaps can do without unique identifiers, but the attraction of unique identifiers still persists. This paper provides a personal recommendation to use the existing machine-generated record control numbers from our authority records as an interim measure until we see what future systems need.
TL;DR: Analysis of the presuppositions, goals, and implementations of policies for rapid cataloging in three large academic libraries in the United States finds Cornell's COR Procedure in which all information in the records is assumed to be temporary and therefore unimportant.
Abstract: This paper analyses the presuppositions, goals, and implementations of policies for rapid cataloging in three large academic libraries in the United States. In the first model, The University of Chicago's W-Collection, there was no attempt to catalog materials; the order record alone is used and the items are shelved in a publicly accessible area by accession number. The second model, Princeton's ATA Procedure, made cataloging the initial activity upon receipt, the purpose of which was “to give the future librarians enough information to know if the item is already in the collection or not” and also to serve (with subject headings and classification) the library's users. Finally, Cornell's COR Procedure in which all information in the records is assumed to be temporary and therefore unimportant; the necessary information is expected to be acquired later from commercial sources.
TL;DR: The author explores the history of each project, compares the metadata utilized by each one through the creation of a crosswalk, and analyzes the usefulness of these catalogs to the user.
Abstract: The complexity of cataloging manuscripts, particularly medieval manuscripts, has meant that these materials have remained largely inaccessible to the public. The quantity and quality of the descriptive data, the time and money it takes to catalog manuscripts, and the fragility of the materials themselves explain the dearth of searchable data on these valuable resources. Even when manuscripts have been cataloged, they have often been physically available only to a few elite scholars who are able to gain access to them. Certain institutions have embarked on projects to reverse this situation. This paper deals with three of these projects: the British Library's Digital Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts (DigCIM), a European consortium's database entitled Manuscripts And Letters Via Integrated Networks in Europe (MALVINE), and Columbia University's Digital Scriptorium (DS). The author explores the history of each project, compares the metadata utilized by each one through the creation of a crosswal...
TL;DR: Analysis of the development of the knowledge structures–Web directories, thesauri, and gateways/portals–as they are presented on the Internet as aids to information seeking identifies problems and suggests improvements.
Abstract: SUMMARY This paper analyses the development of the knowledge structures–Web directories, thesauri, and gateways/portals–as they are presented on the Internet as aids to information seeking. It identifies problems and suggests improvements.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors extract from Foucault's theory a triadic relationship between three interpretive strategies, all of them defined by their different relationships to a textual body: classification, description, and analysis.
Abstract: SUMMARY Foucault's The Birth of the Clinic serves as a pattern for understanding the paradigm shifts represented by the Semantic Web. Foucault presents the history of medical practice as a 3-stage sequence of transitions: from classificatory techniques to clinical strategies, and then to anatomico-pathological strategies. In this paper, the author removes these three stages both from their medical context and from Foucault's historical sequence, to produce a model for understanding information organization in the context of the Semantic Web. We can extract from Foucault's theory a triadic relationship between three interpretive strategies, all of them defined by their different relationships to a textual body: classification, description, and analysis.
TL;DR: An overview of RDF from the perspective of cataloguers, catalogues, and library cards, which explains RDF as a very simple grammar, using metadata and ontologies for semantic search and access.
Abstract: SUMMARY This paper presents several reflections on the traditional card catalogues and RDF (Resource Description Framework), which is “the” standard for creating the Semantic Web. This work grew out of discussion between the authors after the Working Group on Metadata Schemes meeting held at IFLA conference in Buenos Aires (2004). The paper provides an overview of RDF from the perspective of cataloguers, catalogues, and library cards. The central theme of the discussion is resource description as a discipline that could be based on RDF. RDF is explained as a very simple grammar, using metadata and ontologies for semantic search and access. RDF has the ability to enhance 21st century libraries and support metadata interoperability in digital libraries, while maintaining the expressive power that was available to librarians when catalogues were physical artefacts.
TL;DR: The author speculates that the attendance at the national conferences by a high proportion of librarians from small to mid-size academic libraries discourages papers on technical services topics since technical services librarian are more likely to work in large ARL libraries.
Abstract: SUMMARY This study tests the hypothesis that the contributed papers at the 12 ACRL national conferences do not cover topics of interest to technical services librarians in proportion to their membership in ACRL. The analysis showed that 14.66% of contributed papers dealt with subjects that were part of the charge of ALCTS, the technical services division in ALA, and its five sections. This percentage dropped to 7.52% with the removal of collection development papers that are also of high interest to many public services librarians. Current overlap statistics indicate that 18.83% of ACRL members also belong to ALCTS–an indication of potential ACRL member interest in technical services topics. An unexpected discovery was that the contributed papers became much more holistic with the arrival of the Internet and electronic resources in academic libraries and, starting with the 1999 Detroit national conference, were much more difficult to categorize into specialized niches. The author speculates that the atten...
TL;DR: In this paper, Gramsci's concepts provide a framework to present the implications of these consequences and the need to correct them and to exhibit social and political leadership while LCSH is providing technological leadership as a key source for developing cooperative online international authority files for subject headings.
Abstract: The Library of Congress Subject Headings has flaws in the logic and structure of its headings relating to the Southwest. Examples demonstrate aspects of the regional biases that make it frustrating to use LCSH for cataloging Southwest collections. The frustrations experienced by students, researchers, and library patrons trying to find detailed information on the Southwest have significant social consequences, especially for Hispanics and Native Americans. Antonio Gramsci's concepts provide a framework to present the implications of these consequences and the need to correct them. LCSH is a major cataloging and research resource both nationally and internationally. Successfully changing biased and inaccurate LCSH subject headings will exhibit social and political leadership while LCSH is providing technological leadership as a key source for developing cooperative online international authority files for subject headings.
TL;DR: This special volume demonstrates that librarians and other information professionals, including people involved in information intensive work (e.g., medical doctors), are taking Miller’s advice and building a more library-like World Wide Web (Web) through what the authors call “semantic knitting.”
Abstract: Over the last five years, the library community’s attention to the Semantic Web has progressed at a creeping pace. More recently–within the last year–the Semantic Web appears to be gaining greater attention by information professionals looking for answers to manage the complex world of the Web. This development is perhaps best explained by Paul Miller’s (2005; 2006) stimulating and thought provoking notion of “Library 2.0” inspired, in part, by Tim O’Reilly’s (2005) highly influential “What Is Web 2.0.” Part of Miller’s central thesis is that the rich untapped structured data sources which libraries possess need to be exposed and mined. He believes the 21st century library is obligated to expose its rich data and provide a new level of service, information access, and knowledge discovery for the good of its users and citizens at large. Miller’s Library 2.0 integrates with the foundation ideas and evolution of the Semantic Web, and invites librarians to think outside the box and actively engage in the development of the Semantic Web. This special volume demonstrates that librarians and other information professionals, including people involved in information intensive work (e.g., medical doctors), are taking Miller’s advice and building a more library-like World Wide Web (Web) through what we call “semantic knitting.”
TL;DR: An overview of trends and challenges from a golden age of expanding budgets and international cooperation during the 1970s and 1980s and later responses to the economic retrenchment and demographic changes of the 1990s and early 2000s are provided.
Abstract: SUMMARY Under the leadership of Ruth Carter's generation, cooperative, shared cataloging grew and flourished among academic and research libraries. The authors provide an overview of trends and challenges from a golden age of expanding budgets and international cooperation during the 1970s and 1980s and later responses to the economic retrenchment and demographic changes of the 1990s and early 2000s. Responses to current challenges, including the impact of outsourced cataloging, increasing complexity of cataloging rules, and emerging technological options, are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared four types of metadata with regard to object of the description, functions, scope, number of copies examined, collective vs individual creation, standardization, authority control, evidence, amount of descriptive detail, degression, time span the data is intended to last, and degree of evaluation.
Abstract: Cataloging is compared to descriptive bibliography, to enumerative bibliography and abstracting and indexing services as well as to metadata created by Web search engines or by nonprofessionals at sites such as Amazoncom These four types of metadata are compared with regard to object of the description, functions, scope, number of copies examined, collective vs individual creation, standardization, authority control, evidence, amount of descriptive detail, degression, time span the data is intended to last, and degree of evaluation
TL;DR: In this article, the success of technical services librarians in achieving tenure is explored, along with perceptions about the relative ease with which they may attain it, and possible impediments to success are identified. Strategies for countering these impediments are suggested.
Abstract: SUMMARY Although the appropriateness of faculty status for technical services librarians serving in academic libraries is often debated, these librarians usually share the same personnel status as other librarians in the same institution. The success of technical services librarians in achieving tenure is explored, along with perceptions about the relative ease with which they may attain it. Possible impediments to success are identified, with special focus on the portrayal and evaluation of the practice of librarianship, as distinct from scholarly or service pursuits. Strategies for countering these impediments are suggested.
TL;DR: The authors review the contents of Cataloging & Classification Quarterly and provide an examination of the contributors, article types, and changes in emphasis in topics.
Abstract: SUMMARY The authors review the contents of Cataloging & Classification Quarterly and provide an examination of the contributors, article types, and changes in emphasis in topics.
TL;DR: A feasibility study found that although a few problems were encountered in the process, overall the FAST database was useful for converting Ulrich's subject headings into FAST headings.
Abstract: This paper presents a study that assessed the feasibility of applying the approach of the Faceted Application of Subject Terminology (FAST), an initiative of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), to records in the Ulrich's Periodicals Directory.™ The goal is to determine whether a simplified application of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), as illustrated by FAST, would benefit the Ulrich's system. This feasibility study found that although a few problems were encountered in the process, overall the FAST database was useful for converting Ulrich's subject headings into FAST headings.
TL;DR: The nature of the Chinese Classics and the inappropriateness of classifying the collection as literature within the Library of Congress Classification scheme are described and a call is made to change the current treatment that classifies the collection in “Class PL” to “ class B”.
Abstract: This paper describes the nature of the Chinese Classics and the inappropriateness of classifying the collection as literature within the Library of Congress Classification scheme. The practical and philosophical reasons for the inadequacy of Library of Congress Classification in comprehending and classifying the Chinese Classics are examined. A call is made to change the current treatment that classifies the Chinese Classics in “Class PL” (Literature) to “Class B” (Philosophy) along with modifications to relevant schedules and the addition of more sophisticated hierarchies and cross references for accuracy and consistency.
TL;DR: In this article, the emphasis on control in cataloging versus the chaos found on the Web is explored and a series of examples juxtapose current practices, enrichment possibilities, and flaws in current digital solutions to suggest potential opportunities where catalogers might excel.
Abstract: SUMMARY This article explores the emphasis on control in cataloging versus the chaos found on the Web. It delves into adversarial relationships between catalogers and technologists. It seeks commonalities and suggests that new alternatives addressing both perspectives might offer superior and more satisfying results. A series of examples juxtapose current practices, enrichment possibilities, and flaws in current digital solutions to suggest potential opportunities where catalogers might excel. Speculation on ways to promote cataloging principles and values via more direct participation in the unruly digital environment hints at a more promising future for our profession.
TL;DR: Ruth C. Carter's professional career has spanned over three decades of service as librarian, archivist, and editor of Cataloging & Classification Quarterly as discussed by the authors. Specific aspects of that service are noted in this biographical sketch that commemorates her twenty years as editor of cataloging & classification Quarterly.
Abstract: SUMMARY Ruth C. Carter's professional career has spanned over three decades of service as librarian, archivist, and editor. Specific aspects of that service are noted in this biographical sketch that commemorates her twenty years as editor of Cataloging & Classification Quarterly.
TL;DR: In this article, the availability of books and other reading materials in Monroe County, Indiana, through 1850 was analyzed and it was revealed that books and reading were part of life on the western frontier.
Abstract: SUMMARY This paper analyzes the availability of books and other reading materials in Monroe County, Indiana, through 1850. It examines both unpublished and published primary sources as well as secondary sources to reveal that books and reading were part of life on the western frontier.
TL;DR: There was no significant difference between error rates before and after a cataloging outsourcing program was implemented at the University of Saskatchewan Library.
Abstract: SUMMARY This comparative study was conducted to compare error rates encountered in monograph copy cataloging bibliographic records before and after a cataloging outsourcing program was implemented at the University of Saskatchewan Library. The findings of the study were twofold: (1) The error rates were low and acceptable; (2) There was no significant difference between error rates before and after outsourcing.