Catalogues and Keywords A Library Perspective

Karen Stone, State Library of Queensland

April 2009

Organising your information

Where does the catalogue fit within todays information environment? What part do classification and descriptive schema play in organizing information today? How to build the ideal 21st century catalogue?

Where does the catalogue fit within todays information environment? Are they still relevant with the likes of Google, Wikipedia and online databases? What part do classification and descriptive schema play in organizing information today? What is out there and are they useful or relevant? How to build the ideal 21st century catalogue? How do you organise your information in a way that makes it more attractive than the web? And if you build it, how to make sure that they will come and use it?

Organising your information

How to make it -

Relevant Current Comprehensive Cost-efficient

There are many factors that need to be considered in determining how to make your catalogue relevant to your clientele Current Comprehensive cost-efficient.

Organising your information

Client focus

Clients basic needs + Added value

Client focus should be at the heart of all the decisions that are made when organizing your information and building your catalogue Determining your clients needs will guide you in making decisions on how your information should be organized and described. Always remember who will be using the information that you provide? Is it your library staff or is your clientele? Make sure you are building a system that meets your clients needs and not just your own. Find out what your clients basic needs are What is it that they must have What is it that they want to access from the catalogue. Then you can work out ways to provide for these needs and how you can build on these needs through value added services or resources. Give them more than they want

Organising your information

Client expectations Remote access Instant access One stop shop Wide range of material
Hard copy Soft copy Online resources In-house collections Corporate records Off-site collections

As well as needs, clients will have certain expectations. These may include Remote access Instant access One stop shop including online doc del requestsOnline delivery requests Wide range of material Each set of clients will have a different set of expectations.

Organising your information

Client experience

Digital natives or digital immigrants? Looking for the Google search box or a traditional library search? Keyword users or subject heading savvy?

Every set of clients will also have a different set of experiences. Digital natives or digital immigrants? Looking for the Google search box or a traditional library search? Keyword users or subject heading savvy?

These will also help to determine how the catalogue should be structured to meet clients needs and expectations and provide the capacity for value adding

Building the catalogue

Clear plans for
What How When Who Access

Take the identified needs, expectations and experiences and use these to develop what role your catalogue will play. Once this is established you can start to develop a plan for organizing your information and building your catalogue This plan or strategy should include what you will catalogue formats, sources How will it be catalogued when will it be catalogued setting priorities who will catalogue it inhouse, outsourced, purchased records how will you provide access to the resulting data At State Library we have developed a cataloguing strategy that starts with a statement of principles outlining what we are trying to achieve with our catalogue and then sets out how that will be done, the standards and schema that we use, the levels of cataloguing that we apply and the priorities we assign to all types of resources. This provides the backbone to our catalogue management. Specific guidelines, procedures and protocols are developed based on the strategy and it gives us a solid base for the efficient processing of material and for our quality management

Building the catalogue

Points to consider

LIMS capability OPAC capability Metadata scheme Cataloguing rules/standards Descriptive schema Classification scheme

Along with your clients needs there are a number of points to consider when developing your plan LIMS capability what can it do, what type of data can it handle, what can you manipulate OPAC capability display options, access options, search options Metadata scheme to employ MARC, DC, other Cataloguing rules/standards to apply Descriptive schema to employ one or more, free or controlled Classification scheme that suits your needs

What to catalogue?
Points to consider

Audience Research depth Coverage Formats

One of the main considerations will be what to catalogue. This will be the driver behind many other decisions as you need to tailor your catalogue to suit the type of information your are organising Determine audience of catalogue who will search and what will they be looking for? Depth Intensive research, ready reference, Full coverage of the organisational knowledge or as a resource for additional information or both? Formats will you be concentrating on physical resources, online resources, equal measures of both Have clients expressed a need for AV resources or access to photos?

Online resources
Wide variety

Online versions of print journals E-journals Online versions of publications E-books Databases free & subscription Websites

Online resources More and more resources are becoming available online and increasingly only available online. Decision on what to include. Which formats to include, Online versions of print journals E-journals Online versions of publications E-books Databases free & subscription Websites How much to include (individual records for serials indexed in aggregated databases Decision should be driven on clients needs - what will they be looking for or expect to find within the catalogue. How far do you want to make it a one-stop shop without cataloguing the entire web?

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Cataloguing rules
The past Catalog rules: author & title entries (1908) Vatican Code (1931) Prussian Instructions (English translation) ALA Catalog rules: Author & title entries (1941) ALA Catalog rules for Author & title entries (1949) AACR (1967) AACRII (1978)

Once you have decided on the metadata scheme that you wil use, the next step is to decide what rules you will need to follow. How you catalogue and classify these resources will be determined by the rules and standards that you employ as well as your clients needs. History of cataloguing rules shows us that there were different rules once upon a time The past Catalog rules: author & title entries referred to as AA 1908) Vatican Code (1931) Prussian Instructions (English translation) ALA Catalog rules: Author & title entries (1941 ALA Catalog rules for Author & title entries (1949) AACR (1967) AACRII (1978)

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Cataloguing rules
The present

AACRII used extensively in the English speaking world

While most libraries use the same set of rules, there are choices that can be made. How strictly you apply the rules is a decision that you make locally. If you are using AACRII, you decide locally what level of description you want to apply to your records. Different records can be described at different levels depending on their use, value, format, and retention period State Library HC rare and valuable fullest extent with extensive notes as resource will be kept forever Ephemera collection level record top group many items together Public library fiction basic record to allow clients to choice; only kept for a few years

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Cataloguing rules
The future RDA (2010?) FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) FRAR (Functional Requirements for Authority Records)

cataloguing rules, The future RDA (2010?) Resource Description and Access; updating AACRIi for the digital world? FRBR, entity relationship model as a generalized view of the bibliographic universe, intended to be independent of any cataloguing code or implementation. FRAR relating the data recorded in library authority records to the needs of the users Again application at local level driven by local needs The decision on what rules to apply will give you the structure you need to record general information about the resource Next step is to decide what you will use to describe the resource how to provide the best access points for clients to find it and use it

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Descriptive schema
What to use?

free text vs thesaurus Keyword - a list of uncategorised words or phrases associated with an object Thesaurus - a list of categorized words or phrases associated with an object

keyword - a list of uncategorised words or phrases associated with an object thesaurus - a list of categorized words or phrases associated with an object

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Descriptive schema
What to use? controlled vocabulary vs natural language vs free indexing
Controlled vocabulary
Predefined, authorised terms preselected by the designer of the vocabulary Only approved terms can be used by the indexer to describe the document

Natural language
No restriction on the vocabulary. Any term from within the document can be used to describe it.

Free indexing language

Any term can be used from within or outside the document.

Controlled vocabulary schemes - predefined, authorised terms preselected by the designer of the vocabulary- Only approved terms can be used by the indexer to describe the document Examples LCSH Keyword AAA APT AAT In-house thesaurus controlled vocabulary can increase the performance of an information retrieval system, if performance is measured by precision enhance recall once the correct authorised term is searched, you don't need to worry about searching for other terms that might be synonyms of that term. Claim to improve the accuracy of free text searching, by reducing irrelevant items in the retrieval list. lead to unsatisfactory recall, in that it will fail to retrieve some documents that are actually relevant to the search question. quickly out-dated and in fast developing fields of knowledge, the authorised terms available might not be available if they are not updated regularly. not as specific as using the words of the text itself Subject to erroneous allocation if the indexer misinterprets the authors intent Indexers understanding of the controlled vocabulary may differ from the users understanding. not tagged by the indexer because indexing exhaustivity is low. For example an article might mention football as a secondary focus, and the indexer might decide not to tag it with "football" because it is not important enough compared to the main focus. Free indexing language - Any term (not only from the document) can be used to describe the document. free text searches have high exhaustivity potential for high recall but will have much lower precision. No risk of misinterpretations Not as precise Less accurate The decision will depend again on client needs and expectations but also on the type of material you are describing Is there a controlled vocabulary that suits the type of resources that you collect? How do your clients like to search? what they are more comfortable with using keywords/buzzwords or specific headings Best solution may be a combination of types using a thesaurus but also including some free text. Will also depend on what your LIMS indexes. The more fields that are indexed the more descriptive terms will be available. State Library We use LCSH on our catalogue records but our LIMS allow searching across the whole record. Pick up the words used in the description

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Classification Schemes
Two roles

Allow subject access Provide shelf position

Once you have described the resource, the next step is to apply a suitable classification scheme. Classification schemes have two roles facilitate subject access by allowing the client to find resources on a particular subject Provide a known location for the information source (e.g where it is shelved). Some classification systems are more suitable for aiding subject access, rather than for shelf location. For example, UDC uses a complicated notation system that is more difficult for shelf arrangement but is more expressive compared to DDC in terms of showing relationships between subjects.

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Classification Schemes
How they work -

One place on shelf One class per resource

unlike subject heading or Thesauri where multiple terms can be assigned to the same work, in library classification systems, each work can only be placed in one class. A book can have only one physical place. So how do you go about selecting the right scheme for your use?

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Classification Schemes
How they differ

Type of notation Expressiveness Mnemonic support Expansion capacity Brevity Currency and support Simplicity

can differ in the following ways Type of Notation - Notation can be pure (consisting of only numerals for example) or mixed (consisting of letters, numerals, and other symbols). Expressiveness - This is the degree in which the notation can express relationship between concepts or structure. mnemonics support using the same notation for the same concept throughout For example DDC 44 always represents France. Expansion capacity - The degree in which the system is able to accommodates new subjects Brevity - Length of the notation to express the same concept Currency & support - The best classification systems are constantly being reviewed and improved. Consistency Simplicity level of difficulty for clients using the system to locate a resource and for staff in allocating or building the class number

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Classification Schemes
Whats out there -

LC Dewey Moys UDC Boggs and Lewis mark and park

Types of classification schemes (Moys, Dewey, etc), LC Dewey Moys Boggs and Lewis UDC "mark and park" reader interest classification (couple of wide classes (Travel, Crime, Magazines etc). Think Borders You can use one or more systems depending on what types if resources you have. You can also choose how you apply a particular scheme. DDC offers the user the choice of using full DDC or the abridged version. At the local level you can choose how many decimal places you want to go to when constructing a number. We use DDC for the majority of our resources but B&L for the maps, and our music scores have a DDC number, a locally created cutter number for the composer and then a notation for the uniform title!

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Classification Schemes
Which one?

Browsing vs staff selection Granularity Physical vs virtual

You need to think about how your collection is used. How much browsing do your clients do? Do they ever visit the shelves or do library staff find the resources for them? You can use what you like and make it as complicated as you like if your clients never touch the shelves. If browsing is not a priority you could put everything in running order start at 1 and keep on going. If you or your clients need to browse, pick a scheme that suits your subject area that gives you the granularity that suits your resources but at the same time, makes it easy for the clients to find what they are after. For soft copy resources, a classification system is not essential. If you dont have to shelve it, you dont need a shelf location. It can be useful if you want to produce lists of resources by class number and include your soft copy resources as well. Again think about what you want to offer your clients at the basic level and as added value.

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Online resources
Creating records

Comply to same rules as other formats Individual records

Supplied with resource by outsourcing vendor, or Copy cataloguing from Libraries Australia, OCLC, or Original cataloguing in-house

Bulk records
Sourced from database vendor or Serials Solutions or Other third party supplier

Online resources should be treated in the same way as other formats - using the same rules and the same descriptive schemes The source for these records can differ Individual records Supplied with resource by outsourcing vendor purchase an ebook from Bennett's with the MARC record included Copy cataloguing from Libraries Australia, OCLC Original cataloguing in-house Bulk records Sourced from database vendor - EBSCO provides MARC records for all its titles Serials Solutions or records from many databases supplied from one source Other third party supplier NAXOS records

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Online resources
Creating records

Smart cataloguing Re-use records Auto generate records

Should try and use Smart cataloguing for all resources Re-use records through copy cataloguing, bulk creation, purchasing records Automated generation of records system such as MARCEdit which takes a URL and creates a basic MARC record, faster more cost effective method of creating a record from scratch for a website

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Online resources at State Library

E-pubs

General websites Pandora archive websites E-pubs (online government reports, etc.) E-books (free & subscribed) E-journals (free, subscribed & individual titles from aggregated databases)

At State Library includes General websites Pandora archive websites E-pubs (online government reports, etc.) E-books (free & subscribed) E-journals (free, subscribed & individual titles from aggregated databases)

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Online resources at State Library

E-pubs

Aim provide 24/7 access from one interface Full cataloguing with LC subject headings No call number assigned

Aim provide 24/7 access from one interface Full cataloguing with LC subject headings no difference in quality or level of description No call number assigned not required as there is no physical shelf location. Used to apply a pseudo call number using first 3 letters from title but this was felt to be meaningless to clients and was the practice was stopped

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Online resources at State Library

Netlinks

Authoritative websites selected by reference staff Allocated to one or more topic areas Catalogued with LC subject headings Access via State Library website under topic headings (now) Plus Access via main catalogue (future) No call number assigned

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Management
What next?

Quality control Staff skills Maintaining currency Value add

Once you have built the ideal catalogue, you then need to manage it on an ongoing basis. This will involve Quality control locally created records as well as outsourced or purchased records Skilling of staff do they have the necessary skills to create records, do they need training on how to process newer formats of material, will they need training on the changes to cataloguing rules. Maintaining currency keeping records up to date If you have chosen to catalogue websites or online resources, maintaining live links will become a ongoing task If you have added records from an aggregated database, you will need a strategy to manage changes, deletions and additions to the list of journals that they index. Value add once you have the essential covered, it is time to see what else can be included to enhance your clients resource discovery experience. This will be an ongoing task as more and more options, formats and resources become available

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Field of dreams?

Is it possible? Are we dreaming? If we build it will the come & use it? If you describe it, will they find it?

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Contact details

Karen Stone Manager Database Services, State Library of Queensland E: karen.stone@slq.qld.gov.au P: 07 3842 9165

Catalogue http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au

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