The Objectives of this lesson : at the end of this lesson , you should be

able to:

1. Know the concept of Post-coordinate indexing system

2. Learn how post-coordinate indexing system was done
3. Identify the essential features of Post –coordinate indexing system
4. Understand the methods used in post-coordinate indexing system
5. Appreciate the efforts exerted by Montimer Taube in developing
this indexing system
6. Test oneself in understanding the Boolean logic and its operators
through exercise
7. Prepare a unitern cards for three documents using the post-
coordinate indexing system
POST –COORDINATE INDEXING
SYSTEM
Who Conceptualized Post-coordinate
Indexing System?
Mortimer Taube - relied upon uniterm or
one concept terms.
• How was it done?
 10 to 20 concept terms

• What is the essential feature of Post-

coordinate Indexing System?
UNITERM
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
 What methods did Mortimer Taube use in indexing?

Mortimer’s Taube’s methods of coordinate indexing

are as follows:
1. Choice of single word or unit term representing
the subject of the document – uniterm indexing.
2. Allocation of serial or accession number to
uniterm cards
3. Posting of the accession number to uniterm cards
 Title: Detection of
Leaks in Boiler uniterm
cards
Tubes

BOILERS
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1436
DETECTION
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Accession
1436
number

TUBES
1436

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1436
When to apply Boolean Logic Logic in Computerized
Post-coordinate Index?
Boolean logic is the logic system employed in
searching most post-coordinate indexes.

The Boolean operators: AND , OR and NOT

Conclusion
In his early writing, Mortimer Taube did not stress
vocabulary control. In fact the emphasis was on the free
choice of single words or unit terms to represent the subject
of a document. These features of the Uniterm indexing led
to several problems in retrieval which were later sought to
be corrected by the introduction of the refinements such as
links and roles. The need for vocabulary control become
obvious in coordinate indexing and the thesaurus was
devised for this purpose.