1. 1 Languages for aboutness n Indexing languages: –Terminological tools Thesauri (CV – controlled vocabulary) Subject headings lists (CV) Authority files for named entities (people, places, structures, organizations) –Classification –Keyword lists –Natural language systems (broad interpretation)

2. 2 Subject Analysis n What something is about? –What the content of an object is “about”? n Different methods (Wilson, 1968) –Counting (objective method) –Purposive method –Method appealing to unity –What stands out n Challenges –Non-text

3. 3 Aboutness: How to do it! n Read the document [Intellectual reading] –look for key features –many indexers mark up the items –rarely have time to read the whole document n Determine aboutness [Conceptual analysis] n Translate aboutness into the vocabulary or scheme you are using –In general: Subject headings: 1-3 headings –Descriptors, 5-8 descriptors –Classification: 1 notation (should it only be one!?).

4. 4 Features of indexing languages: n Involve rules and require maintenance n Can be generated via automatic, human, or auto-human processes n Different processes generally display different strengths and weaknesses.

5. 5 Features of indexing languages: n With the exception of a few general domain tools, they are generally domain specific. –MeSH –NASA Thesaurus –Astronomy Thesaurus –ERIC thesaurus http://www.darmstadt.gmd.de/~lutes/thesoecd.html n Concepts (or concept representations) are arranged in a discernable order 

6. 6 Language schema designs n Classified--grouping –Hierarchies and facets MeSH Browser http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html Art and Architecture (Getty AAT) http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/vocabularies/aat/ n Alphabetical -- horizontal –Verbal/Alphabetical (ordering/filing challenges)

7. 7 Controlled Vocabulary n A list or a database of subject terms in which each concept has a preferred terms or phrase that will be used to represent it in the retrieval tool; the terms not used have references (syndetic structure), and often scope notes.

8. 8 Thesaurus (structured thesaurus) n Lexical semantic relationships n Composed of indexing terms/descriptors n Descriptors = representations of concepts n Concepts = Units of meaning (Svenonius)

9. 9 Thesaurus n Preferred terms n Non-preferred terms n Semantic relations between terms n How to apply terms (guidelines, rules) n Scope notes n Adding terms (How to produce terms that are not listed explicitly in the thesaurus)

10. 10 Preferred Terms n Control form of the term Spelling, grammatical form Theatre / Theater MLA / Modern language association n Choose preferred term between synonyms Brain cancer or Brain Neoplasms?

11. 11 Common thesaural identifiers n SN Scope Note –Instruction, e.g. don’t invert phrases n USE Use (another term in preference to this one) n UF Used For n BT Broader Term n NT Narrower Term n RT Related Term

12. 12 Semantic Relationships n Hierarchy n Equivalence n Association

13. 13 Hierarchies of Meaning ‘Glass’ ‘Beer Glass’ ‘Wine Glass’ ‘Red wine glass’ ‘White wine glass’ From: Controlled Vocabularies/ Paul Miller Interoperability Focus UKOLN

14. 14 Hierarchy n Level of generality – both preferred terms n BT (broader term) –Robins BT Birds n NT (narrower term) –Birds NT Robins –Inheritance, very specific rules

15. 15 Equivalence n When two or more terms represent the same concept n One is the preferred term (descriptor), where all the information is collected n The other is the non-preferred and helps the user to find the appropriate term

16. 16 Equivalence n Non-preferred term USE Preferred term –Nuclear Power USE Nuclear Energy –Periodicals USE Serials n Preferred term UF (used for) Non-preferred term –Nuclear Energy UF Nuclear Power –Serials UF Periodicals

17. 17 Association n One preferred term is related to another preferred term n Non-hierarchical n “See also” function n In any large thesaurus, a significant umber of terms will mean similar things or cover related areas, without necessarily being synonyms or fitting into a defined hierarchy

18. 18 Association n Related Terms (RT) can be used to show these links within the thesaurus –Bed RT Bedding –Paint Brushes RT Painting –Vandalism RT Hostility –Programming RT Software

19. 19 Thesauri Guides n National Information Standards Organization. (1993). Guidelines for the construction, format, and management of monolingual thesauri. ANSI/NISO Z39.19-1993. Bethesda, MD: NISO Press.[SILS reference Z695.N36 1994 or http://www.niso.org/standards/resources/z39- 19.pdf] http://www.niso.org/standards/resources/z39- 19.pdf n Aitchison, Jean & Gilchirist, Alan. Thesaurus Construction: A Practical Guide. 3 rd ed. London: Aslib, 1997. n Willpower Information Management Consultants http://www.willpower.demon.co.uk/thesprin.htm http://www.willpower.demon.co.uk/thesprin.htm

20. 20 Thesauri Directory n Indexing Resources on the WWW –http://www.slais.ubc.ca/resources/indexing/databa se1.htmhttp://www.slais.ubc.ca/resources/indexing/databa se1.htm –-- explore ASIST Thesaurus n Controlled vocabularies –http://sky.fit.qut.edu.au/~middletm//cont_voc.htmlhttp://sky.fit.qut.edu.au/~middletm//cont_voc.html n Web Compendium –http://www.darmstadt.gmd.de/~lutes/thesauri.htmlhttp://www.darmstadt.gmd.de/~lutes/thesauri.html

21. 21 n Thesauri/Keywords n Created according to standards n Z39.19 (Ansi) n Single term concepts/postcoordination  “Wireless network” & “home computer”  “Terrorism” “Attacks” & “United States” n More popular in the online environment n Lend to recall n Lend to multilingual environment n Subject Heading Lists n Rules and guidelines n “Thesaurification” n multi-word concepts/pre- coordination  “Wireless home computer network”  $y Terrorism attacks $z United States n STRINGS n Lend to precision