Essential Thesaurus Construction

Citation

Trickey, K.V. (2007), "Essential Thesaurus Construction", New Library World, Vol. 108 No. 3/4, pp. 190-191. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074800710735401

Having found Vanda's book on classification a delight (Broughton, 2004), it was with a certain excitement I approached this volume, and was not disappointed. There has been a requirement for a number of years for a solidly based “how to” book about thesaurus construction and Vanda has provided it. This is another “Essential” cataloguing book from Facet and serves to strengthen the excellent range of titles already produced. Aitchison's classic work on the topic (Aitchinson et al., 2000) had become more patrician/academic and less artisan over recent editions, and will work nicely as a reference volume to Vanda's more practical approach to the topic.

The book shares common formatting conventions with other “Essential” volumes having clear section summaries at appropriate points in the chapter or at the end of the chapter. Vanda takes us securely through all the activities associated with thesaurus construction with copious examples and illustrations to keep us securely on our way. The chapters are of appropriate length to allow for the development of the subject to hand, this provides natural breaks to think through the content covered before progressing further. Vanda also provides a helpfully rigorous glossary (pp. 208‐225) and a useful index (pp. 281‐296).

The first seven chapters provide a background to thesaurus and thesaurus use and indeed why to bother using a thesaurus. We then get the first of eight chapters on building a thesaurus. These chapters are appropriately interspersed with chapters on vocabulary control and thesaural relationships, so that your progress through the topic is secure.

The majority of space in the appendices is taken up with the various stages in the evolution of the worked example on animal welfare that provides the worked examples through the text. Initially I was concerned that such a large example was being used. I need not have bothered, this book is designed for practitioners who will have to struggle with equivalent (and larger) word hoards and require detailed guidance on how to proceed. The dexterity with which Vanda wrestles her unruly topic into thesaural order will provide comfort to fellow thesaurus builders.

Despite having a “hard core” faceted classification background Vanada is very generous in the way she deals with the variety of life forms that present themselves under the term “thesaurus” and steers a secure path towards thesaurus construction based on strict subject analysis rather than the slightly random association of terminology. It is in the rigour of the exposition on the preparatory steps to gathering and sorting terminology that the real strength of this work lies – we arrive at thesaural relationships (BT, NT, RT, etc.) just past half way through the text. The centrality of a classification or taxonomy as a means of articulating the relationships between terminology is vital and eloquently demonstrates the advantages of this approach to thesaurus building.

Some people will express discontent that little space (part of one chapter) is dedicated to thesaurus software. The author's intention is to develop the practical principles involved, the majority of which do not currently involve high tech software which serves to articulate the relationships once they are established. Also software is transitory, upgrading and reconfiguring with indecent haste, rendering the information out of date on printing. The great thing about basic procedures is they endure. I think the balance is appropriate.

As the thesaurus and various less rigorous variants are being constructed by a range of information workers who have little knowledge of librarianship, never mind the dark arts of cataloguing the requirement for a quality guide to the uninitiated had become more urgent.

Vanda has provided a very useful work that will enable any reader who is prepared to follow her instruction to produce a thesaurus that will be a quality language‐based subject access tool that will make the task of information retrieval easier and more effective. Once again I express my gratitude to Vanda for producing another excellent book.