Search results

The technique of reconciling two Of more thesauri is explained and demonstrated with examples from two actual thesauri which are currently being reconciled to form an international co‐operative indexing system in the field of building science. Reconciliation results in the addition of code numbers to the keywords in each thesaurus and the insertion of additional ‘USE’ references, which enable any material indexed with the keywords of one thesaurus to be incorporated in the indexing system based on the other thesaurus without re‐indexing. The original thesauri can continue to be used locally as they were before reconciliation, since the keywords themselves remain unchanged and none are added or deleted. The reconciliation process is independent of thesaurus structure.

The thesaurus module of the BookshelF automated system is described briefly. The results are reported of a research survey into the operation of this module. A questionnaire returned by 23 institutions was analysed. Three broad areas of operation are discussed: use of the thesaurus, practices relating to term selection and the value and problems of the module. The results indicate a variety of approaches to using a thesaurus and outline common problems encountered and possible solutions. It is concluded that the module is not being fully utilised or problems satisfactorily resolved.

With the growing recognition that thesauri aid information retrieval, organisations are beginning to adopt, and in many cases, create thesauri. This paper offers some guidance on the construction process.

An opinion piece with a practical focus, based on recent experiences gleaned from consultancy work.

A number of steps can be taken to ensure any thesaurus under construction is fit for purpose. Due consideration is therefore given to aspects such as term selection, structure and notation, thesauri standards, software and Web display issues, thesauri evaluation and maintenance. This paper also notes that creating new subject schemes from scratch, however attractive, contributes to the plethora of terminologies currently in existence and can limit user searching within particular contexts. The decision to create a “new” thesaurus should therefore be taken carefully and observance of standards is paramount.

This paper offers advice to assist practitioners in the development of thesauri.

Useful guidance for those practitioners new to the area of thesaurus construction is provided, together with an overview of selected key processes involved in the construction of a thesaurus.

This article provides an overview of recent developments relating to the application of thesauri in information organisation and retrieval on the World Wide Web. It describes some recent thesaurus projects undertaken to facilitate resource description and discovery and access to wide‐ranging information resources on the Internet. Types of thesauri available on the Web, thesauri integrated in databases and information retrieval systems, and multiple‐thesaurus systems for cross‐database searching are also discussed. Collective efforts and events in addressing the standardisation and novel applications of thesauri are briefly reviewed.

A recent Aslib Research Department Project which investigated problems relating to the construction of thesauri for indexing and retrieval ended with two publications, to be published shortly by Aslib. During the project, extensive use was made of the thesauri held in the Aslib Library, and information about them was tabulated. Information concerning openly available thesauri is displayed below.

The Disabled Living Foundation (DLF) is a national charity providing information on daily living equipment for disabled people. In 1984 a computerisation project began. One problem addressed has been the subject retrieval of information. This has involved the assessment of classification and thesaurus schemes. The DLF has developed a thesaurus to satisfy local needs and language, while remaining aware of existing classifications and thesauri in the same or proximate subject fields. Such schemes include for example, the Nordic Classification of Technical Aids for Disabled People, BSI ROOT Thesaurus, DHSS DATA thesaurus. The DLF thesaurus has been developed under considerable pressure but has attempted to respond to theory in the field as well as practical requirements. It is the result of both librarianship skills and the detailed occupational therapy and physiotherapy subject knowledge of the DLF information officers. This article sets the DLF thesaurus in context.

The feasibility is examined of devising a scheme for operating a joint keyword system in a given subject area using several independently compiled thesauri. It is suggested that if the individual keywords of each participating thesaurus represent identifiable concepts, and these concepts are given unique code numbers, then the code numbers enable the keywords of any participating thesaurus to be converted into the appropriate keywords of any other participant. Incompatibilities between keyword systems arise from differences in the selection and form of keywords. Eleven types of incompatibility are identified and a method of reconciliation is proposed for each. The types of incompatibility that can arise in a single language include those that arise between one language and another, so that a multilingual joint system presents no additional problems.

The purpose of this paper is to explore query expansion via conceptual distance in thesaurus indexed collections

An extract of the National Museum of Science and Industry's collections database, indexed with the Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT), was the dataset for the research. The system architecture and algorithms for semantic closeness and the matching function are outlined. Standalone and web interfaces are described and formative qualitative user studies are discussed. One user session is discussed in detail, together with a scenario based on a related public inquiry. Findings are set in context of the literature on thesaurus‐based query expansion. This paper discusses the potential of query expansion techniques using the semantic relationships in a faceted thesaurus.

Thesaurus‐assisted retrieval systems have potential for multi‐concept descriptors, permitting very precise queries and indexing. However, indexer and searcher may differ in terminology judgments and there may not be any exactly matching results. The integration of semantic closeness in the matching function permits ranked results for multi‐concept queries in thesaurus‐indexed applications. An in‐memory representation of the thesaurus semantic network allows a combination of automatic and interactive control of expansion and control of expansion on individual query terms.

The application of semantic expansion to browsing may be useful in interface options where thesaurus structure is hidden.

This study explores how experts and novices in pedagogics expanded queries supported by the ERIC thesaurus, and how this was connected to the search effectiveness in an easy and a difficult search task. The expert group consisted of 15 undergraduates in pedagogy and the novice group of 15 students with no previous studies in this field. Their search logs were recorded and a pre‐ and post‐search interview was conducted. The results show that the number and type of terms selected from the thesaurus for expansion by experts improved search effectiveness, whereas there were no connections between the use of thesaurus and improvement of effectiveness among novices. The effectiveness of expansions varied between the facets of the queries. Thus, a vital condition for benefiting from a thesaurus in query expansion to improve search results is sufficient familiarity with the search topic. The results suggest also that it is not in the first place the number of terms used in expansion, but their type and quality that are crucial for search success.

This paper seeks to report an investigation into the ways in which end‐users perceive a thesaurus‐enhanced search interface, in particular thesaurus and search interface usability.

Thirty academic users, split between staff and postgraduate students, carrying out real search requests were observed during this study. Users were asked to comment on a range of thesaurus and interface characteristics including: ease of use, ease of learning, ease of browsing and navigation, problems and difficulties encountered while interacting with the system, and the effect of browsing on search term selection.

The results suggest that interface usability is a factor affecting thesaurus browsing/navigation and other information‐searching behaviours. Academic staff viewed the function of a thesaurus as being useful for narrowing down a search and providing alternative search terms, while postgraduates stressed the role of the thesaurus for broadening searches and providing new terms.

The paper provides an insight into the ways in which end‐users make use of and interact with a thesaurus‐enhanced search interface. This area is new since previous research has particularly focused on how professional searchers and librarians make use of thesauri and thesaurus‐enhanced search interfaces. The research reported here suggests that end‐users with varying levels of domain knowledge are able to use thesauri that are integrated into search interfaces. It also provides design implications for search interface developers as well as information professionals who are involved in teaching online searching.