In their text, SubjectAnalysis in Online Catalogs, Aluri, Kemp, and Boll examine the nature and application of subject heading systems, bibliographic classification, and indexing techniques in the context of online subject retrieval. As the title suggests, chapters devoted to subject analysis topics form the core of the work. Also included are chapters on user needs, although treatment of this topic is scant; user-system interaction; and evaluation methods.
The well-organized text includes an early chapter (chapter 2) on the MARC format with special emphasis on the subject bearing fields found in MARC records. Next, the role of language in information retrieval is considered. The semantic and syntactic relationships among terms are discussed in the contexts of controlled and uncontrolled vocabularies and pre-and postcoordination of index terms. Two useful figures are provided. In the first, subject indexing systems are categorized with respect to level of vocabulary control (controlled, semicontrolled, uncontrolled), type of system (classification, alphabetical, and keyword), and availability of authority tools. These same systems are then grouped based on the requirements for precoordination of terms at the time of indexing and suitability for postcoordinating terms during the retrieval process.
Chapter 4 is devoted to the quality of indexing. The concepts of indexing accuracy, consistency, exhaustivity, and specificity are explained using numerous examples of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). LCSH and MeSH are evaluated and compared (chapter 5), with concentration on LCSH. The concepts of keyword indexing and citation indexing are introduced in chapter 6. The advantages and disadvantages of keyword access are enumerated.
Chapters 7 and 8 are focused on bibliographic classification and contain the most in-depth treatment of any single topic in the book. The initial chapter includes a discussion of the purposes of classification with examples of its use in both manual and automated systems. The differences between enumerative and synthetic schemes are presented next, with the help of ongoing examples. Chapter 8 is devoted to a detailed discussion of the challenges and potential payoff of effectively incorporating Dewey Decimal Classification and Library of Congress Classification into online subject retrieval systems.
In the remainder of the text, the authors shift their attention from subject analysis to the users of and software and hardware of online catalogs.
This well-written book provides library school students and library staff ready access to the essential factors to be considered when designing, implementing, and evaluating subject access components of online catalogs. Although individual chapters vary in the depth of coverage, each provides a useful introduction to its topic that is supplemented by a current reference list.