subject

ANW training session in subject indexing: 

ANW training session in subject indexing www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Structure: 

Structure Introduction to indexing LCSH background and concepts subdivisions common errors Exercises Review (break) ANW choosing terms adding and linking terms www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Subject indexing: 

Subject indexing purpose of indexing thesaurus / controlled vocabulary syntagmatic / paradigmatic linking of concepts pre-coordinated / post-coordinated Abandoned mines—Wales—Flintshire--Designs and plans Coal mines Coal mining Mine maps [placename] granularity www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Thesaurus structure: 

Thesaurus structure BT Broad term Cats BT Mammals NT Narrow term Mammals NT Bats, Cats, Dogs UF Use For Sri Lanka UF Ceylon USE Use Ceylon USE Sri Lanka (also seen: PT Preferred Term NPT Non-Preferred Term) SA See Also Cross-references to related, similar, or often-confused terms Archaeology SA subdivision Antiquities under names of countries, cities, etc., and under individual ethnic groups, e.g. Egypt--Antiquities; Mayas--Antiquities SN Scope Note --Area Use as a topical subdivision under names of countries, cities, etc., for descriptions of the physical area of a place as well as for works on measurement of the area of a place. www.archivesnetworkwales.info

UKAT: 

UKAT http://www.ukat.org.uk/ Can be installed on CALM Structure derived from UNESCO Thesaurus Closed list (Candidate terms must be proposed) 19,698 terms: 6356 from UNESCO 13,342 submitted 324 rejected. Hierarchical (arranged into Microthesauri) Limited SN Includes topics, events Excludes most ‘Classes of One’ (corporate bodies, individuals) and all places Includes forms/genres (under ‘Information sources’) Some mapping from LCSH www.archivesnetworkwales.info

LCSH: 

LCSH Library of Congress Subject Headings 280,000 entries at last count Polyhierachical Synthetic (open-ended): new terms can be added locally by analogy If LCSH gives Turkish musicians, users can create Greek musicians, Italian musicians, as required www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Using LCSH : 

Using LCSH Reflects in-house practice in different departments since 1800s Some rationalisation has occurred, but: Inconsistency of treatment across subject areas Inconsistency of treatment within subject areas It is impossible to predict how any particular concept will be treated So check! www.archivesnetworkwales.info

LCSH documentation: 

LCSH documentation Library of Congress Authorities (free) http://authorities.loc.gov/ Classification Web (subscription) LCSH the book LCSH Free-Floating Subdivisions the book Library of Congress Rule Interpretations [of AACR2] Library of Congress Subject cataloguing manual: Subject Headings www.archivesnetworkwales.info

LCSH tools (free): 

LCSH tools (free) ANW: 11,000 LCSH subjects already (not all strictly conform) Archives Hub (from Archivists>Data Creation Guidelines>EAD 2002 Online Template-Add subject-Search LCSH) http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/lcsh/ www.archivesnetworkwales.info

LCSH structure: 

LCSH structure Each heading comprises the Main heading and subdivisions, separated by double dash – Some areas of knowledge are covered by Pattern Headings giving subdivisions as applied to one example Some subdivisions are fixed to a particular heading United States--History--1783-1815 Most are ‘free floating’ and can be used under any appropriate heading Sequence of subdivisions is usually fixed Some subdivisions cannot be used for some types of heading www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Issues for Wales: 

Issues for Wales US language/spellings Automobiles, Catalogs US concepts Arts festivals not Eisteddfodau Two different issues: correctness and expectedness ANW creates local variants for expectedness Wales is used for the place Welsh is used for the language and ethnic group Authors—Wales [by default implying English language] Authors, Welsh—Wales But also: English literature—Welsh authors ANW: Authors, Welsh language—Wales www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Subdivisions: 

Subdivisions Subjects (topical subdivisions) ($x) $a Wales -- $x Politics and government places ($z) $a Local government -- $z Wales -- $z Llantrisant (Rhondda Cynon Taff) form subdivisions ($v) $a Boots (Firm) --$v Archives date subdivisions ($y) $a Drama — $y 19th century www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Names and places: 

Names and places Create the name or place before the subject Use the AACR2-conforming form Include any qualifiers in brackets Places in LCSH : Subject--Big—Small (Qualifier if needed) (only two levels of place allowed) Or Small place (Big place, and qualifier if needed)--subdivision www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Order of subdivisions: 

Order of subdivisions Main issue: is geographical subdivision allowed for a Heading or Subdivision? (May Subd Geog) General order is: Heading—Topic—Geog—Geog--Date—Form Or Place—Topic—Date--Form For some headings, geog or date subdivision is not allowed For some topic subdivisions, geog subdivision is not allowed, in which case they follow the geo: Heading—Geog—Geog—Topic eg Societies, etc. Rule: topic subs follow the last MSG element in a term www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Form/genre: 

Form/genre Most form subdivisions ($v) are also available as main headings Some ‘forms’ are only available as main headings: Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.); Autograph albums Some ‘forms’ are tagged as topics ($x): $a Place-- $x Archival resources Some form subs are restricted: Records and correspondence for corporate bodies Correspondence for individuals www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Forms and topics: 

Forms and topics Some subdivisions can be used either as form or topic: $a Universities and colleges -- $x Archives (a collection of material on the subject of university archives) $a Universities and colleges -- $v Archives (a collection of university archives) www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Common errors: 

Common errors departure from form: Societies, etc. Societies and clubs Universities and colleges subheading tags especially $v and $x misuse of geographic subdivisions under corporate names or in wrong form jurisdictions old/new and places – use modern use of date subdivisions for wrong purposes (TGM) not checking SN (Archaeology—Wales ; Wales—Antiquities) Subheading $v Sermons: $a Davies, David -- $v Sermons means sermons about DD www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Exercises: 

Exercises www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Exercises: 

Exercises Cardiff Coarse Fishing Club records $aCoarse fishing—$x Societies, etc. --$vArchives--$z Cardiff (Wales) $zWales --$z Cardiff Societies, etc. is not MSG so comes after Cardiff Archives should come at end Bonus: Archives should not be used at all here since its use should be under bodies and types of bodies etc. $a Coarse fishing--$z Wales--$z Cardiff—$x Societies, etc. www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Exercises: 

Exercises Richard Llewellyn papers $a Coal mines and mining in literature--$a Wales Subject is Not Subd Geog Tag for Wales would in any case be $z $a Coal mines and mining in literature www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Exercises: 

Exercises Cardiganshire Liberals archive $a Cardiganshire (Wales)--$v Politics and government Use modern administrative areas so Ceredigion (Wales) Tag for Politics and government should be $x $a Ceredigion (Wales)--$x Politics and government $a Politicians--$v Correspondence --$z Wales -- $z Ceredigion Correspondence should come after Ceredigion $a Politicians--$z Wales -- $z Ceredigion --$v Correspondence www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Exercises: 

Exercises NCB (South Wales) archive $a Coal mining--$z Wales--$y 20th century Should be Coal mines and mining Bonus: should not use date for industries $a Coal mines and mining--$z Wales Cory Shipping Ltd papers $a Coal carrying vessels—$z Wales--$v Correspondence Should be Coal-carrying vessels Bonus: should not use Correspondence under vessels-should use Records and correspondence under corporate name or type of body or industry $a Coal-carrying vessels—$z Wales www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Exercises: 

Exercises Western Mail archive $a Newspapers-- $z Wales Newspapers is Not Subd Geog $a Newpapers and/or $a Wales--$x Newspapers $a Newspaper publishers--$z Wales Term is Newspaper publishing $a Newspaper publishing--$z Wales www.archivesnetworkwales.info

Slide24: 

www.archivesnetworkwales.info Review LCSH and UKAT - different structures LCSH heading plus subdivisions to bring out facets LCSH inconsistencies- need to check against documentation/ examples Can create new terms modelled on existing ones