Offers illustrations of anomalies and prejudices found in common information retrieval tools: "LC Subject Headings" (9th edition), "Dewey Decimal Classification" (19th edition), "Universal Decimal Classification" (3rd abridged edition). Index terms in areas of sexual bias, social strata, politics, knowledge, customs,…

Directed toward the eradication of sexual and racial bias in bibliographic systems, the subcommittee reports its progress in the identification of areas of classification systems and subject headings requiring change. A policy statement and six guidelines establish a framework for three categories of projects: (1) the need for changes in Library…

Examines the structure and principles of various hierarchical guides, or hotlists, which attempt to give subject access to World Wide Web resources on the Internet. The lists are compared to classification schemes and to Library of Congress subject headings, and browsing and search engines are compared. (Author/LRW)

Presents overview of library classification and automation (1940-84), including use of Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress classification in online cataloging systems. Highlights include classification number access in existing online catalogs, functions of classification records, specifications for authority file records, and the nature of…

Describes LASH (project for a list of Australian subject headings) through its development and demise. (RAO)

This paper examines how the nature of the World Wide Web and characteristics of networked resources affect subject access and analyzes the requirements of effective indexing and retrieval tools. The current and potential uses of existing tools and possible courses of future development are explored in the context of recent research. The first…

Demonstrates application to art literature of indexing system which involves conceptual analysis of content and characteristics of documents using descriptors assigned to facets of the discipline and its literature. Indexing vocabulary and syntax, alphabetical and classified indexes, and exhaustivity of indexing are discussed. Sample indexes and…

Describes a system of subject indexing developed by Julius Kaiser (1868-1927) which is based on "concretes" and "processes" to govern the form of subject headings and subdivisions. Elements of amplification, guides for the subject index, and criticism of Kaiser's systematic indexing are noted. Five sources are given. (EJS)

This paper describes an experiment in the use of Dewey Decimal Classification in online catalogs to introduce classed approach to subject searching of library collections, enhance subject terminology indexed in online catalog, and provide possibilities for search strategies not possible through alphabetical approach of subject headings and/or…

Designed for use with a computer-produced subject index, PRECIS assigns clerical procedures in subject heading work to computer programs. The subject headings represent a unique combination of several different characteristics, permitting several coextensive forms of a subject name for each work. Final choice amongst alternatives is made by the…

Explains seven types of subject descriptions commonly used in databases--hierarchical classification, category codes, subject headings, descriptors, faceted classification, post-controlled vocabulary, and natural language--and describes specific search techniques for taking advantage of the strengths of particular types of vocabularies. An overall…

This report describes the methods, developed by the American Institute of Physics in cooperation with Engineering Index, Inc., by which both organizations could reduce costs by eliminating duplication of keyboarding and indexing. The three sets of problems that confronted the interchange of their data bases (classification and indexing, formats,…

Discusses the advantages of vertical file collections for nonconventional literature, and describes the classification scheme used for fugitive literature by the Acid Rain Information Clearinghouse at the Center for Environmental Information. An annotated list of organizations and examples of titles they offer is provided. (8 notes with…

Discussion of precision in information retrieval highlights a prototype online catalog, ILSA (Improving Library Subject Access), developed at Indiana University of Pennsylvania that uses subject clusters and classification. Topics addressed include problems with keyword searching, controlled vocabulary, and thesauri; natural language mapping…

As most librarians have probably realized by the paucity of articles in the library literature concerning the "Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, Second Edition, 1988 Revision" (Chicago: American Library Association, 1988), no revolutionary changes have been introduced in the 1988 revision in direct contrast to the situation with the…