LIS 415:8

Topic Areas: Controlled vocabularies are presented as the best means for providing verbal subject access to information resources. Includes controlled vocabulary theory, thesaurus construction, applying controlled vocabularies such as LCSH and AAT .

Learning Objectives:

Compare and contrast various theories relating to the use of controlled vocabularies for subject description of resources.
Construct a basic thesaurus, employing theasaural relationships and demonstrating how and why they are built and used.
Apply knowledge gained about subject analysis and thesaurus construction.
Navigate and apply subject terminology from the AAT and other thesauri to information resources.
Navigate and choose basic LCSH for information resources.

Guiding Questions:

What are the issues and/or problems involved in establishing vocabulary terms?
How is subject content expressed verbally in metadata records?
Why is a controlled vocabulary important?
What is the significance of literary warrant, specific entry, and coextensive entry?
How are controlled vocabularies structured?
What advantages do natural language terms have over controlled vocabulary?
How can natural language and controlled vocabulary be used together advantageously?

Required Readings

Week 1

Joudrey & Taylor, The Organization of Information, Chapter 10

Badke, "The Treachery of Keywords"

Beall, "The Weaknesses of Full-Text Searching"

Week 2

FAST Policy Outreach Committee, "FAST Quick Start Guide"

Gross and Taylor, "What Have We Got to Lose?"

Kornegay, Buchanan, and Morgan, Magic Search, (link to e-book) "Introduction" up to p. 13 (or more!)

Young, "Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)" from Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences [in Moodle]

Week 3

Berman, Prejudices and Antipathies (link to e-book)
Please read the introduction, and then skim through other parts of the book (read as much as you like)

Hobart, "Antiracism in the Catalog"

Bullard, et. al, "Misrepresentation in the Surrogate: Author Critiques of "Indians of North America" Subject Headings"

Trans Metadata Collective, "Metadata Best Practices for Trans and Gender Diverse Resources" [skim section 3.1]

Relevant Articles from The Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences

Anderson and Perez-Carballo, "Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)"

Baca, "Controlled Vocabularies for Art, Architecture, and Material Culture"

Bruijn and Fensel, "Ontologies and Their Definition"

Childress and Vizine-Goetz, "FAST"

Furner, "Folksonomies"

Hodges and Chan, "Subject Cataloging Principles and Systems"

Poo and Khoo, "Online Catalog Subject Searching"

Young, "Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms (LCGFT)"