Presentation — Mapping the library future: Subject navigation for today’s and tomorrow’s library catalogs
Mapping the library future: Subject navigation for today’s and tomorrow’s library catalogs (PDF; 2.2 MB)
Take-away points
- LC Subject Headings form a rich basis for discovery, crippled by poor discovery tools, slow evolution
- A deep ontology with many detailed terms and relationships
- Network of concepts not captured by keywords or facets alone
- Subject maps enable better subject browsing with ontologies like LCSH
- Multi-dimensional browsing, highlighting relevant connections
- May also make it easier to maintain, evolve big, messy subject ontologies
- Build on legacy data, but accommodate new collecting practices
- Both large (research library) & small (special collection) scales=
- With ordinary web browsers, servers,and ILS, and without expensive proprietary software
- Can work well with facet browsing, tagging
- We can build on library strengths and Web innovations, to better connect our users with the resources they need
Source: John Mark Ockerbloom, ALA Midwinter Meeting. Philadelphia, January 2008