OCLC Terminologies Service will map and connect knowledge organization schemes

By Carrie Benseler

OCLC is exploring a service that provides one-stop, online access to multiple knowledge organization schemes so that libraries, museums and archives can add related terminology to their collections. Using Microsoft Office 2003 and Internet Explorer, the service would be compatible with Web-based metadata editors, such as Connexion, CONTENTdm and others, and be available at no additional charge to OCLC Cataloging Services subscribers.

OCLC plans to implement the new service in June 2006 after running a series of pilots to gain insights into how to better serve user needs for a terminologies service. The pilot used a phased approach, making different vocabularies available at different times. The first pilot was for Connexion users and used four different thesauri: Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (dct) Type Vocabulary; Guidelines on Subject Access to Individual Works of Fiction, Drama, Etc. (gsafd); Medical Subject Headings (MeSH®); and Newspaper Genre List (ngl). Subsequent pilots further explored MeSH and Répertoire de vedettes-matière (rvm).

Here’s how it would work:

A drop-down menu in the metadata editor lets you choose a controlled vocabulary. Enter a term into the search box and the service returns a list of matching or related terms in its main window.

Access from one location to specialized vocabularies that target specific audiences and types of materials streamlines the cataloging workflow and allows users to retrieve more precise results. For example, a Library of Congress subject heading (lcsh) uses the common term “cancer” while the MeSH term is “neoplasm.” Without tagging records with multiple terms, users would not automatically retrieve the more precise search results.

During the pilot, OCLC conducted market research in the form of online surveys and/or phone interviews to solicit feedback from participants. Judith Dzierba, Cataloging and Archives Manager at the Library of Rush University Medical Center, was a pilot participant. “This service will delight many medical catalogers. I no longer have to open our own library catalog or the MeSH browser—all the resources I need are right there in the interface. It greatly reduces keystrokes and speeds up the cataloging process.”

For more information, vist pilot’s Web site.

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