Toward an International Sharing and Use of Subject Authority Data

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Toward an International Sharing and Use of
Subject Authority Data

• Marcia Lei Zeng
• Athena Salaba
• Kent State University

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Outline

• Background information
• Current State
• Authority Data
• Sharing Authority Data

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1. Background1.1 Subject access

• Seeking information on a topic is still the
  predominant user task
• Subject access includes
• Subject searching
• Keyword searching
• Subject browsing
• It is still very problematic for the majority of
  searchers

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1.2 Functions of a catalog regarding subject
access (1)

• Cutter (1897)
• To find a book if the subject is known
• To show what a library has on a given subject
  (collocate)
• To assist in the choice as to its character
  (identify)

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1.2 Functions of a catalog regarding subject
access (2)

• FRBR (1998)
• To find entities of Group 1 that have entities
  from Group 1, 2, 3 as their subject
• To identify
• To select
• To obtain

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1.3 What is a subject?
FRBR Functional Requirements for Bibliographic
Records

• Group 1
• Work
• Expression
• Manifestation
• Item
• Group 2
• Persons
• Families
• Corporate bodies

• Group 3
• Concepts
• Objects
• Place
• Event

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Revisiting Group 3?

• Time
• Process
• Event is a combination of place and time
• Concrete vs. abstract concept
• Ranganathan
• Personality
• Matter
• Energy
• Space
• Time

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2. Current StateSubject Authority Data

• 2.1 Structure (heterogeneous)
• 2.2 Existing Knowledge Organization
  Systems/Structures/Schemas (KOS)
• 2.3 Rules and guidelines
• 2.4 Communication/Encoding

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2.1 Structures
Ontologies
Semantic networksThesauri
Relationship Groups
Strongly-structured
Classification schemes TaxonomiesCategori
zation schemes
Classification Categorization
Subject Headings
Synonym RingsAuthority FilesGlossaries/Dictionar
iesGazetteers
Weakly-structured
Term Lists
Pick lists
Natural language
Controlled language
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Structures Coordination

• Pre-coordination .. Post-coordination
• e.g. subject headings e.g. thesauri
• - LCSH - AAT, INSPEC
• MeSH FAST
• UMLS

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2.2 Existing KOS (1)

• Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
• Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
• ERIC Thesaurus (ERIC)
• Inspec Thesaurus
• Inspec Classification
• Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
• Library of Congress Classification (LCC)
• Universal Decimal Classification (UDC)
• HEREIN Thesaurus
• Alexandria Digital Library (ADL) Gazetteer and
  Thesaurus
• Schlagwortnormdatei (SWD)
• Regenburger Verbund Klassifikation (RVK)
• RAMEAU repertoire d'authorite de matieres
  encyclopedique unifie
• Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)
• National Agriculture Library Subject Headings

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2.2 Existing KOS (2)

• Verbal based
• AAT
• LCSH
• RAMEU
• INSPEC Thesaurus
• MeSH
• Code based
• UDC
• RVK
• DDC
• LCC
• Integrated
• INSPEC
• MeSH Hierarchy

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2.3 Rules of KOS Construction

• Different rules and guidelines
• AACR2, Z39.19, RAK (Regeln für die alphabetische
  Katalogisierung), ISO5964, ISO2788, IFLA
  Principles UnderlyingSubject Heading Languages
  (SHLs)
• No rules
• Indirect/Inherent use of rules (by example)

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2.4 Communication/Encoding for authority data

• MARC
• MARC21 (1xx, 2xx, etc.)
• UNIMARC (1xx, 2xx, etc. different definition)
• etc.
• Guidelines for Authority Records and References
  (GARR) (gt, lt, gtgt, ltlt)
• NISO Z39.19 (BT, NT, RT, etc.)
• XML-based OWL Web Ontology Language, RDF Schema,
  Voc-ML, etc.

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3. Authority Data3.1 Use of authority data

• Direct use of authority data
• Index
• Identify/Verify
• Search Browse the authority data
• Indirect use of authority data
• Searching bibliographic file
• Browsing bibliographic file

• Users
• Information professionals
• Searcher/end-user

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3.2 Common Authority Data

• Authorized/established term
• Variations
• Related terms
• Notes
• Linked/Parallel terms
• Numbering, International numbering?
• Other language, rules, links to external
  resources, roles, etc.

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Do we need one authorized term?

• Keep USER in mind!
• Preference, language, script
• Trends all are preferred
• Synonym rings (included in NISO Z39.19 now)

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3.3 Common Semantic Relationships in Authority
Data

• Need for other types of relationships?
• ADL, such as
• Overlap administrativePartOf SubFeatureOf
• UMLS, such as
• Like Parent Child Sibling
• WordNet, such as
• Familiarity derivationally related

• Semantic relationships
• Broad categories
• Equivalence (Use, Used For, UF, See)
• Hierarchical (BT, NT, see also)
• Associative (RT, see also)
• More specific relationships, such as
• Is part of
• Is instance of
• Agent/process
• Process/product

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Unanswered Question

• What authority data currently exist in an
  authority record? orWhat authority data should
  be included in an authority record?

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4. Sharing Authority Data in a Global Environment

• 4.1. Challenges
• Structures
• Languages and scripts
• Rules
• Encoding

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4.2. Projects Specifically for Subject Authority
Data Sharing

• Construction (not to be discussed here)
• Implementation
• Projects based on different types of structures
• Projects involving multiple languages

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KOS Vocabularies
Bibliographic files
Authority files
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KOS Vocabularies
Bibliographic files
Authority files
KOS Vocabularies
Bibliographic files
Authority files
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Sharing at Vocabulary Level
KOS Vocabularies
adaptation, extension, extraction, translation,
etc.
KOS Vocabularies
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Sharing at Vocabulary Level
National database "Merimee" about the French
Heritage
KOS Vocabularies
The Thesaurus of Architecture (Le thésaurus de
l'architecture) was created and mapped to the Art
and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) and the English
Heritage Thesaurus (NMR)
1.Direct mapping
KOS Vocabularies
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Sharing at Vocabulary Level
KOS Vocabularies
2.Using a switching system
KOS Vocabularies
KOS Vocabularies
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Sharing at Vocabulary Level
UMLS Metathesaurus
KOS Vocabularies
Over 1,000,000 concepts and 4.3 million concept
names from more than 100 controlled vocabularies,
some in multiple languages
3.Creating a superstructure
KOS Vocabularies
KOS Vocabularies
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Sharing at Vocabulary Level
UCB Unfamiliar Metadata Vocabularies
KOS Vocabularies
Accepts query vocabularies and responds with a
ranked list of the systems entry vocabularies
which is an index to five controlled vocabularies.
4.Creating a superstructure (an index)
KOS Vocabularies
KOS Vocabularies
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Sharing at Vocabulary Level
KOS Vocabularies
5.Creating a superstructure (a virtual index)
KOS Vocabularies
KOS Vocabularies
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Sharing at Vocabulary Level
UCSB Alexandria Digital Library
KOS Vocabularies
The Thesaurus Protocol is based on the ANSI/NISO
(1993, R2003) Z39.19 thesaurus model and supports
downloading, querying, and navigating thesauri.
6. Linking through a thesaurus server protocol
KOS Vocabularies
KOS Vocabularies
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Sharing at Subject Authority File Level
KOS Vocabularies
Bibliographic files
Authority files
Direct Mapping
KOS Vocabularies
Bibliographic files
Authority files
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Direct Mapping -- MACS (Multilingual Access to
Subjects)
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LCSH AND MeSH MAPPING PROJECT SAMPLE AUTHORITY
RECORDS, Northwestern University Library
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KOS Vocabularies
Bibliographic files
Authority files
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So far,

• Functional Requirements for Authority Records
  (FRAR) Covers
• Names for persons, families, corporate bodies
  (Group 2)
• Titles (Group 1)
• Projects for Authority Data Sharing focus mainly
  on Names
• ONE Shared Authority Control (ONESAC, ppt)
• Virtual International Authority File (VIAF)
• Linking and Exploring Authority Files (LEAF)
• Hong Kong Chinese Authority (Name) (HKCAN)

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FRSAR Functional Requirements for Subject
Authority Data

• Scope
• focus on FRBRs Group 3 entities
• FRSAR Working Group
• contact Marcia Zeng mzeng_at_kent.edu
• Maja Zumer
• Athena Salaba asalaba_at_kent.edu

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FRSAR terms of reference

• build a conceptual model of Group 3 entities
  within the FRBR framework (Entities in Group 1
  and Group 2 can be used as the subjects of works
  but further inclusion of them will depend on the
  outcomes of the work of the FRANAR Working
  Group)
• provide a clearly defined, structured frame of
  reference for relating the data that are recorded
  in subject authority records to the needs of the
  users of those records and
• assist in an assessment of the potential for
  international sharing and use of subject
  authority data both within the library sector and
  beyond.