Search (58 results, page 3 of 3)

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Abstract

This book provides a theoretical and practical explanation of the latest advancements in information retrieval and their application to existing systems. It takes a system approach, discussing all aspects of an IR system. The major difference between this book and the first edition is the addition to this text of descriptions of the automated indexing of multimedia dicuments, as items in information retrieval are now considered to be a combination of text along with graphics, audio, image and video data types. The growth of the Internet and the availability of enormous volumes of data in digital form have necessitated intense interest in techniques to assist the user in locating data

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Abstract

Classification is a crucial skill for all information workers involved in organizing collections, but it is a difficult concept to grasp - and is even more difficult to put into practice. Essential Classification offers full guidance an how to go about classifying a document from scratch. This much-needed text leads the novice classifier step by step through the basics of subject cataloguing, with an emphasis an practical document analysis and classification. It deals with fundamental questions of the purpose of classification in different situations, and the needs and expectations of end users. The novice is introduced to the ways in which document content can be assessed, and how this can best be expressed for translation into the language of specific indexing and classification systems. The characteristics of the major general schemes of classification are discussed, together with their suitability for different classification needs.

Footnote

Rez. in: KO 32(2005) no.1, S.47-49 (M. Hudon): "Vanda Broughton's Essential Classification is the most recent addition to a very small set of classification textbooks published over the past few years. The book's 21 chapters are based very closely an the cataloguing and classification module at the School of Library, Archive, and Information studies at University College, London. The author's main objective is clear: this is "first and foremost a book about how to classify. The emphasis throughout is an the activity of classification rather than the theory, the practical problems of the organization of collections, and the needs of the users" (p. 1). This is not a theoretical work, but a basic course in classification and classification scheme application. For this reviewer, who also teaches "Classification 101," this is also a fascinating peek into how a colleague organizes content and structures her course. "Classification is everywhere" (p. 1): the first sentence of this book is also one of the first statements in my own course, and Professor Broughton's metaphors - the supermarket, canned peas, flowers, etc. - are those that are used by our colleagues around the world. The combination of tone, writing style and content display are reader-friendly; they are in fact what make this book remarkable and what distinguishes it from more "formal" textbooks, such as The Organization of Information, the superb text written and recently updated (2004) by Professor Arlene Taylor (2nd ed. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2004). Reading Essential Classification, at times, feels like being in a classroom, facing a teacher who assures you that "you don't need to worry about this at this stage" (p. 104), and reassures you that, although you now speed a long time looking for things, "you will soon speed up when you get to know the scheme better" (p. 137). This teacher uses redundancy in a productive fashion, and she is not afraid to express her own opinions ("I think that if these concepts are helpful they may be used" (p. 245); "It's annoying that LCC doesn't provide clearer instructions, but if you keep your head and take them one step at a time [i.e. the tables] they're fairly straightforward" (p. 174)). Chapters 1 to 7 present the essential theoretical concepts relating to knowledge organization and to bibliographic classification. The author is adept at making and explaining distinctions: known-item retrieval versus subject retrieval, personal versus public/shared/official classification systems, scientific versus folk classification systems, object versus aspect classification systems, semantic versus syntactic relationships, and so on. Chapters 8 and 9 discuss the practice of classification, through content analysis and subject description. A short discussion of difficult subjects, namely the treatment of unique concepts (persons, places, etc.) as subjects seems a little advanced for a beginners' class.
In Chapter 10, "Controlled indexing languages," Professor Broughton states that a classification scheme is truly a language "since it permits communication and the exchange of information" (p. 89), a Statement with which this reviewer wholly agrees. Chapter 11, however, "Word-based approaches to retrieval," moves us to a different field altogether, offering only a narrow view of the whole world of controlled indexing languages such as thesauri, and presenting disconnected discussions of alphabetical filing, form and structure of subject headings, modern developments in alphabetical subject indexing, etc. Chapters 12 and 13 focus an the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), without even a passing reference to existing subject headings lists in other languages (French RAMEAU, German SWK, etc.). If it is not surprising to see a section on subject headings in a book on classification, the two subjects being taught together in most library schools, the location of this section in the middle of this particular book is more difficult to understand. Chapter 14 brings the reader back to classification, for a discussion of essentials of classification scheme application. The following five chapters present in turn each one of the three major and currently used bibliographic classification schemes, in order of increasing complexity and difficulty of application. The Library of Congress Classification (LCC), the easiest to use, is covered in chapters 15 and 16. The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) deserves only a one-chapter treatment (Chapter 17), while the functionalities of the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC), which Professor Broughton knows extremely well, are described in chapters 18 and 19. Chapter 20 is a general discussion of faceted classification, on par with the first seven chapters for its theoretical content. Chapter 21, an interesting last chapter on managing classification, addresses down-to-earth matters such as the cost of classification, the need for re-classification, advantages and disadvantages of using print versions or e-versions of classification schemes, choice of classification scheme, general versus special scheme. But although the questions are interesting, the chapter provides only a very general overview of what appropriate answers might be. To facilitate reading and learning, summaries are strategically located at various places in the text, and always before switching to a related subject. Professor Broughton's choice of examples is always interesting, and sometimes even entertaining (see for example "Inside out: A brief history of underwear" (p. 71)). With many examples, however, and particularly those that appear in the five chapters an classification scheme applications, the novice reader would have benefited from more detailed explanations. On page 221, for example, "The history and social influence of the potato" results in this analysis of concepts: Potato - Sociology, and in the UDC class number: 635.21:316. What happened to the "history" aspect? Some examples are not very convincing: in Animals RT Reproduction and Art RT Reproduction (p. 102), the associative relationship is not appropriate as it is used to distinguish homographs and would do nothing to help either the indexer or the user at the retrieval stage.
Essential Classification is also an exercise book. Indeed, it contains a number of practical exercises and activities in every chapter, along with suggested answers. Unfortunately, the answers are too often provided without the justifications and explanations that students would no doubt demand. The author has taken great care to explain all technical terms in her text, but formal definitions are also gathered in an extensive 172-term Glossary; appropriately, these terms appear in bold type the first time they are used in the text. A short, very short, annotated bibliography of standard classification textbooks and of manuals for the use of major classification schemes is provided. A detailed 11-page index completes the set of learning aids which will be useful to an audience of students in their effort to grasp the basic concepts of the theory and the practice of document classification in a traditional environment. Essential Classification is a fine textbook. However, this reviewer deplores the fact that it presents only a very "traditional" view of classification, without much reference to newer environments such as the Internet where classification also manifests itself in various forms. In Essential Classification, books are always used as examples, and we have to take the author's word that traditional classification practices and tools can also be applied to other types of documents and elsewhere than in the traditional library. Vanda Broughton writes, for example, that "Subject headings can't be used for physical arrangement" (p. 101), but this is not entirely true. Subject headings can be used for physical arrangement of vertical files, for example, with each folder bearing a simple or complex heading which is then used for internal organization. And if it is true that subject headings cannot be reproduced an the spine of [physical] books (p. 93), the situation is certainly different an the World Wide Web where subject headings as metadata can be most useful in ordering a collection of hot links. The emphasis is also an the traditional paperbased, rather than an the electronic version of classification schemes, with excellent justifications of course. The reality is, however, that supporting organizations (LC, OCLC, etc.) are now providing great quality services online, and that updates are now available only in an electronic format and not anymore on paper. E-based versions of classification schemes could be safely ignored in a theoretical text, but they have to be described and explained in a textbook published in 2005. One last comment: Professor Broughton tends to use the same term, "classification" to represent the process (as in classification is grouping) and the tool (as in constructing a classification, using a classification, etc.). Even in the Glossary where classification is first well-defined as a process, and classification scheme as "a set of classes ...", the definition of classification scheme continues: "the classification consists of a vocabulary (...) and syntax..." (p. 296-297). Such an ambiguous use of the term classification seems unfortunate and unnecessarily confusing in an otherwise very good basic textbook an categorization of concepts and subjects, document organization and subject representation."
Weitere Rez. in: ZfBB 53(2006) H.2, S.111-113 (W. Gödert)

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Abstract

LCSH are increasingly seen as 'the' English language controlled vocabulary, despite their lack of a theoretical foundation, and their evident US bias. In mapping exercises between national subject heading lists, and in exercises in digital resource organization and management, LCSH are often chosen because of the lack of any other widely accepted English language standard for subject cataloguing. It is therefore important that the basic nature of LCSH, their advantages, and their limitations, are well understood both by LIS practitioners and those in the wider information community. Information professionals who attended library school before 1995 - and many more recent library school graduates - are unlikely to have had a formal introduction to LCSH. Paraprofessionals who undertake cataloguing are similarly unlikely to have enjoyed an induction to the broad principles of LCSH. There is currently no compact guide to LCSH written from a UK viewpoint, and this eminently practical text fills that gap. It features topics including: background and history of LCSH; subject heading lists; structure and display in LCSH; form of entry; application of LCSH; document analysis; main headings; topical, geographical and free-floating sub-divisions; building compound headings; name headings; headings for literature, art, music, history and law; and, LCSH in the online environment. There is a strong emphasis throughout on worked examples and practical exercises in the application of the scheme, and a full glossary of terms is supplied. No prior knowledge or experience of subject cataloguing is assumed. This is an indispensable guide to LCSH for practitioners and students alike from a well-known and popular author.

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Footnote

Rez. in: KO 50(2003) no.1, S.45-46 (L.M. Given): "In her own preface to this work, the author notes her lifelong fascination with classification and order, as well as her more recent captivation with the Internet - a place of "chaos in need of organization" (xi). Sorting out the Web examines current efforts to organize the Web and is well-informed by the author's academic and professional expertise in information organization, information retrieval, and Web development. Although the book's level and tone are particularly relevant to a student audience (or others interested in Web-based subject access at an introductory level), it will also appeal to information professionals developing subject access systems across a range of information contexts. There are six chapters in the book, each describing and analyzing one core concept related to the organization of Web content. All topics are presented in a manner ideal for newcomers to the area, with clear definitions, examples, and visuals that illustrate the principles under discussion. The first chapter provides a brief introduction to developments in information technology, including an historical overview of information services, users' needs, and libraries' responses to the Internet. Chapter two introduces metadata, including core concepts and metadata formats. Throughout this chapter the author presents a number of figures that aptly illustrate the application of metadata in HTML, SGML, and MARC record environments, and the use of metadata tools (e.g., XML, RDF). Chapter three begins with an overview of classification theory and specific schemes, but the author devotes most of the discussion to the application of classification systems in the Web environment (e.g., Dewey, LCC, UDC). Web screen captures illustrate the use of these schemes for information sources posted to sites around the world. The chapter closes with a discussion of the future of classification; this is a particularly useful section as the author presents a listing of core journal and conference venues where new approaches to Web classification are explored. In chapter four, the author extends the discussion of classification to the use of controlled vocabularies. As in the first few chapters, the author first presents core background material, including reasons to use controlled vocabularies and the differences between preand post-coordinate indexing, and then discusses the application of specific vocabularies in the Web environment (e.g., Infomine's use of LCSH). The final section of the chapter explores failure in subject searching and the limitations of controlled vocabularies for the Web. Chapter five discusses one of the most common and fast-growing topics related to subject access an the Web: search engines. The author presents a clear definition of the term that encompasses classified search lists (e.g., Yahoo) and query-based engines (e.g., Alta Vista). In addition to historical background an the development of search engines, Schwartz also examines search service types, features, results, and system performance.
The chapter concludes with an appendix of search tips that even seasoned searchers will appreciate; these tips cover the complete search process, from preparation to the examination of results. Chapter six is appropriately entitled "Around the Corner," as it provides the reader with a glimpse of the future of subject access for the Web. Text mining, visualization, machine-aided indexing, and other topics are raised here to whet the reader's appetite for what is yet to come. As the author herself notes in these final pages, librarians will likely increase the depth of their collaboration with software engineers, knowledge managers and others outside of the traditional library community, and thereby push the boundaries of subject access for the digital world. This final chapter leaves this reviewer wanting a second volume of the book, one that might explore these additional topics, as they evolve over the coming years. One characteristic of any book that addresses trends related to the Internet is how quickly the text becomes dated. However, as the author herself asserts, there are core principles related to subject analysis that stand the test of time, leaving the reader with a text that may be generalized well beyond the publication date. In this, Schwartz's text is similar to other recent publications (e.g., Jakob Nielsen's Web Usability, also published in 2001) that acknowledge the mutability of the Web, and therefore discuss core principles and issues that may be applied as the medium itself evolves. This approach to the writing makes this a useful book for those teaching in the areas of subject analysis, information retrieval and Web development for possible consideration as a course text. Although the websites used here may need to be supplemented with more current examples in the classroom, the core content of the book will be relevant for many years to come. Although one might expect that any book taking subject access as its focus world, itself, be easy to navigate, this is not always the case. In this text, however, readers will be pleased to find that no small detail in content access has been spared. The subject Index is thorough and well-crafted, and the inclusion of an exhaustive author index is particularly useful for quick reference. In addition, the table of contents includes sub-themes for each chapter, and a complete table of figures is provided. While the use of colour figures world greatly enhance the text, all black-andwhite images are clear and sharp, a notable fact given that most of the figures are screen captures of websites or database entries. In addition, the inclusion of comprehensive reference lists at the close of each chapter makes this a highly readable text for students and instructors alike; each section of the book can stand as its own "expert review" of the topic at hand. In both content and structure this text is highly recommended. It certainly meets its intended goal of providing a timely introduction to the methods and problems of subject access in the Web environment, and does so in a way that is readable, interesting and engaging."

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Series

Books in library and information science

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Footnote

Rez. in. KO 29(2002) no.2, S.109 (M.P. Satija)

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Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 55(2004) no.2, S.178-179 (M.-Y. Kan): "In their latest book, Chowdhury and Chowdhury have written an introductory text an digital libraries, primarily targeting "students researching digital libraries as part of information and library science, as well as computer science, courses" (p. xiv). It is an ambitious work that surveys many of the broad topics in digital libraries (DL) while highlighting completed and ongoing DL research in many parts of the world. With the revamping of Library and Information Science (LIS) Curriculums to focus an information technology, many LIS schools are now teaching DL topics either as an independent course or as part of an existing one. Instructors of these courses have in many cases used supplementary texts and compeed readers from journals and conference materials, possibly because they feel that a suitable textbook has yet to be written. A solid, principal textbook for digital libraries is sorely needed to provide a critical, evaluative synthesis of DL literature. It is with this in mind that I believe Introduction to Digital Libraries was written. An introductory text an any Cross-disciplinary topic is bound to have conflicting limitations and expectations from its adherents who come from different backgrounds. This is the rase in the development of DL Curriculum, in which both LIS and computer science schools are actively involved. Compiling a useful secondary source in such Cross-disciplinary areas is challenging; it requires that jargon from each contributing field be carefully explained and respected, while providing thought-provoking material to broaden student perspectives. In my view, the book's breadth certainly encompasses the whole of what an introduction to DL needs, but it is hampered by a lack of focus from catering to such disparate needs. For example, LIS students will need to know which key aspects differentiate digital library metadata from traditional metadata while computer science students will need to learn the basics of vector spare and probabilistic information retrieval. However, the text does not give enough detail an either subject and thus even introductory students will need to go beyond the book and consult primary sources. In this respect, the book's 307 pages of content are too short to do justice to such a broad field of study.
This book covers all of the primary areas in the DL Curriculum as suggested by T. Saracevic and M. Dalbello's (2001) and A. Spink and C. Cool's (1999) D-Lib articles an DL education. In fact, the book's coverage is quite broad; it includes a Superset of recommended topics, offering a chapter an professional issues (recommended in Spink and Cool) as well as three chapters devoted to DL research. The book comes with a comprehensive list of references and an index, allowing readers to easily locate a specific topic or research project of interest. Each chapter also begins with a short outline of the chapter. As an additional plus, the book is quite heavily Cross-referenced, allowing easy navigation across topics. The only drawback with regard to supplementary materials is that it Lacks a glossary that world be a helpful reference to students needing a reference guide to DL terminology. The book's organization is well thought out and each chapter stands independently of the others, facilitating instruction by parts. While not officially delineated into three parts, the book's fifteen chapters are logically organized as such. Chapters 2 and 3 form the first part, which surveys various DLs and DL research initiatives. The second and core part of the book examines the workings of a DL along various dimensions, from its design to its eventual implementation and deployment. The third part brings together extended topics that relate to a deployed DL: its preservation, evaluation, and relationship to the larger social content. Chapter 1 defines digital libraries and discusses the scope of the materials covered in the book. The authors posit that the meaning of digital library is best explained by its sample characteristics rather than by definition, noting that it has largely been shaped by the melding of the research and information professions. This reveals two primary facets of the DL: an "emphasis an digital content" coming from an engineering and computer science perspective as well as an "emphasis an services" coming from library and information professionals (pp. 4-5). The book's organization mirrors this dichotomy, focusing an the core aspects of content in the earlier chapters and retuming to the service perspective in later chapters.
Chapter 2 examines the variety and breadth of DL implementations and collections through a well-balanced selection of 20 DLs. The authors make a useful classification of the various types of DLs into seven categories and give a brief synopsis of two or three examples from each category. These categories include historical, national, and university DLs, as well as DLs for special materials and research. Chapter 3 examines research efforts in digital libraries, concentrating an the three eLib initiatives in the UK and the two Digital Libraries Initiatives in the United States. The chapter also offers some details an joint research between the UK and the United States (the NSF/JISC jointly funded programs), Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. While both of these chapters do an admirable job of surveying the DL landscape, the breadth and variety of materials need to be encapsulated in a coherent summary that illustrates the commonality of their approaches and their key differences that have been driven by aspects of their collections and audience. Unfortunately, this summary aspect is lacking here and elsewhere in the book. Chapter 2 does an admirable job of DL selection that showcases the variety of existing DLs, but 1 feel that Chapter 3's selection of research projects could be improved. The chapter's emphasis is clearly an UK-based research, devoting nine pages to it compared to six for EU-funded projects. While this emphasis could be favorable for UK courses, it hampers the chances of the text's adoption in other courses internationally. Chapter 4 begins the core part of the book by examining the DL from a design perspective. As a well-designed DL encompasses various practical and theoretical considerations, the chapter introduces much of the concepts that are elaborated an in later chapters. The Kahn/Wilensky and Lagoze/Fielding architectures are summarized in bullet points, and specific aspects of these frameworks are elaborated on. These include the choice between a federated or centralized search architecture (referencing Virginia Tech's NDLTD and Waikato's Greenstone) and level of interoperability (discussing UNIMARC and metadata harvesting). Special attention is paid to hybrid library design, with references to UK projects. A useful summary of recommended standards for DL design concludes the chapter.
Chapters 5 through 9 discuss the basic facets of DL implementation and use. Chapter 5, entitled "Collection management," distinguishes collection management from collection development. The authors give source selection criteria, distilled from Clayton and Gorman. The text then discusses the characteristics of several digital sources, including CD-ROMs, electronic books, electronic journals, and databases, and elaborates an the distribution and pricing issues involved in each. However, the following chapter an digitization is quite disappointing; 1 feel that its discussion is shallow and short, and offers only a glimpse of the difficulties of this task. The chapter contains a listing of multimedia file formats, which is explained clearly, omitting technical jargon. However, it could be improved by including more details about each fonnat's optimal use. Chapter 7, "Information organization, " surveys several DLs and highlights their adaptation of traditional classification and cataloging techniques. The chapter continues with a brief introduction to metadata, by first defining it and then discussiog major standards: the Dublin Core, the Warwick Framework and EAD. A discussion of markup languages such as SGML, HTML, and XML rounds off the chapter. A more engaging chapter follows. Dealing with information access and user interfaces, it begins by examining information needs and the seeking process, with particular attention to the difficulties of translating search needs into an actual search query. Guidelines for user interface design are presented, distilled from recommendations from Shneiderman, Byrd, and Croft. Some research user interfaces are highlighted to hint at the future of information finding, and major features of browsing and searching interfaces are shown through case studies of a number of DLs. Chapter 9 gives a layman's introduction to the classic models of information retrieval, and is written to emphasize each model's usability and features; the mathematical foundations have entirely been dispensed with. Multimedia retrieval, Z39.50, and issues with OPAC integration are briefly sketched, but details an the approaches to these problems are omitted. A dissatisfying chapter an preservation begins the third part an deployed DLs, which itemizes several preservation projects but does not identify the key points of each project. This weakness is offset by two solid chapters an DL services and social, economic, and legal issues. Here, the writing style of the text is more effective in surveying the pertinent issues. Chowdhury and Chowdhury write, " The importance of [reference] services has grown over time with the introduction of new technologies and services in libraries" (p. 228), emphasizing the central role that reference services have in DLs, and go an to discuss both free and fee-based services, and those housed as part of libraries as well as commercial services. The chapter an social issues examines the digital divide and also gives examples of institutions working to undo the divide: "Blackwells is making all 600 of its journals freely available to institutions within the Russian Federation" (p. 252). Key points in cost-models of electronic publishing and intellectual property rights are also discussed. Chowdhury and Chowdhury mention that "there is no legal deposit law to force the creators of digital information to submit a copy of every work to one or more designated institutions" for preservation (p. 265).
Chapter 13 an DL evaluation merges criteria from traditional library evaluation with criteria from user interface design and information retrieval. Quantitative, macro-evaluation techniques are emphasized, and again, some DL evaluation projects and reports are illustrated. A very brief chapter an the role of librarians in the DL follows, emphasizing that traditional reference skills are paramount to the success of the digital librarian, but that he should also be savvy in Web page and user interface design. A final chapter an research trends in digital libraries seems a bit incoherent. It mentions many of the previous chapters' topics, and would possibly be better organized if written as summary sections and distributed among the other chapters. The book's breadth is quite expansive, touching an both fundamental and advanced topics necessary to a well-rounded DL education. As the book is thoroughly referenced to DL and DL-related research projects, it serves as a useful starting point for those interested in more in depth learning. However, this breadth is also a weakness. In my opinion, the sheer number of research projects and papers surveyed leaves the authors little space to critique and summarize key issues. Many of the case studies are presented as itemized lists and not used to exemplify specific points. I feel that an introductory text should exercise some editorial and evaluative rights to create structure and organization for the uninitiated. Case studies should be carefully Chosen to exemplify the specific issues and differences and strengths highlighted. It is lamentable that in many of the descriptions of research projects, the authors tend to give more historical and funding Background than is necessary and miss out an giving a synthesis of the pertinent details.
Another weakness of the book is its favoritism towards the authors' own works. To a large extent, this bias is natural as the authors know their own works best. However, in an introductory text, it is critical to reference the most appropriate source and give a balanced view of the field. In this respect, 1 feel the book could be more objective in its selection of references and research projects. Introduction to Digital Libraries is definitely a book written for a purpose. LIS undergraduates and "practicing professionals who need to know about recent developments in the field of digital libraries" (p. xiv) will find this book a fine introduction, as it is clearly written and accessible to laymen, giving explanations without delving into terminology and math. As it surveys a large number of projects, it is also an ideal starting point for students to pick and investigate particular DL research projects. However, graduate LIS students who already have a solid understanding of library fundamentals as well as Computer science students may find this volume lacking in details. Alternative texts such as Lesk (1999) and Arms (2000) are possibly more suitable for those who need to investigate topics in depth. For the experienced practitioner or researcher delving into the DL field for the first time, the recent 2002 ARIST chapter by Fox and Urs may also be a suitable alternative. In their introduction, the authors ask, "What are digital libraries? How do they differ from online databases and search services? Will they replace print libraries? What impact will they have an people and the society?" (p. 3). To answer these questions, Chowdhury and Chowdhury offer a multitude of case studies to let the audience draw their own conclusions. To this end, it is my opinion that Introduction to Digital Libraries serves a useful purpose as a supplemental text in the digital library Curriculum but misses the mark of being an authoritative textbook."

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Abstract

The development of the Semantic Web, with machine-readable content, has the potential to revolutionise the World Wide Web and its use. A Semantic Web Primer provides an introduction and guide to this emerging field, describing its key ideas, languages and technologies. Suitable for use as a textbook or for self-study by professionals, it concentrates on undergraduate-level fundamental concepts and techniques that will enable readers to proceed with building applications on their own. It includes exercises, project descriptions and annotated references to relevant online materials. A Semantic Web Primer is the only available book on the Semantic Web to include a systematic treatment of the different languages (XML, RDF, OWL and rules) and technologies (explicit metadata, ontologies and logic and interference) that are central to Semantic Web development. The book also examines such crucial related topics as ontology engineering and application scenarios. After an introductory chapter, topics covered in succeeding chapters include XML and related technologies that support semantic interoperability; RDF and RDF Schema, the standard data model for machine-processable semantics; and OWL, the W3C-approved standard for a Web ontology language more extensive than RDF Schema; rules, both monotonic and nonmonotonic, in the framework of the Semantic Web; selected application domains and how the Semantic Web would benefit them; the development of ontology-based systems; and current debates on key issues and predictions for the future.

Footnote

Rez. in: JASIST 57(2006) no.8, S.1132-1133 (H. Che): "The World Wide Web has been the main source of an important shift in the way people communicate with each other, get information, and conduct business. However, most of the current Web content is only suitable for human consumption. The main obstacle to providing better quality of service is that the meaning of Web content is not machine-accessible. The "Semantic Web" is envisioned by Tim Berners-Lee as a logical extension to the current Web that enables explicit representations of term meaning. It aims to bring the Web to its full potential via the exploration of these machine-processable metadata. To fulfill this, it pros ides some meta languages like RDF, OWL, DAML+OIL, and SHOE for expressing knowledge that has clear, unambiguous meanings. The first steps in searing the Semantic Web into the current Web are successfully underway. In the forthcoming years, these efforts still remain highly focused in the research and development community. In the next phase, the Semantic Web will respond more intelligently to user queries. The first chapter gets started with an excellent introduction to the Semantic Web vision. At first, today's Web is introduced, and problems with some current applications like search engines are also covered. Subsequently, knowledge management. business-to-consumer electronic commerce, business-to-business electronic commerce, and personal agents are used as examples to show the potential requirements for the Semantic Web. Next comes the brief description of the underpinning technologies, including metadata, ontology, logic, and agent. The differences between the Semantic Web and Artificial Intelligence are also discussed in a later subsection. In section 1.4, the famous "laser-cake" diagram is given to show a layered view of the Semantic Web. From chapter 2, the book starts addressing some of the most important technologies for constructing the Semantic Web. In chapter 2, the authors discuss XML and its related technologies such as namespaces, XPath, and XSLT. XML is a simple, very flexible text format which is often used for the exchange of a wide variety of data on the Web and elsewhere. The W3C has defined various languages on top of XML, such as RDF. Although this chapter is very well planned and written, many details are not included because of the extensiveness of the XML technologies. Many other books on XML provide more comprehensive coverage.
The next chapter introduces resource description framework (RDF) and RDF schema (RDFS). Unlike XML, RDF provides a foundation for expressing the semantics of dada: it is a standard dada model for machine-processable semantics. Resource description framework schema offers a number of modeling primitives for organizing RDF vocabularies in typed hierarchies. In addition to RDF and RDFS, a query language for RDF, i.e. RQL. is introduced. This chapter and the next chapter are two of the most important chapters in the book. Chapter 4 presents another language called Web Ontology Language (OWL). Because RDFS is quite primitive as a modeling language for the Web, more powerful languages are needed. A richer language. DAML+OIL, is thus proposed as a joint endeavor of the United States and Europe. OWL takes DAML+OIL as the starting point, and aims to be the standardized and broadly accepted ontology language. At the beginning of the chapter, the nontrivial relation with RDF/RDFS is discussed. Then the authors describe the various language elements of OWL in some detail. Moreover, Appendix A contains an abstract OWL syntax. which compresses OWL and makes OWL much easier to read. Chapter 5 covers both monotonic and nonmonotonic rules. Whereas the previous chapter's mainly concentrate on specializations of knowledge representation, this chapter depicts the foundation of knowledge representation and inference. Two examples are also givwn to explain monotonic and non-monotonic rules, respectively. "To get the most out of the chapter. readers had better gain a thorough understanding of predicate logic first. Chapter 6 presents several realistic application scenarios to which the Semantic Web technology can be applied. including horizontal information products at Elsevier, data integration at Audi, skill finding at Swiss Life, a think tank portal at EnerSearch, e-learning. Web services, multimedia collection indexing, online procurement, raid device interoperability. These case studies give us some real feelings about the Semantic Web.
The chapter on ontology engineering describes the development of ontology-based systems for the Web using manual and semiautomatic methods. Ontology is a concept similar to taxonomy. As stated in the introduction, ontology engineering deals with some of the methodological issues that arise when building ontologies, in particular, con-structing ontologies manually, reusing existing ontologies. and using semiautomatic methods. A medium-scale project is included at the end of the chapter. Overall the book is a nice introduction to the key components of the Semantic Web. The reading is quite pleasant, in part due to the concise layout that allows just enough content per page to facilitate readers' comprehension. Furthermore, the book provides a large number of examples, code snippets, exercises, and annotated online materials. Thus, it is very suitable for use as a textbook for undergraduates and low-grade graduates, as the authors say in the preface. However, I believe that not only students but also professionals in both academia and iudustry will benefit from the book. The authors also built an accompanying Web site for the book at http://www.semanticwebprimer.org. On the main page, there are eight tabs for each of the eight chapters. For each tabm the following sections are included: overview, example, presentations, problems and quizzes, errata, and links. These contents will greatly facilitate readers: for example, readers can open the listed links to further their readings. The vacancy of the errata sections also proves the quality of the book."

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Abstract

It is a practical and authoritative guide to cataloguing for librarians, information scientists and information managers. It is intended to be used in conjunction with an internationally recognised standard to show how, firstly, cataloguing underpins all the other activities of an information service and, secondly, how to apply best practice in a variety of different situations.

Content

Key Features - Relates theory to practice and is written in an easy-to-read style - Includes guidance an subject cataloguing as well as descriptive cataloguing - Covers the use of ISBD and Dublin Core in descriptive cataloguing, rather than being tied exclusively to using AACR - Covers the principles of subject cataloguing, a topic which most non-librarians believe to be an integral part of cataloguing - Not only does the book describe the hows of cataloguing but goes a stage further by explaining why one might want to catalogue a particular item in a certain way The Author Jane Read has over 13 years' experience in academic libraries. She works as a cataloguing officer for The Higher Education Academy. Readership Librarians and informational professionals responsible for cataloguing materials (of any format). Knowledge managers will also find the book of interest. Contents Why bother to catalogue - what is a catalogue for, anticipating user needs, convincing your boss it is important What to catalogue -writing a cataloguing policy, what a catalogue record contains, the politics of cataloguing Who should catalogue - how long does it take to catalogue a book, skill sets needed, appropriate levels of staffing, organising time How to catalogue and not reinvent the wherl - choosing a records management system, international standards (AACR/MARC, ISBD, Dublin Core), subject cataloguing, and authority control Is it a book, is it a journal - distinguishing between formats, the'awkward squad', loose-leaf files, websites and skeletons What's a strange attractor? Cataloguing subjects you know nothing about -finding the right subject headings, verifying your information ki an ne lit pas le francais: unkriown languages and how to deal with them - what language is it, transcribing non-Roman alphabets, understanding the subject Special cases - rare books and archival collections, children's books, electronic media Resources for cataloguers - reference books, online discussion lists, conferences, bibliography

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Footnote

Rez. in: KO 29(2002) nos.3/4, S.241-242 (M.P. Satija)

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Footnote

Rez. in: Journal of documentation 50(1994) no.1, S.60-52 (M. Kinnell)

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Abstract

Few can imagine a world without telephones or televisions; many depend an computers and the Internet as part of daily life. Without scientific theory, these developments would not have been possible. In this exceptionally clear and engaging introduction to the philosophy of science, James Ladyman explores the philosophical questions that arise when we reflect an the nature of the scientific method and the knowledge it produces. He discusses whether fundamental philosophical questions about knowledge and reality might be answered by science, and considers in detail the debate between realists and antirealists about the extent of scientific knowledge. Along the way, central topics in the philosophy of science, such as the demarcation of science from non-science, induction, confirmation and falsification, the relationship between theory and observation, and relativism, are all addressed. Important and complex current debates over underdetermination, inference to the best explanation and the implications of radical theory change are clarified and clearly explained for these new to the subject. The style is refreshing and unassuming, bringing to life the essential questions in the philosophy of science. Ideal for any student of philosophy or science, this book requires no previous knowledge of either discipline. It contains the following textbook features: - suggestions for further reading - cross-referencing with an extensive bibliography.

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Abstract

This revised edition of Wynar's Introduction to Cataloging and Classification (9th ed., 2000) completely incorporates revisions of AACR2, enhancements to MARC 21, and developments in areas such as resource description and access. Aside from the many revisions and updates and improved organization, the basic content remains the same. Beginning with an introduction to cataloging, cataloging rules, and MARC format, the book then turns to its largest section, "Description and Access." Authority control is explained, and the various methods of subject access are described in detail. Finally, administrative issues, including catalog management, are discussed. The glossary, source notes, suggested reading, and selected bibliography have been updated and expanded, as has the index. The examples throughout help to illustrate rules and concepts, and most MARC record examples are now shown in OCLC's Connexion format. This is an invaluable resource for cataloging students and beginning catalogers as well as a handy reference tool for more experienced catalogers.

Footnote

Rez. in: Reference and user services quarterly 46(2007) no.3, S.104-105 (C.N. Conway); Technicalities 27(2007) no.2, S.19-20 (S.S. Intner)

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Abstract

This book covers the skills necessary for a classifier using the LCC scheme, whether at a professional or paraprfessional level. It is equally suitable for use by library students in universities or colleges, and others who are studying classification by themselves, either with a specific goal or as part of their continuing professional development.

Footnote

Rez. in: Journal of documentation 57(2001) no.3, S.453-454 (E. Patterson)

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Abstract

This book provides the necessary skills for a cataloger in a library or other information agency, whether a professional or paraprofessional level. It is also suitable for university students studying librarianship and those independently learning subject cataloging. Reviews the various parts of the LCSH cataloging system and contains use practice exercises and tests. A glossary, bibliography and index complete this fourth study guide in the library basics series

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Abstract

The World Wide Web is rapidly filling with more text than anyone could have imagined even a short time ago, but the task of isolating relevant parts of this vast information has become just that much more daunting. Richard Belew brings a cognitive perspective to the study of information retrieval as a discipline within computer science. He introduces the idea of Finding Out About (FDA) as the process of actively seeking out information relevant to a topic of interest and describes its many facets - ranging from creating a good characterization of what the user seeks, to what documents actually mean, to methods of inferring semantic clues about each document, to the problem of evaluating whether our search engines are performing as we have intended. Finding Out About explains how to build the tools that are useful for searching collections of text and other media. In the process it takes a close look at the properties of textual documents that do not become clear until very large collections of them are brought together and shows that the construction of effective search engines requires knowledge of the statistical and mathematical properties of linguistic phenomena, as well as an appreciation for the cognitive foundation we bring to the task as language users. The unique approach of this book is its even handling of the phenomena of both numbers and words, making it accessible to a wide audience. The textbook is usable in both undergraduate and graduate classes on information retrieval, library science, and computational linguistics. The text is accompanied by a CD-ROM that contains a hypertext version of the book, including additional topics and notes not present in the printed edition. In addition, the CD contains the full text of C.J. "Keith" van Rijsbergen's famous textbook, Information Retrieval (now out of print). Many active links from Belew's to van Rijsbergen's hypertexts help to unite the material. Several test corpora and indexing tools are provided, to support the design of your own search engine. Additional exercises using these corpora and code are available to instructors. Also supporting this book is a Web site that will include recent additions to the book, as well as links to sites of new topics and methods.

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Footnote

Rez. in: BuB 53(2001) H.9, S.596 (J. Plieninger)