Priss, U.; Jacob, E.: Utilizing faceted structures for information systems design (1999)
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- Abstract
- Even for the experienced information professional, designing an efficient multi-purpose information access structure can be a very difficult task. This paper argues for the use of a faceted thesaurus as the basis for organizing a small-scale institutional website. We contend that a faceted approach to knowledge organization can make the process of organization less random and more manageable. We begin by reporting on an informal survey of three institutional websites. This study underscores the problems of organization that can impact access to information. We then formalize the terminology of faceted thesauri and demonstrate its application with several examples.
The writers show that a faceted navigation structure makes web sites easier to use. They begin by analyzing the web sites of three library and information science faculties, and seeing if the sites easily provide the answers to five specific questions, e.g., how the school ranks in national evaluations. (It is worth noting that the web site of the Faculty of Information Studies and the University of Toronto, where this bibliography is being written, would fail on four of the five questions.) Using examples from LIS web site content, they show how facets can be related and constructed, and use concept diagrams for illustration. They briefly discuss constraints necessary when joining facets: for example, enrolled students can be full- or part-time, but prospective and alumni students cannot. It should not be possible to construct terms such as "part-time alumni" (see Yannis Tzitzikas et al, below in Background). They conclude that a faceted approach is best for web site navigation, because it can clearly show where the user is in the site, what the related pages are, and how to get to them. There is a short discussion of user interfaces, and the diagrams in the paper will be of interest to anyone making a facet-based web site. This paper is clearly written, informative, and thought-provoking. Uta Priss's web site lists her other publications, many of which are related and some of which are online: http://www.upriss.org.uk/top/research.html.
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