Cambridge University Library Indexes and indexing in Voyager Hugh Taylor Head, Collection Development and Description Cambridge University Library

Cambridge University Library

Indexes and indexing in VoyagerHugh TaylorHead, Collection Development and DescriptionCambridge University Library

This session assumes ...

• You know how to search and to use Voyager indexes• (And, of course, you all know the difference between good

and bad searching ...)

• No specific technical knowledge ...• ... Although a very limited understanding of MARC will help

Just spotted (28 June)

• Williams, J. (2009). MARC data, the OPAC, and library professionals. Program, v. 43, no. 1, p. 7-17

• Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show that knowledge of the Machine-Readable Cataloguing (MARC) format is useful in all aspects of librarianship, not just for cataloguing, and how MARC knowledge can address indexing limitations of the online catalogue

• Findings: The paper finds that library professionals with an understanding of MARC also have an advantage in understanding how Online Public Access Cataloguers (OPACs) work…

This session assumes ...

• You know how to search and to use Voyager indexes• (And, of course, you all know the difference between good and bad

searching ...)

• No specific technical knowledge ...• ... Although a very limited understanding of MARC will help

• (It explicitly covers only Roman script data ...• ... But most of the principles apply equally to other scripts)

• (And covers only bibliographic, holdings and authority data)

This session is not ...

• A primer on the development of catalogues, their interfaces, their foibles

• A lecture on the future of the library catalogue (anyone’s)

• And it was largely prepared before OCLC publishedOnline Catalogs : What Users and Librarians Want

http://www.oclc.org/reports/onlinecatalogs/default.htm

• That should have set the context – let’s move on!

http://www.oclc.org/reports/onlinecatalogs/default.htm

Consider this from the non-print world

• Here’s just one real-life example of the importance of indexing

• The example doesn’t have anything to do with Voyager, but what the heck…

• Hands up if you own an IPod, IPhone, or any similar device onto which you can load music files?

Consider this from the non-print world

• Here’s just one real-life example of the importance of indexing

• This doesn’t have anything to do with Voyager, but what the heck…

• Hands up if you have an IPod, IPhone, or similar device onto which you can load music?

• Imagine you were running a sound effects library – how would you organise your collection?

• Here’s where providing metadata and indexing those sounds comes in handy…

Why do indexes and indexing matter?

• Users have different information needs

• So ways of locating what they need will differ

• Simple searching (and indexes) may be ok for some

• Other searches will require greater sophistication

• Indexing plays a part in this (along with search interfaces, etc)


• A few quotes from the OCLC report:

An advanced search option (supporting fielded searching) and facets help end users refine searches, navigate, browse and manage large result sets

Provided the data are


• A few quotes from the OCLC report:

An advanced search option (supporting fielded searching) and facets help end users refine searches, navigate, browse and manage large result sets

Provided the data are appropriately indexed, preexisting fields in a catalog database such as author, publication year and format can be extracted and

presented (usually in the left frame of the Web page) to permit faceted navigation, also called faceted search or faceted browsing

… supporting advanced searching, browsing and faceted navigation of search results involves fielded indexing of bibliographic data elements and usually the establishment and maintenance of controlled forms of headings (for names and subjects) to ensure the consistent and reliable collocation of search results in

the catalog


• We (libraries) have rich metadata - let's exploit it to help (some) users

• We (library staff) are also users – and so are machines (our own and others’)

• A library user might search for a title (One flew over the cuckoo's nest)• A member of staff might search by ISBN prefix (0521?)• A machine might search by system id number (record no 12345)

• Where would we be without good indexing?

Voyager indexes and indexing

• There are essentially three index types

• Keyword• Left-anchored• Heading

• It's important to understand some of the differences ...

• ... Because they will impact on your approach to searching

Keywords

• Index words from one or more MARC subfields (fields 010-999)

• (We may deal with what counts as a "word" later)

• Some indexes cover one or more subfields in a specific field

• Some cover more than one field

• Can quickly add a new index (and just as quickly remove it)• You think I’m kidding…?

Keywords

• Holdings - just the one index (covers the whole record)

• And it’s separate from bib keyword indexes

• No (genuine) keyword indexing of authority records

• (But client Index Selection "Keyword" option may meet your needs)

Left-anchored and Heading indexes

• Most return only results that match your exact query

• So "no hits" means "no results" - typos really matter!

• But some (the Headings indexes) allow you to browse the whole index

• Meaning that even if there are no hits on your exact string, you will always see something


• Indexing mostly starts at the beginning of a field

• ... But not always (e.g. Title or 700$t)

• Some indexes cover more than one subfield in a specific field (e.g. most subject indexes)

• And some indexes cover more than one field (Names)

• All indexing in these categories is pre-determined by Ex Libris


• Authority data• “Authorised” headings and references appear in heading displays• Different approaches in staff clients and Newton• Otherwise: only left-anchored search is on LCCN (staff client only)

• Holdings data• Only index is for “Mfhd Call Number” (= Classmark) search• Includes both Find and Browse functionality (unique non-Headings

exception)• This isn’t actually an index at all…• CUL is one of only two non-standard classmark schemes supported

by Voyager – can’t be extended


• Indexes can't be modified locally

• Changes to indexing rules are a chargeable activity

• The only local change has been a new 015A index (BNB numbers)

• Duplicate detection depends on LA indexes

• Possible to run report to identify all the left anchored indexing applied to a record



• Indexes can't be modified locally

• Changes to indexing rules are a chargeable activity

• The only local change has been a new 015A index

• Duplicate detection depends on LA indexes

• Possible to run report to identify all the left anchored indexing applied to a record

• Ditto headings, although this is slightly more complex


Using indexes - Newton

• Choice is deliberately limited

• Interface doesn't clearly distinguish between the different types

• (Does this matter?)

• Is the order logical? (May depend on your perspective)

• Guided Search is built entirely on keyword indexes (plus Boolean operators)

Using indexes - Staff clients

• Not all indexes in the system are offered - but many more than in Newton

• Order in which indexes appear in dropdowns is based on frequency of use (one interpretation of "logical")

• Most popular comes at the top

• Index selection: Find = LA and Browse = Browse

• Builder allows you to construct your own keyword searches ...

• ... Without understanding the detailed syntax (or being able to type it accurately!)

• These searches can be quite complex

General stuff about indexing

• What is a word? How, for example, are hyphens handled?

• How are diacritics and special characters handled?• Don't have to include in search - simplified form will suffice• Because that's how they're indexed

• Both of these are covered by process of "normalization" (which should extend to both indexing and search terms)

• Additional indexing for 10-character ISBNs (13-character equivalents) – both Keyword and Left-anchored

• Can't run reports on keyword indexes - access only via Newton or staff clients

General stuff about indexing

• Limiting searches

• Most limits aren't really "indexes" (you can't search on them independently)

• Predetermined set of additional data elements that can be applied to some search types

• Data not in regular indexes but in a separate part of the Oracle database

Additional search tips

• Good data and good indexing is all very well...

• ... but are you making the most of the search facilities on offer?

• Some of the next slide depends on context - e.g. don't use Boolean with Newton "Keyword (anywhere)"


• Let’s see who uses what – hands up, option by option…

• Keyword? and % wildcards (multiple, single)+ and ! and * (essential, exclude, important)Command line (index codes, e.g. 260b)Boolean AND OR NOTBoolean can include nesting ( ) – x and (y or z)Phrases " "

• Index selectionTruncation client: make default (Preferences) or apply to individual

searches Newton: applied automatically


• Keywords within headings (client) - use with care (it's down to "intelligent" searching)

• Don't forget Limits - where they're available, that isLanguagePlaceDateMediumTypePlaceStatus

Remote searches

• Shows just how much of a difference indexing can make

• These can be a problem

• If connecting to a single database the search types offered will exist ...

• (If you receive a "Search incompatible" message, report it)

• ... But the indexing may well differ from our own

Remote searches

• If connecting to multiple databases not all of the search types may apply to all databases

• List offered is a composite - X AND Y AND Z (albeit deduplicated) - not what's common to all

• Some of us find this annoying ...

• ... but system works as developers intended

• Again, even when indexes exist, the indexing may well differ

And finally - Who's searching what?

• Voyager can be set to store information about users' searches

• (But users themselves aren't identified)

• It's infuriatingly missing some key pieces

• Like a jigsaw that you've spent days on ...

• But there’s a load of valuable data!

And finally - Who's searching what?

• Voyager can be set to store information about users' searches

• (But users themselves aren't identified)

• It's infuriatingly missing some key pieces

• Like a jigsaw that you've spent days on ...

• But there’s a load of valuable data!

• However… this is a whole new topic - another day, perhaps (and another presenter, hopefully)

That’s all, folks!

• Questions?

• Or e-mail me later if something occurs to [email protected]

• And to conclude...

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Cambridge University Library Indexes and indexing in Voyager Hugh Taylor Head, Collection Development and Description Cambridge University Library