SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY
San Jose, California
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS & EVALUATION
A Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for
LIBR 202: Information Retrieval
Judith Homan
School of Library and Information Science
December 3, 2012
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
2
Judith Homan
Fall 2012
LIBR202 Tucker
Assignment 2: Subject Analysis & Evaluation
Contents
Page
A3.
Statement of Purpose, Data Structure, & Rules
3
A4.
Postco Vocabulary List
6
A5.
Database Records
8
A6.
User Guide
28
B.
Retrieval Analysis
30
C.
Evaluation & Reflection
32
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
3
Statement of Purpose
The following database was created with the newly enrolled SLIS student in mind. The database
could be continued and more information added as new terminology is found by new student.
The idea of these specific words being chosen was based on the frequency of their use in relation
to other words. The terms can stand alone but often are found with other terms to create a new
concept. This database will help to see the relationship between words; this will be especially
useful for those who are new to the library world.
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
4
Database Structure
Textbase Structure
Textbase Information
Textbase: C:\Program Files\Inmagic\DBTextWorks\Assignment 2 A3 - Homan
Created: 11/25/2012 8:16:01 PM
Modified: 11/26/2012 10:10:18 PM
Field Summary:
1. DOC_NO: Automatic Number(next avail=16, increm=1), Term
2. AUTHOR: Text, Term & Word
Validation: required
3. TITLE: Text, Word
Validation: required
4. SOURCE: Text, Word
Validation: required
5. ABSTRACT: Text, Word
Validation: required
6. POSTCO: Text, Term
Validation: required, valid-list
Log file enabled, showing 'DOC_NO'
Leading articles: a an the
Stop words: a an and by for from in of the to
XML Match Fields:
1. DOC_NO
Textbase Defaults:
Default indexing mode: SHARED IMMEDIATE
Default sort order: <none>
Textbase passwords:
Master password = ''
0 Access passwords:
No Silent password
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
5
Rules
DOC_NO - Document Number: When each record is entered it is given an automatic number. It
is required for ease of record keeping and search retrieval.
AUTHOR: This is text entered with authors last name first, and then their initials just as it is
written in APA formatting. The field is repeatable since more than one author can be placed in
this field. This field is also required. This field will give the ability to find number of article
written by a particular author.
TITLE: This field is where the title of the article is placed. This field is in the form of text and it
is a required field. The title field makes for easier search for full article.
SOURCE: This field is for the journal or periodical the record's article came from. The title will
make it easier to search for the article for full review. This field is required.
ABSTRACT: This field is where the article’s abstract is cut and pasted. This field is required; if
the article does not have one, please write a brief abstract of the article. This field allows a user
to get an overview of what the article is about.
POSTCO: This is where the terminology is placed from the article. Each article can have
multiple entries making it repeatable. This terminology must come from the validation list
provided in the database. This field is required.
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
6
POSTCO Vocabulary List
Access
Accessibility
Automation
Bibliographies
Boolean
Cataloging
Chunks
Classification
Communication
Control system
Controlled vocabulary
Database
Development
Document
Electronic data processing
End user
Evaluation
Folksonomies
Hypertext
Indexer
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
Indexing
Information Retrieval
Information Technology
Internet
Librarians
Library use
Metadata
Natural Language
Organization
Process
Public access
Query
Record
Reference
Relevance
Reproducibility
Researcher
Satisfaction
Searching
Tagging
User interface
7
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
8
Database Records
DOC_NO
1
AUTHOR
Bates, M. J.
TITLE
The invisible substrate of information science
SOURCE
Journal of the American Society for Information Science
ABSTRACT
The explicit, above-the-water-line paradigm of information science is
well known and widely discussed. Every disciplinary paradigm,
however, contains elements that are less conscious and explicit in the
thinking of its practitioners. The purpose of this article is to elucidate
key elements of the below-the-water-line portion of the information
science paradigm.
Particular emphasis is given to information science’s role as a metascience--conducting research and developing theory around the
documentary products of other disciplines and activities. The mental
activities of the professional practice of the field are seen to center
around representation and organization of information rather than
knowing information. It is argued that such representation engages
fundamentally different talents and skills from those required in other
professions and intellectual disciplines. Methodological approaches
and values of information science are also considered.
POSTCO
Searching
Researcher
Reference
Record
Query
Process
Organization
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
Librarians
Information Technology
Information Retrieval
Indexer
Evaluation
Document
Development
Database
Cataloging
DOC_NO
2
AUTHOR
Mat-Hassan, M.
Lavene, M.
TITLE
Can navigational assistance improve search experience? A user study
SOURCE
First Monday
ABSTRACT
Providing navigational aids to assist users in finding information in
hypertext systems has been an ongoing research problem for well
over a decade. Despite this, the incorporation of navigational aids
into Web search tools has been slow. While search engines have
become very efficient in producing high quality rankings, support for
the navigational process is still far from satisfactory. To deal with this
shortcoming of search tools, we have developed a site specific search
and navigation engine that incorporates several recommended
navigational aids into its novel user interface, based on the concept
of a user trail. Herein, we report on a usability study whose aim was to
ascertain whether adding semi-automated navigational aids to a
search tool improves users' experience when "surfing" the Web. The
results we obtained from the study revealed that users of the
9
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
navigation engine performed better in solving the question set posed
than users of a conventional search engine. Moreover, users of the
navigation engine provided more accurate answers in less time and
with less clicks. Our results indicate that adding navigational aids to
search tools will enhance Web usability and take us a step further
POSTCO
Access
Boolean
Document
Organization
Process
Query
Record
Reference
Relevance
Researcher
Satisfaction
Searching
User interface
DOC_NO
3
AUTHOR
Swanson, D. R.
TITLE
Historical Note: Information Retrieval and the Future of an Illusion
SOURCE
Journal of the American Society for Information Science
ABSTRACT
More than thirty years ago there was good evidence to
suggest that information retrieval involved conceptual problems
of greater subtlety than is generally recognized. The
dramatic development and growth of online services since
then seems not to have been accompanied by much interest
10
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
in these conceptual problems, the limits they appear to impose,
or the potential for transcending such limits through
more creative use of the new services.
In this article, I offer a personal perspective on automatic
indexing and information retrieval, focusing not necessarily
on the mainstream of research but on those events and ideas
over a 34-year period that have led to the view stated above,
and that have influenced my perception of important directions
for future research.
Some experimental tests of information systems have
yielded good retrieval results and some very poor results. I
shall explain why I think that occurred, why I believe that
the poor results merit special attention, and why we should
reconsider a suggestion that Robert Fairthome put forward
in 1963 to develop postulates of impotence—statements of
what cannot be done. By understanding such limits we are
POSTCO
Access
Chunks
Classification
Document
Communication
Development
Indexer
Information Retrieval
Natural Language
Process
Reference
11
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
Relevance
Researcher
DOC_NO
4
AUTHOR
Harter, S. P.
Cheng, Y.
TITLE
Colinked Descriptors: Improving Vocabulary Selection for End-User
searching
SOURCE
Journal of the American Society for Information Science
ABSTRACT
This article introduces a new concept and technique for
information retrieval called collnked descriptors. Borrowed
from an analogous idea in bibliometrics—cocited references—
colinked descriptors provide a theory and method
for identifying search terms that, by hypothesis, will be superior
to those entered Initially by a searcher. The theory
suggests a means of moving automatically from two or
more initial search terms, to other terms that should be superior
in retrieval performance to the two original terms. A
research project designed to test this cotinked descriptor
hypottiesis is reported. The results suggest that the approach
is effective, although methodological problems in
testing the idea are reported. Algorithms to generate colinked
descriptors can be incorporated easily into system
interfaces, front-end or pre-search systems, or help software,
in any database that employs a thesaurus. The potential
use of colinked descriptors is a strong argument for
building richer and more complex thesauri that reflect as
POSTCO
Access
12
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
Boolean
Database
Document
Evaluation
Searching
Information Retrieval
Internet
Librarians
Query
Natural Language
Process
Record
Reference
Relevance
Researcher
Indexing
Public access
DOC_NO
5
AUTHOR
Spink, A.
TITLE
Term relevance feedback and mediated database searching:
Implications for information retrieval practice and systems design
SOURCE
Information processing & management
ABSTRACT
Research into both the algorithmic and human approaches to
information retrieval is required to improve information retrieval
system design and database searching effectiveness. This study uses
the human approach to examine the sources and effectiveness of
search terms selected during mediated interactive information
13
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
retrieval. The study focuses on determining the retrieval effectiveness
of search terms identified by users and intermediaries from retrieved
items during term relevance feedback. Results show that terms
selected from particular database fields of retrieved items during term
relevance feedback (TRF) were more effective than search terms from
the intermediary, database thesauri or users' domain knowledge during
the interaction, but not as effective as terms from the users' written
question statements. Implications for the design and testing of
automatic relevance feedback techniques that place greater emphasis
on these sources and the practice of database searching are also
POSTCO
Database
Development
Document
Information Retrieval
Natural Language
Process
Query
Record
Relevance
Researcher
End user
Indexing
DOC_NO
6
AUTHOR
Simon, H. A.
TITLE
Information-Processing Models of Cognition
SOURCE
ABSTRACT
Journal of the American Society for Information Science
This article reviews recent progress in modeling human cognitive
14
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
processes. Particular attention is paid to the use of computer
programming languages as a formalism for modeling, and to computer
simulation of the behavior of the systems modeled. Theories of
human cognitive processes can be attempted at several levels: at the
level of neural processes, at the level of elementary information
processes (e.g., retrieval from memory, scanning down lists in
memory, comparing simple symbols, etc.), or at the level of higher
mental processes (e.g., problem solving, concept attainment). This
article will not deal at all with neural models; it focuses mainly upon
higher mental processes, but not without some attention to modeling
the elementary processes and especially to the relationships between
elementary and complex processes.
POSTCO
Access
Accessibility
Chunks
Communication
Control system
Development
Evaluation
Natural Language
Organization
Process
Record
Record
Reference
Reproducibility
Researcher
15
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
DOC_NO
7
AUTHOR
Najarian, S. E.
TITLE
Organization factors in human memory: Implications for library
organization and access systems
SOURCE
The Library Quarterly
ABSTRACT
Examines psychological studies on memory and learning for what they
reveal about human categorizing processes and the organizing
principles and limitations of human memory. Findings suggest
considerations for the design of information systems that would take
conceptual organization of knowledge into account
POSTCO
Access
Chunks
Classification
Controlled vocabulary
Database
Development
Indexer
Information Retrieval
Librarians
Library use
Natural Language
Organization
Process
Record
Reference
Searching
DOC_NO
8
16
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
AUTHOR
TITLE
Bodoff, D.
Relevance for browsing, relevance for searching.
SOURCE
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and
Technology
ABSTRACT
The concept of relevance has received a great deal of theoretical
attention. Separately, the relationship between focused search and
browsing has also received extensive theoretical attention. This article
aims to integrate these two literatures with a model and an empirical
study that relate relevance in focused searching to relevance in
browsing. Some factors affect both kinds of relevance in the same
direction; others affect them in different ways. In our empirical study,
we find that the latter factors dominate, so that there is actually a
negative correlation between the probability of a document's
relevance to a browsing user and its probability of relevance to a
focused searcher.
POSTCO
Access
Database
Development
Document
Information Retrieval
Information Technology
Process
Query
Record
Reference
Relevance
Researcher
17
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
Searching
DOC_NO
9
AUTHOR
Marchionini, G.
TITLE
Interfaces for end-user information seeking
SOURCE
Journal of the American Society for Information Science
ABSTRACT
Essential features of interfaces to support end-user information
seeking are discussed and illustrated. Examples of interfaces to
support the following basic information-seeking functions are
presented: problem definition, source selection, problem articulation,
examination of results, and information extraction, it is argued that
present interfaces focus on problem articulation and examination of
results functions, and research and development are needed to
support the problem definition and information extraction functions.
General recommendations for research on interfaces to support enduser information seeking include: attention to multimedia information
sources, development of interfaces that integrate information-seeking
functions, support for collaborative information seeking, use of
multiple input/output devices in parallel, integration of advanced
information retrieval techniques in systems for end users, and
development of adaptable interfaces to meet individual difference and
POSTCO
Electronic data processing
Access
Boolean
Classification
Communication
Database
18
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
Document
Natural Language
Organization
Query
Process
Satisfaction
User interface
End user
Researcher
Relevance
Public access
Reference
Record
Searching
Internet
DOC_NO
10
AUTHOR
Mat-Hassan, M.
Leven, M.
TITLE
Can Navigational Assistance Improve Search Experience? A User
Study
SOURCE
First Monday
ABSTRACT
Providing navigational aids to assist users in finding information in
hypertext systems has been an ongoing research problem for well
over a decade. Despite this, the incorporation of navigational aids
into Web search tools has been slow. While search engines have
become very efficient in producing high quality rankings, support for
the navigational process is still far from satisfactory. To deal with this
19
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
shortcoming of search tools, we have developed a site specific search
and navigation engine that incorporates several recommended
navigational aids into its novel user interface, based on the concept
of a user trail. Herein, we report on a usability study whose aim was to
ascertain whether adding semi-automated navigational aids to a
search tool improves users' experience when "surfing" the Web. The
results we obtained from the study revealed that users of the
navigation engine performed better in solving the question set posed
than users of a conventional search engine. Moreover, users of the
navigation engine provided more accurate answers in less time and
with less clicks. Our results indicate that adding navigational aids to
search tools will enhance Web usability and take us a step further
POSTCO
Access
Boolean
Document
Information Retrieval
Organization
Process
Query
Record
Relevance
Researcher
Satisfaction
Searching
User interface
DOC_NO
11
AUTHOR
Elings, M. W.
20
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
Waibel, G.
TITLE
Metadata for All: Descriptive Standards and Metadata Sharing across
Libraries, Archives and Museums
SOURCE
First Monday
ABSTRACT
Integrating digital content from libraries, archives and museums
represents a persistent challenge. While the history of standards
development is rife with examples of cross-community
experimentation, in the end, libraries, archives and museums have
developed parallel descriptive strategies for cataloguing the materials
in their custody. Applying in particular data content standards by
material type, and not by community affiliation, could lead to greater
data interoperability within the cultural heritage community.
In making this argument, the article demystifies metadata by defining
and categorizing types of standards, provides a brief historical
overview of the rise of descriptive standards in museums, libraries
and archives, and considers the current tensions and ambitions in
making descriptive practice more economic [1].
POSTCO
Indexing
End user
Searching
Relevance
Record
Process
Metadata
Internet
Development
Database
21
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
Controlled vocabulary
Cataloging
Automation
DOC_NO
12
AUTHOR
Golder, S. A.
Huberman, B. A.
TITLE
The Structure of Collaborative Tagging Systems
SOURCE
arXiv.org.
ABSTRACT
Collaborative tagging describes the process by which many users
add metadata in the form of keywords to shared
content. Recently, collaborative tagging has grown in popularity on
the web, on sites that allow users to tag
bookmarks, photographs and other content. In this paper we analyze
the structure of collaborative tagging systems as well as their
dynamical aspects. Specifically, we discovered regularities in user
activity, tag frequencies, kinds of tags used, bursts of popularity in
bookmarking and a remarkable stability in the relative proportions of
tags within a given url. We also present a dynamical model of
collaborative tagging that predicts these stable patterns and relates
them to imitation and shared knowledge.
POSTCO
Classification
Document
Folksonomies
Organization
Process
Query
Reference
22
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
Researcher
Searching
Tagging
DOC_NO
13
AUTHOR
Hildreth, C. R.
TITLE
Accounting for users' inflated assessments of on-line catalogue
search performance and usefulness: an experimental study
SOURCE
Information Research
ABSTRACT
User-oriented approaches to information retrieval (IR) system
performance evaluation assign a major role to user satisfaction with
search results and overall system performance. Expressed
satisfaction with search results is often used as a measure of utility.
Many research studies indicate that users of on-line library catalogs
(OPACs) and other IR systems often express satisfaction with poor
search results. This phenomenon of "false positives," inflated
assessments of search results and system performance, has not been
adequately explained. Non-performance factors such as interface style
and ease of use may have an affect on a searcher's satisfaction with
search results. The research described in this report investigates this
phenomenon. This paper presents the findings of an experimental
study which compared users' search performance and assessments of
ease of use, system usefulness, and satisfaction with search results
after use of a Web OPAC or its conventional counterpart. The
primary questions addressed by this research center on the influence
of two experimental factors, OPAC search interface style and search
task level of difficulty, on the dependent variables: actual search
performance, perceptions of ease of use and system usefulness, and
23
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
assessments of satisfaction with search results. The study also
investigated associations between perceived ease of use, system
usefulness, and satisfaction with search results. Lastly, the study
looked for associations between the dependent variables and
personal characteristics. No association was found between
satisfaction with search results and actual search performance. Web
OPAC searchers outperformed Text OPAC searchers, but search task
level of difficulty is a major determinant of search success. A strong
positive correlation was found between perceptions of system ease of
POSTCO
Indexing
End user
Hypertext
User interface
Searching
Satisfaction
Researcher
Relevance
Reference
Record
Query
Process
Librarians
Internet
Information Retrieval
Evaluation
Document
Database
24
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
DOC_NO
14
AUTHOR
Rothenberg, J
TITLE
Ensuring the Longevity of Digital Document
SOURCE
Scientific American
ABSTRACT
Digital documents are replacing paper in the most dramatic record-
keeping revolution since the
invention of printing. Is the current generation of these documents
doomed to be lost forever?
Note: this paper is an expanded version of the article “Ensuring the
Longevity of Digital Documents”
that appeared in the January 1995 edition of Scientific American (Vol.
272, Number 1, pp. 42-7).
As of the above date, this revision could be found at
http://www.clir.org/programs/otheractiv/ensuring.pdf
rev: 980327 Ensuring the Longevity of Digital Information—Jeff
Rothenberg Page 1 of 18
Ensuring the Longevity of Digital Information
POSTCO
Access
Accessibility
Chunks
Database
Document
Evaluation
Information Technology
Internet
Organization
Process
25
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
Record
Reference
Reproducibility
DOC_NO
15
AUTHOR
Jansen, B. J.
Spink, A.
Koshman, S.
TITLE
Web searcher interaction with the Dogpile.com metasearch engine
SOURCE
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and
Technology
ABSTRACT
Metasearch engines are an intuitive method for improving
the performance of Web search by increasing coverage,
returning large numbers of results with a focus on relevance,
and presenting alternative views of information
needs. However, the use of metasearch engines in an
operational environment is not well understood. In this
study, we investigate the usage of Dogpile.com, a major
Web metasearch engine, with the aim of discovering how
Web searchers interact with metasearch engines. We
report results examining 2,465,145 interactions from
534,507 users of Dogpile.com on May 6, 2005 and compare
these results with findings from other Web searching
studies. We collect data on geographical location of
searchers, use of system feedback, content selection,
sessions, queries, and term usage. Findings show that
Dogpile.com searchers are mainly from the USA (84% of
searchers), use about 3 terms per query (mean 2.85),
26
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
implement system feedback moderately (8.4% of users),
and generally (56% of users) spend less than one
minute interacting with the Web search engine. Overall,
metasearchers seem to have higher degrees of interaction
than searchers on non-metasearch engines, but their
sessions are for a shorter period of time. These aspects of
metasearching may be what define the differences from
other forms of Web searching. We discuss the implications
of our findings in relation to metasearch for Web
POSTCO
Indexing
Searching
Researcher
Relevance
Record
Query
Natural Language
Internet
Evaluation
Document
Database
Classification
27
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
28
Users Guide
In this database the idea is to be able to see what terminology is often linked together for
the sake of learning the art of indexing. As a new student to the SLIS program, it is a scary
endeavor to jump into a database search. This database will hopefully make it less scary to
search for terms and find articles that give an idea on what indexing can do for the seeker of
information. This database was also designed to allow indexers to continue to add information as
new articles are published.
To begin using this database, decide what information you are seeking. If you are seeking
a particular author begin searching by author’s last name in the author field. This field is required
for all the records in this database. There can be more than one author in the field, so you can
enter more than one name for this search. Beware of spelling; names must be spelled exact to
find a match.
The next two searchable fields are for article titles and journal titles. This field is a
required field that will have the complete title of the article and journal or periodical where it
was published. This will make it easier to view the entire article after the search reveals sought
after information. These fields are searchable by exact title or through certain words.
The abstract field will make it easier for the searcher to get a full understanding of what
the article is about. The abstract is an overview of the article. This will help with focusing on
certain topic by providing a general summary. This is searchable by words if that is a desired
field of interest.
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
29
The final field for searching is the Postco field. This field has a set list of words to search
from. This field can provide multiple terms for searches. If there is a set group of words that
you are seeking, then enter each word on an individual line. This will provide articles with same
terminology for search result.
The terminology selected for this field came from articles on different aspects of
information retrieval. The terms were some that were used frequently, but did not always have
the same idea if paired with other terms. These terms are stand alone words, but can also be
paired with certain term to help find relevant articles on specific topics you are seeking.
For example if you are looking for the POSTCO word Information retrieval in the journal
Technology Today you can create the query using the search information. When this database
was created it was designed to help gather key information that is essential to informational
retrieval and the different aspects. As the database grows the terminology will also grow and the
searching will continue to improve.
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
30
Retrieval Analysis
B1 – B3
Information need #1: I’m interested in research on database usage and user satisfaction.
Pre-determined relevant documents: 9, 13
Field
Query
Docs Retrieved
Precision
Recall
Effectiveness
Title
Database & satisfaction
0
0
0
0
Abstract
(database & Satisfaction)
1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9,
.02
.02
.0200
& user
10, 12,13 ,14
Database & satisfaction
9, 13
1
1
1.000
Post-Co
Information need #2: I’m interested in research on information retrieval using natural language.
Pre-determined relevant documents: 5, 9
Field
Title
Query
Information
Docs Retrieved
Precision
Recall
Effectiveness
0
0
0
0
3, 4, 5, 13
.25
.25
.2500
3, 4, 5, 7
.25
.25
.2500
retrieval/natural language
Abstract
Information
retrieval/natural language*
Post-Co
Information retrieval &
natural language
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
31
Information need #3: I’m interested in research on controlled vocabulary found in chunks.
Pre-determined relevant documents: 7
Field
Title
Query
Controlled
Docs Retrieved
Precision
Recall
Effectiveness
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3, 6, 7, 11, 14
0.2
0.2
0.200
vocabulary/chunks
Abstract
Controlled
vocabulary/chunks*
Post-Co
Controlled
vocabulary&chunks
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
32
Evaluation & Reflection
The evaluation of my database showed that this is not a strong database. Either I
performed searches wrong or I did not have enough choices or used the wrong terminology,
something because I was not very successful in the title or abstract queries. I did not pull up
information even if I tried different Boolean words.
When I performed queries in the Postco field, I did get several relevant hits. I was
pleased with the results in the Postco field. I however do see a need for my words in my
validation list. Maybe even a broader range of words. When I updated my validation list, I did
remove several words where I only got one hit out of 15 articles. I am thinking now these words
should have been left in the list.
I noticed that my abstract and title fields had the poorest number of hits, this made me
wonder how I could improve this results. Not many of my validation words were located into
the title field. I am think I should bring in some words from titles into my validation list. The
same goes for the abstract field. I began to wonder if I should also use abstract words in my
validation list.
This was my first real experience with a database of this nature. I have used Access by
Microsoft, but I grew frustrated with my unfamiliarity with the database. One area of frustration
was trying to find out how to put authors and postco fields on separate lines. I had to hunt in the
help section provided to find the answers. While I knew I could ask for help, but I was thinking
like many library patrons who will not ask for help. The new SLIS student who this was
designed for would be more apt to read through the help section, and then ask for help.
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
33
The use of the equations for precision and recall were an interesting way to put a value on
the accuracy of the queries. The ability to put a figure on a result instead of saying 2 out of 10
results was relevant. Even if math is not my strong point the results showed the weakness in the
database result.
I do not think my database is useful for retrieving titles and abstracts. I did a few queries
just using random words for the title and abstract fields. I was able to pull up more results in
these fields without using postco field. Somehow I need to build a strong postco field to ensure
that titles and abstracts result in more relevant retrievals.
I did find when I did a query using author field, I used author last name with initials. I
see that this can present a problem if an author shares same name and initials with another
author. I need to change this to use the entire name not just initials. This should result in better
query results.
I would have liked for someone else to have tested my database. I like being able to see
how others designed databases so I can get ideas to incorporate into mine. I also value the
feedback, no matter how painful, on their experience using the database.
I did look at validation list of my fellow classmates and many had the same or similar
words that I had. Again, looking back, I should not have removed seldom used validation words.
That is part of the learning process.
I really think the hardest part of this assignment for me was the statement of purpose,
rules and user guide. I would like to have the chance to look at examples other than the group
projects and group review. I looked online to find examples, but so many were rather confusing
to me and used terminology that seemed vague or just not useful. I am hoping to try things I
ASSIGNMENT 2: SUBJECT ANALYSIS
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learned in this database program for use in Access or Open SQL so that I stay fresh in database
creation and usage. I was thinking this may be useful for creating a database for books I have
from 25 years in the youth ministry on different lessons style but similar subjects. This would
save me time of having to look through each book trying to find what I am looking for to create a
lesson plan. I see that this database could be useful for someone who needs to find an article
dealing with a weekly reading assignment on a specific topic or issue. Now to figure out how to
make sure it is a successful tool.