Cushman Exposed!OverviewControlled Vocabularies for Increased AccessLooking BackThe Cushman CollectionMetadata for Image CollectionsMetadata for the Cushman CollectionTGM I: Subject Terms Strengths and WeaknessesBrowsing Image CollectionsSearching Image CollectionsCushman Specifications: BrowsingCushman Specifications: SearchingBrowsing ImplementationSearching ImplementationLooking ForwardReferencesCushman Exposed!Exploiting Controlled Vocabularies to Enhance Browsing and Searching of an Online Photograph CollectionMichelle Dalmau and Jenn RileyIndiana University Digital Library ProgramIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16Overview! Background Information! Metadata! Browse and Search FunctionalityIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16Controlled Vocabularies for Increased Access! Why do we use controlled vocabularies (CV)? To increase access!! But do we really increase access when we don’t utilize the CV’s structure in browsing and searching? No!! So then, how can we utilize the CV structure to promote access?Indiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16Looking Back! U.S. Steel Gary Works Photograph Collection! ~2,200 Images! Archival descriptions! Assigned subject terms from CV! Subject field search requires referencing the A-Z list of subjects! Usability studies revealed not using the CV’s syndetic structure impacts searchingIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16The Cushman Collection! Funded with an Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS) grant! ~15,000 color slides taken between 1938-1969! Cushman provided a significant amount of description! Additional metadata to enhance genre, subject and geographic accessIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16Metadata for Image Collections! Advantages to “free-text” descriptions: ! Preserve photographer’s notations ! Resembles the user’s language! Advantages to CV descriptors:! More access points! Structure! Collocation! Disambiguation! InteroperabilityIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16Metadata for the Cushman Collection! Cushman’s description ! Dates! Location! Names! TGM I – LC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials: Subject Terms! TGM II - LC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials: Genre & Physical Characteristics! TGN – Getty Thesaurus of Geographic NamesIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16TGM I: Subject Terms Strengths and Weaknesses! Strengths include:! Pre-defined relationships between concepts! Some lead-in vocabulary! Weaknesses include:! Syndetic relationship lacking for new terms ! Language not user-friendly! Not enough lead-in vocabulary ! Form and number of top-level categories not useful for a browse structureIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16Browsing Image Collections! Research shows:! Browsing is exploratory (Bawden)! Guided, flexible browsing in context works (Flamenco and SI Art Image Browser projects)! Our Usability studies show:! Structure is important! Contents should be easily exposed! Flexible and combinatorial browsing is desired! Browsing cultivates searchingIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16Searching Image Collections! Research shows:! Using thesaurus structure helps searching (Greenberg)! Automatic expansion of synonyms and narrower terms! User-initiated expansion of broader and related terms! Our Usability studies show:! Referencing an A-Z list with no lead-in terms for searching is NOT helpful at all! Concerns about word choice! Iterative reformulation of queries in context is desiredIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16Cushman Specifications: Browsing! Date! Genre! Subjects (hierarchical)! Access via broadest term or actual descriptors with ability to move up and down (pending user studies)! Related terms for lateral movement may also be supported (pending user studies)! Location (hierarchical)! Combination of categoriesIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16Cushman Specifications: Searching! Integrated search against BOTH “free-text” descriptions and thesaurus! Mapping from lead-in vocabulary! Retrieval of all records with narrower terms! User-initiated broadening and narrowing! Related term accessIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16Browsing Implementation! To be implemented! Hierarchical (subjects & location)! Combinatorial! Under investigation:! How do we preserve the structure, when only 1/3 of TGM I terms are used, to effectively browse the collection?! Grouping by broadest terms or assigned descriptors (transportation facilities or bridges)?! How to present results comprehensibly when narrower terms are expanded automatically?Indiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16Searching Implementation! To be implemented! Integrated search against BOTH “free-text” descriptions and thesaurus! Mapping from lead-in vocabulary! Retrieval of all records with narrower terms! Under investigation! User-initiated broadening and narrowing! Related term accessIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16Looking Forward! Strive to make our collections truly accessible even if only incrementally! Discovery of new technologies to help facilitate an integrated and user-initiated search is underway (Oracle 9.i Thesaurus Support)! Ongoing user studies to address integrated browse and search needs for Cushman and future image collections ! Defining functionality for future image repository for all IU image collectionsIndiana University Digital Library ProgramDLF 2003, May 14-16References! Bawden, D. (1993). Browsing; theory and practice. Perspective in information management, 3 (1): 71-85. ! Choi, Youngok and Rasmussen, Edie M. (2003). Searching for Images: The Analysis of Users’ Queries for Image Retrieval in American History. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 54 (6): 498-511.! Greenberg, J. (2001). Optimal QE Processing Methods with Semantically Encoded Structured Thesauri Terminology. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 52 (6): 487-498.! University of California, Berkeley: Flamenco Project --http://bailando.sims.berkeley.edu/flamenco.html! University of Michigan: SI Art Image Browser