"The machine-readable file of subject headings"
The project provides for the support of the process of subject cataloguing of electronic records, the development of electronic catalogues of the RSAL and other art libraries, control of access points, improvement of subject cataloguing quality and efficiency, completeness and accuracy of information search. Relationship with systems of authoritative files, unification of subject search headings, creation of the trade thesaurus, relationship with the English terminological vocabulary and information exchange are also provided for.
The methods of the Russian State Art library are based on the principles, which are the basis of any subject cataloguing system. The main principles of the subject cataloguing methods are drawn up according to the recommendations and developments of the Russian National library and USA Congress Library.
In the process of the EC and DB updating, the necessity of unification of subject headings of traditional catalogues, card files with headings defining classification and indexing in electronic mode is keenly felt. The aim of the project is to create a machine-readable file of subject headings on art based on the RSAL subject catalogue and also on the embedded dictionary for automated processing.
As a result of working on the project, methods of subject headings organization was developed, and the input of them was begun. The project will enable the RSAL to create the trade headings. It will improve the quality of indexing and subject cataloguing, facilitate the user’s work with electronic resources and exclude the duplication of literature processing. The connection with the universal subject files of the Russian National library is provided for, owing to which there are prospects for national and international exchange, thorough information search and creation of corporative resources.
The absence of the trade headings on art and culture defines the novelty of the Project. The machine-readable authorized file of subject headings, which is being created, proposes its corporative use not only with the aim of exchange. It becomes possible to create a combined information product of special and universal libraries, to allocate the DB to libraries on the basis of general formats of RUSMARC, in the first place, and of machine-readable headings.
In 2005 the library came to a decision to take part in the Project “National authorized files” of the Union Catalogue of the Russian libraries in the section “Arts”.
In May, 2005, the members of the cataloguing department (T.Glazunova, the head of the department, and J.Majorova, a principal librarian of the Section of classification and subject cataloguing) trained at the seminar “National authorized files – methods of working with authorized files of subject headings and appellations of organizations of the Union Catalogue of the Russian libraries”.
To realize the Project, an integrated module for editing machine-readable authorized files (AF) was acquired in 2005. The given module for OPAC system was developed by the DIT-M firm.
The main content of the work:
1.Forming and approbation of the dictionary of subject headings.
2.Discussion and approbation of the automated list of headings on arts on the Russian and international scale.
3.Use of headings when creating EC of the RSAL in the embedded dictionary mode.
4.Unification of the headings with headings of other systems.
5.Creation of electronic version of the headings dictionary.
6.Organization of references interconnected with the headings of the Russian National library.
7.Translation of the dictionary into English for using the EC of the Russian Art libraries in the international exchange.
8.Updating and maintenance of machine-readable authorized files of subject headings.
Subject headings are formed on the basis of the work with monographic and serial editions, therefore the headings can be used both for monographic and analytic entries of magazine articles.
The input of headings in the experimental mode displayed the necessity of discussing terms of the dictionary, hierarchical structure, linguistic terminological problems at the international level, because when preparing an authorized file it is necessary to provide for the interconnection with national and international headings, without which the information exchange and competitiveness of the home information resource are impossible.
Questions of methods and practice of subject cataloguing of literature on art, problems of terminology and linguistic ensuring in universal and branch libraries, problems of machine-readable cataloguing and readers’ service were considered at the Round Table “Problems of subject cataloguing of literature on art”, held in January, 2006.
The comparison of the existent systems of subject cataloguing of literature on art with the Russian practice is of international interest.
