Content area
A model based on strikingly different philosophical as sumptions from those currently popular is proposed for the design of online subject catalog access. Three de sign principles are presented and discussed: uncer tainty (subject indexing is indeterminate and probabilis tic beyond a certain point), variety (by Ashby's law of requisite variety, variety of searcher query must equal variety of document indexing), and complexity (the search process, particularly during the entry and orien- tation phases, is subtler and more complex, on several grounds, than current models assume). Design features presented are an access phase, including entry and ori- entation, a hunting phase, and a selectfon phase. An end-user thesaurus and a front-end system mind are presented as examples of online catalog system com- ponents to improve searcher success during entry and orientation.
The proposed model is "wrapped around" existing Library of Congress subject-heading indexing in such a way as to enhance access greatly without requiring reindexing. It is argued that both for cost reasons and in principle this is a superior approach to other design phi- losophies.
Details
Subject indexing;
Principles;
Card catalogs;
Semiotics;
On-line systems;
Technical services;
Thesauri;
Information seeking behavior;
Design;
Library materials;
Indexing;
Complexity;
Hunting;
Library catalogs;
Access to materials;
Catalogs;
Library associations;
Subject heading schemes;
Reference services;
Library of Congress Subject Headings;
Alliances;
Internet;
Access