Animated Subject Maps for Book Collections

Authors

  • Tim Donahue Montana State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v32i2.2892

Abstract

Of our two primary textual formats, articles by far have received the most fiscal and technological support in recent decades. Meanwhile, our more traditional format, the book, seems in some ways to already be treated as a languishing symbol of the past. The development of OPACs and the abandonment of card catalogs in the Eighties and Nineties is the seminal evolution in print monograph access, but little else has changed. To help users locate books by call number and browse the collection by subject, animated subject maps were created. While the initial aim is a practical one, helping users to locate books and subjects, the subject maps also reveal the knowledge organization of the physical library, which it displays in a way that can be meaningful to faculty, students, and other community members. We can do more with current technologies to assist and enrich the experience of users searching and browsing for books. The subject map is hopefully an example of how we can do more in this regard.

Author Biography

Tim Donahue, Montana State University

Instruction Librarian

Assistant Professor

References

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Yi, Kwan and Lois Mai Chan. "Linking Folksonomy to Library of Congress Subject Headings: An Exploratory Study." Journal of Documentation 65, no. 6 (2009): 872-900. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=0022-0418&volume=65&issue=6&articleid=1823651&show=html

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ALA Library Fact Sheet 1,” http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet01 (accessed November 8, 2013).

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Downloads

Published

2013-06-10

How to Cite

Donahue, T. (2013). Animated Subject Maps for Book Collections. Information Technology and Libraries, 32(2), 7–17. https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v32i2.2892

Issue

Section

Articles