[WEB4LIB] RE: library jargon (was "Our usability test...")

[Karen Harker]

A pet project of mine is to build a search interface that routes keywords entered by clients through the UMLS and presents users with the best terms to use based on what they want (i.e. use the MeSH term if searching Medline; etc.).  I was hoping to get started on this in the next year or so, as we will be implementing Encompass to provide a single portal to our resources.  Since Encompass only searches the resources by keyword, it would be advantageous to our users to select the best term for the set of resources being searched.

Our current thesaurus for our resources is rather haphazard.  Based on our search logs, it does not adequately represent what our clients use.  But we've had to balance precision and specificity with time to make the resources available.  We will be examining the terms in the near future as we implement Encompass.  Given that we tend to use terms that are broader than the topic of most of our selected sites, I would like to also create a system that will map the user's query to the most appropriate term that we use (i.e. user enters "diabetes mellitus", sites with the subject "Endocrinologic disorders" are pulled).  While not very precise, I think it would be better for the user than zero hits.

Some ideas for the future :)



Karen R. Harker, MLS
UT Southwestern Medical Library
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, TX  75390-9049
214-648-1698
http://www.swmed.edu/library/

>>> "Drew, Bill" <drewwe at MORRISVILLE.EDU> 5/17/02 9:54:47 AM >>>
I will be taking a look at UT Southwestern Medical Library's page when I get
time.  I am wondering also about changing terms used in our web catalog.  I
will be looking at this any way since we are moving to Ex Libris ALEPH500 at
the end of the month.

Bill Drew



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