Knowledge Organization of the Universal Decimal Classification new solutions, userfriendly methods f

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Knowledge Organization of the Universal Decimal
Classification new solutions, userfriendly
methods from HungaryHajdu Barát, Ágnes
University of Szeged, Hungary

• London 13-16 July -2004

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Introduction

• The use of classical classification methods are a
  strong tradition in Hungary.
• One of the most wide-spread systems is the
  Universal Decimal Classification (UDC).
• Naturally there are the other information
  retrieval languages, too (subject system, own
  thesaurus,etc.).

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The question

• To what do we owe such a variety of approaches?
  The typical answer of 15-20 years ago was that
  the UDC lacked flexibility, its codes could not
  readily be used in integrated library systems,
  its terms were out of date and not concrete
  enoughetc.

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The answers of these challenges of electronic age
1.

• The solution of this paradox should came from
  different part of the knowledge organization
• The UDC is transformed year by year. This
  metamorphosis concerns the structure, the
  hierarchical levels, the usage, keeping up-to
  date
• The UDC became easier to use in an automated and
  digital, online environment. Use of the Master
  Reference File takes the edition and practice
  work into modernity.
• Create a complex system with a homogeneous,
  theoretical conception. This would be a new
  challenge for the specialists.

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The answers of these challenges of electronic age
2.

• There are two possibilities to establish new
  information retrieval language dictionaries or to
  transform and reconstruct the existing systems
  according to the latest needs.
• The MÁTrIkSz (Hungarian Comprehensive Information
  Retrieval Language Dictionary) project aimed at
  this second goal in the National Széchényi
  Library. http//www.matriksz.hu

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The UDC

• These as well as other possibilities are
  available in the OPAC of the Hungarian National
  Library, but the UDC codes are not well-used. How
  can we ensure that the traditional and
  non-traditional information retrieval languages
  are more frequently used?

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The UDC in Hungary 1.

• History
• - Mandello Gyula brought the Dewey Decimal
  Classification to Otlet and La Fontaines
  attention (1893).
• 1893 Gyalui Farkas was charged with the
  translating the UDC.
• Szabó Ervin was who introduced the UDC system in
  Hungary (1900).

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The UDC in Hungary 2.

• Widespread. In consequence of Szabó Ervins
  activity the librarians knew and used the UDC
  very early, and most of libraries use it.
• Hungarian National Library bought the UDC MRF at
  1996. Since this date the adaptation has done
  until this year. The new Hungarian edition will
  appear by this June or July.

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Discussion about UDC 1.

• What are the problems in the information
  retrieval of the UDC codes?
• Most of the librarians felt the significance and
  importance of the Hungarian UDC traditional
  information system.
• Their responses showed that they know the UDC
  structure and how its usage ensures quality of
  results.
• However, they report not finding this quality
  difference in the OPAC and other electronic
  environments.

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Discussion about UDC 2.

• ? Software vendors have not incorporated all
  levels of the classification hierarchy into the
  integrated library systems. For instance, if we
  are looking for the 63 Agriculture, the hits show
  only the records with the 63 codes accurately.
  Hit lists exclude 630 Forestry, 631 Agronomy,636
  Animal Husbandry.

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Advantages of UDC

• Universal system
• Well-developed hierarchies
• Meaningful notation
• Rich network of relationships
• Well-defined categories
• Standardization
• Traditions in the libraries
• Nice

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Questions from the mailing list

• Are there any methods that can search in a
  hierarchy and can change levels easily?
• Will the UDC codes become more user-friendly?
• Can we see and find the powerful structure of UDC
  in the OPACs or other electronic environments?
• Should UDC codes become non-terminal scores, and
  the structure show the way of retrieval?

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Minimum expectations

• Users should navigate easily and unequivocally in
  permanently variable circumstances.
• Users and not only librarians should be enabled
  to work and search with UDC codes.
• The expertise, craft, knowledge, practice of
  librarians, professionals and scientists should
  remain important in the UDC system and UDC MRF,
  because they are our common cultural heritage.

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Chanche in the technology

• Combining the UDC codes and the Totalzoom
  technology is an obvious prospect, because it
  would be able to map and show the hierarchy,
  tables, codes, common and special auxiliaries
  spatially. This method not only manages the UDC
  codes in the OPACs, but it can also integrate
  other structured databases, especially
  hierarchically structured ones.

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The search model

• The search model usually consists of two
  elements
• Database, which includes the searched object
  (sequential and hierarchical search methods),
• Search method, which points at the object in the
  database (sequential and hierarchical search
  methods).

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The change of aspect in Totalzoom Technology 1.

• Based on those mentioned above, the task should
  be, of course, no less than the creation of a
  system, in which striving for complexity is not
  restricted neither in the number of processable
  objects, nor in functionality, i.e., their
  searchability.
• Totalzoom Technology starts out from a
  multi-structured data model a network, whose
  independent parts are hierarchical. It puts an
  end to the differentiation between descriptors
  and objects. All objects are equal within it,
  which tackles redundancy.

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The change of aspect in Totalzoom Technology 2.

• The defined demand has only become feasible with
  the definition of the informational space as its
  being an abstract mathematical space. The name of
  the mathematical model of the informational space
  is amorphous space.
• In the static hierarchical data model, the way
  from the starting abstract idea to the
  destination object goes along an individual
  logical edge.

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The change of aspect in Totalzoom Technology 3.

• Let us search, for example, those companies
  dealing with electrotechnics, whose headquarters
  are in a named city.

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The change of aspect in Totalzoom Technology 4.

• The edges as structured descriptors are able to
  specify the set of results, which can be
  interpreted as a set of publishings.
• As the aim of the application of the whole
  procedure is to find the set of results, that is
  the publishings, it is worth taking into
  consideration another aspect offered by the
  amorphous space that describes the publishing.
  It is the author of the publishing as the
  descriptor of the publishing.
• At the same time the author who/that can be
  either well known or not can be searched for in
  another structure with different descriptors and
  between the two structures (the structure of the
  author and the publishing) a clear correlation
  can be created.

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The change of aspect in Totalzoom Technology 5.

• The reduction of the author and the publishing
  gives us the following result

Ethnic Subdivision,
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The change of aspect in Totalzoom Technology 6.

• As it can be seen it is possible to explore the
  relations of all specifiable objects and
  descriptors from all directions. It means both
  global and regional transparency and the way
  through of the informational space.

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Multi-structured topography 1.

• pre-processing prevails in the creation of its
  hierarchy, as a result of which expert works
  precedes the search process, thus the search
  process does not require any qualification
• it preserves the gravitating vector field
  feature, characteristic of static hierarchies,
  which is the basis of fast search
• the logical connection of hierarchical
  sub-systems makes any sort of logical attachment
  of objects possible, so the search option suiting
  graded conditions is realised, which can be seen
  in sequential search models

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Multi-structured topography 2.

• as a further consequence of the superposition of
  subsystems, the possibility of total system
  complexity is created
• the handling and perspicuity of the complex
  system is guaranteed by an index-like
  hyperstructure.

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Change of aspect in the search method 1.

• The whole informational space can be mapped into
  a multi-structured, basically hierarchical vector
  space.
• The gravitating feature of the space and the
  opportunity of orientation by direct aspect.

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Change of aspect in the search method 2.

• As a result, the whole informational space can be
  made visible in the form of virtual reality.
• The search in the informational space can be
  transformed to movement, (i.e., searching) in
  virtual reality.

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Working on the Internet
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Conclusion 1.

• Further accessory consequences of this
  technologys change of aspect
• Concentration of knowledge,
• Good tool to visualise the UDC system and codes,
• Independence of language,
• The handling of synonyms and conjugated forms
• The associative feature,
• Data mining, hidden correspondences,
• Roaming in the informational space.

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Conclusion 2.

• To the question How much is this different from
  other search engines?, the answer is very
  different. In fact, it is another world.

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Thank you for your attention
hajdu_at_jgytf.u-szeged.hu