Teaching Documentation at Western Reserve University

Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE)

Teaching Documentation at Western Reserve University Author(s): Alan M. Rees and Tefko Saracevic Source: Journal of Education for Librarianship, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Summer, 1965), pp. 8-13 Published by: Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40321833 . Accessed: 24/01/2015 22:28 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

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at TeachingDocumentation WesternReserveUniversity ALAN M. REES and TEFKO SARACEVIC

is byno meansnewat WestINSTRUCTION in documentation in theUnited The firstcoursein documentation ernReserveUniversity. Stateswas initiatedat WesternReserveby Helen Fockein 1949. The of the Centerfor Documentationand Communication establishment Researchin 1955 as a divisionof theSchoolof LibraryScienceto conductresearchin the non-conventional approachesto the analysis,storand dissemination of recordedknowledgeprovidedthe age, retrieval, to extendand enrichthe instructional opportunity programin docuAt thattime,Dean JesseH. Sheraexpressedtheconviction mentation. thatthe experiencegainedfroma continuing researchprogramwould "enrichthecurriculum and providetheprofession withmoreadequately * trainedlibrarians." much an interdisciplinary of research, Subsequent of information, nature,in the generationand transfer systemsdesign and testing,libraryautomation, indexinglanguages,fileorganization, automaticprocessingof naturallanguagetexthas beenincreasingly reflectedin the academiccurriculum. In thismanner,a mostdesirable of graduateeducationand researchhas been achieved interpenetration withinthedocumentation curriculum. At the presenttime,this curriculum consistsof ten courseswhich are closelyarticulated withthe core programforthe M.S. in Library Science.These coursesare: Documentation, Information RetrievalSystemsPartsI and II, Information on Introduction Processing Computers, to InformationRetrievalTheory,AutomatedLanguage Processing, Rees is AssistantDirector for Research,Centerfor Documentationand CommunicationResearch,and AssistantProfessor,School of LibraryScience,Western Reserve University. Saracevic is Manager, Medical InformationResearch Project, Center for Documentationand CommunicationResearch,and Instructor,School of Library Science,WesternReserveUniversity.

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at WesternReserveUniversity TeachingDocumentation Centersand Services, Theoryof Classification, SpecializedInformation Automationof LibraryProcessesand Procedures, and Special Studies in Documentation. This paper will not describeand analyzethe total documentation This will be done at a laterdate. Insteadthe threeintrocurriculum. ductorycourseswill be discussedin some detail to illustratecourse contentand teachingmethod.These coursesare Documentationand RetrievalSystemsPartsI and II. Information 1. Content A. Documentation(3 credithours) "A surveyof the various means of recording,organizing,locating, and duplicatingresearchmaterialsin orderto make themmore easily available for the people who need them. Emphasis is divided between the larger aspects of informationstorageand retrievalsystemsand practicalmethods of documentationsuch as abstracting,preparationof literaturereviews, and indexingby both conventionaland non-conventionalmeans."

This is essentially a surveycourseintendedto acquaintthe student withthenatureand extentof thefield,itsbibliography, principalpubtrendsand thegeneralrelationship licationsand authors,significant of conventional to non-conventional to approaches indexing,classification, abstracting, searchingand dissemination. B. InformationRetrievalSystemsPart1(3 credithours) "Analysis of retrievalsystems.Review of conventionaland non-conventional means of acquisition, analysis, coding, storage, file organization, retrievaland display of information.The structureand use of indexing languages is related to computerizedand manual indexing systems.User needs and the systemsapproach.'*

Intellectualand mechanicaloperationsare surveyedwithinthe conused in experiments in autotextof a system.Researchmethodologies testand evaluationof information maticindexingand classification, fileorganization are described. retrieval systems, C. InformationRetrievalSystemsPart II (3 credithours) "Practical experience with respect to the operation of an information retrievalsystem.Componentparts of a total systemare analyzed such as acquisition,indexing,file arrangement,question analysis,search strategy, and evaluationof outputsto illustratetheirinteraction."

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JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR LIBRARIANSHIP

is provided.Each student Practicalexperienceof each sub-system is requiredto indexa numberof documents utilizingseveralindexing is for and languages assignedquestions analysisand searchingto exthe of questionsand indexinglanguages.Searchresults matching plore are analyzedand tabulatedby studentsand relatedto systemcomponentssuchas indexingdecisions,questionanalysis,and searchstrategy used. The emphasisin thiscourseis on the illustration of theoretical within the of The total framework principles operationof an practice. information retrieval is in order to illustrate theintersimulated system actionand interdependence of componentelements. 2. Method The relativeabsence of textbooksis indicativeof the difficulties involvedin the teachingof documentation. The shape and magnitude of the fieldis far fromclear so thatanytextnecessarily a represents and Texts somewhat constrained Becker subjective highly by viewpoint. and Hayes,2Bourne,8Kent,4Fairthorne,5 and Bradford8emphasize some aspectsat the expenseof others.The tools and methodology of in and on some considered as so mathematics, are, instances, linguistics of theinformation thesubstance rather than useful instruments problem for the definition and solutionof specificproblems.Moreover,the retrievaland/ordocumentabetweeninformation preciserelationship tionand librarianship is not made explicit.This is not surprising conit is that to define non-conventional without arbisidering impossible trarilyestablishingwhat is, in fact,conventional.Non-conventional techniquesare in this mannerconsideredas disjointed,phantomenfromthe essentialunityof librarianship. In no text tities,fragmented is theexpositionof co-ordinate links and and roles,thesauri, indexing, of indexinglanguagesadequatelyrelatedto the theoryof structure subjectheadingsand classification.7 At WesternReservethe attempthas been made in Documentation and Introduction to Information PartI to use availaRetrievalSystems ble textson topicswheretheseare adequatelytreatedand to supplement these readingswith appropriatearticles,reports,papers, and othermaterials.Approximately 20 readinglists have been prepared on broad topicssuch as ConventionalIndexingand SubjectAnalysis; Non-Conventional IndexingSystems;CitationIndexing;SubjectAnalysis and Subject Headings in Indexing; Problemsin Classification; Mechanizationof LibraryCatalogs; MechanizedConcordance, Word, Permutation or KWIC Indexing;Abstracting Methods;Standardization 10


at WesternReserveUniversity TeachingDocumentation in Documentation; Transmission Historyof Documentation; Recording, - National and Publicationof Research; BibliographicOrganization and International; Microforms and thePublicationof ResearchLiterature; New Methodsof Information Storageand Retrieval-General These lists contain 500 separatecitations. Readings.* approximately Studentsare encouragedto read a representative selectionof items withineach broadarea. 20 papersof a Each studentis also expectedto read approximately seminal,classicalnature.Forexample: Bush, Vannevar: As We May Think. Atlantic Monthly, 176:101-108, July 1945. Luhn, H. P.: Automatic Creation of LiteratureAbstracts.IBM Journal of Researchand Development,2:159-165, April 1958. Bar-Hillel, Yehoshua: Is InformationRetrievalApproachinga Crisis?American Documentation,14:45-48, April 1963. Maron M. £., and Kuhns, J. L.: On Relevance, ProbabilisticIndexing and InformationRetrieval.Journalof the Associationfor ComputingMachinery, 7:216-244, JulyI960. - The Science, Governmentand Information Responsibilitiesof the Technical in the of Information.A Report the Government Transfer and Community of the President's Science AdvisoryCommittee,The White House, January 10, 1963. Cleverdon, Cyril: Report on the First Stage of an Investigationinto the of Indexing Systems.Cranfield,England, September ComparativeEfficiency 1960.

InformationRetrievalSystemsPart II is essentiallya laboratory sciencesis course.A numberof documents relatingto the engineering for each student utilized to by indexing.Indexinglanguages assigned theASM-SLA Classification studentsare uniterms, (2nd, International Edition), the DDC Thesaurus (2nd edition), the EJC Thesaurus, Code. These indexinglanguages are TelegraphicAbstract-Semantic selectedto provideexamplesof a languagewithno semantic or syntactischemeutilizingco-ordinate cal control(uniterms); a classification principles(ASM-SLA); a thesaurusfor a wide spectrumof subject thesaurus fieldswithno linksand roles (DDC) ; a computer-produced for a limitednumberof subjectfieldsand usingEJC linksand roles (EJC) ; and a language with free vocabularyand links and roles ♦Thesebibliographies havebeencompiled by HelenFockeand are peritoincorporate newpublications. odically updated

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JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR LIBRARIANSHIP

(telegraphicabstract-semantic code). Experienceis providedin the of a of number manipulation storagemedia (computertapes,Uniterm coincidence cards, cards,edge-notched Keydexoptical posting punched cards.) Afterthe indexinghas been performedeach studentis assigned severalquestionsfor analysisand subsequentformulation of search real are to an and from those selected submitted Questions strategies. information center. Students analyzequestionsby negotiaoperational tionwiththeinstructors to simulatea real questionaskingsituation. of the variousindexinglanguagesis tabulatedby The performance meansof measuresdevelopedwithintheComparative SystemsLaboraReserve at With Western to University.8 tory respect tabulatedscores, studentsare asked to discuss and documentthe followingpoints: 1. Problemsinvolvedin theselectionof conceptsfroma document i.e.fthenatureof theindexingprocess. 2. Difficulties in converting fromconceptsextractedfroma documentintoindexinglanguages.To whatextentis compromise necessary in termsof generality-specificity in relationto each language?Is there an "ideal" languagefordescribing What of documents? characteristics are thepeculiardifficulties in constructing good indexinglanguages? of failuresand successin retrieval with: 3. Correlation decisions (a) Indexing b) Indexinglanguage c) Analysisof questions d) Searchstrategy employed e) Otherreasons 4. Comparativeexperiencein the manipulationof variousstorage media. 5. Rankingof the performance of the indexingsystems.Differentiatebetweenindexingsystem and indexinglanguage. The coursesdescribedare introductory in natureand are intended to bridgethegap betweenthelibrarycoreprogramand thespecialized courses offeredin information retrievaltheory,libraryautomation, and mathematical and linguisticapproachesto information problems. The coursesare also intendedto providea surveyfor thosewho do not intendto proceedfurther in thedocumentation program. The subjectmaterialcoveredextendsfromthe generationto the 12


TeachingDocumentationat WesternReserveUniversity ultimateutilizationof information and is concernedwith the total An attemptis made to acquaint of communication. scientific process students withthefactthatthereis an emerginginterdisciplinary informationscienceas well as establishedprinciplesand practicesrelating to the management of scienceinformation.9 Teachingtechniquesare both eclecticand empiricalas perhapstheymustnecessarily be in a field.10 rapidlychanging References 1. Shera,J. H.: Librarianshipin a High Key. ALA Bulletin, 50:105, Feb. 1956. 2. Becker, Joseph,and Hayes, R. M.: InformationStorage and Retrieval: Tools, Ele1963. ments,Theories.New York, Wiley-Interscience, 3. Bourne, Charles P.: Methods of InformationHandling. New York, Wiley-Interscience,1963. 4. Kent, Allen: Textbook on Mechanized InformationRetrieval. New York, WileyInterscience,1962. 5. Fairthorne,R. A.: Towards InformationRetrieval.London, Butterworth, 1961. 6. Bradford,S. C: Documentation.2nd ed. London, CrosbyLockwood, 1953. 7. Rees, Alan M.: New Bottles for Old Wine. Wilson LibraryBulletin, 38:773-779, May 1964. 8. Goffman,W., and Newill, Vaun A.: ComparativeSystemsLaboratoryTechnical Report No. 2: Methodologyfor Test and Evaluation of InformationRetrieval Systems. Center for Documentation and CommunicationResearch, School of Library Science, WesternReserveUniversity,July 1964. 9. Rees, Alan M.: "The Role of Research in the Education of Science Information Personnel." Paper presentedat an invitationalconferenceon "The Education of Science - 1964," held in Cleveland, Ohio, July 27-28, 1964. Also in A. J. InformationPersonnel Goldwyn and Alan M. Rees, eds., The Education of Science InformationPersonnel1964. Cleveland, Center for Documentationand CommunicationResearch,School of LibraryScience,WesternReserveUniversity,1965, pp. 54-60. 10. This point is discussed at some length in Alan M. Rees, "The Art of Teaching InformationScience," Paper to be presented at an American Documentation Institute Symposiumon Education for InformationScience, Airlie House, Warrenton,Virginia, September7-10, 1965.

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