Contents

Introduction
Vocabulary-Assisted Searching Defined
WebZ's Support for Vocabulary-Assisted Searching
Thesaurus Database
Term List
Initiating a Vocabulary-Assisted Search
Comparing Vocabulary-Assisted Searches to Browse Searches
Vocabulary-Assisted Searching Documentation

Introduction

This topic introduces you to vocabulary-assisted searching and the way in which WebZ implements it. It includes links to other topics that explain WebZ's processing flow during vocabulary-assisted searching, the configuration files that affect vocabulary-assisted searching, step-by-step procedures for enabling vocabulary-assisted searching, and a detailed look at the way in which the WebZ Out-of-the-Box Interface (OBI), version 1, demonstrates vocabulary-assisted searching.

Vocabulary-Assisted Searching Defined

Vocabulary-assisted searching uses a controlled vocabulary to improve the recall (finding more information) and precision (finding the most relevant information) of patrons' database searches. WebZ dynamically builds a list of related terms (the controlled vocabulary) for a search term entered by the patron from:

• a thesaurus database associated with the target database the patron is searching
                         OR
• a sample result set from retrieved from the target database using the Term Finder search index specified in its database configuration file

Beginning with SiteSearch 4.1, WebZ supports vocabulary-assisted searching. The WebZ OBI, version 1 demonstrates vocabulary-assisted searching for four databases with thesaurus databases (PsycFirst, ERIC, WorldCat and Medline) and a number of other citation and catalog databases without associated thesauri.

WebZ's Support for Vocabulary-Assisted Searching

WebZ allows you to enable vocabulary-assisted searching on a per-database basis in two ways:

• By linking a database to its associated thesaurus database. Patrons can enter a search term(s) and see a list of related terms that WebZ generates dynamically from the thesaurus database. They can select a term from this list to view a treelike display from the thesaurus with the target term and broader, narrower, and other associated terms. The display may include the number of references in the database for each term. The patron can search the target database using terms from the term list generated from the thesaurus or use hot links on the thesaurus tree to see a thesaurus tree for another term.
• By using term lists. For databases not associated with a thesaurus database, patrons can enter a search term(s) to view a list of related terms. WebZ builds the term list on the fly by searching for the patron's term using the database's Term Finder search index and returns the subject headings from a sample of records that meet the search criteria. The patron can search the target database using terms from this list. When a database has a thesaurus but the patron's search term does not exist in the thesaurus database, WebZ uses this method to create a term list for the patron.

At present, WebZ supports vocabulary-assisted searching only for single-database searches. You cannot enable vocabulary-assisted searching for group databases or for cross-database searches.

Thesaurus Database

One dictionary definition for a thesaurus is:

A thesaurus is stored in a database. You must configure the thesaurus database like any other WebZ database. A thesaurus database has its own database configuration file, with its own formats and indexes. If the thesaurus is not hosted locally, it also needs a database server configuration file.

There is a one-to-one relationship between a database and its thesaurus. A database can be associated with only one thesaurus. A thesaurus has been designed to work with a specific database. For example, the thesaurus database for ERIC includes terms applicable to education, the thesaurus database for PsycFirst contains terms relevant to psychology, and so on. Therefore, even though two thesauri may have terms in common, the terms may have different definitions in the context of a different subject area.

Term List

A term list is a list of unique terms from either the thesaurus's main term field or fields from database records (usually subjects) that are logically associated to the patron's search term(s). Like database search results, WebZ creates term lists in response to patrons' requests; term lists are not stored permanently in a database or its associated thesaurus database.

Initiating a Vocabulary-Assisted Search

In the OBI, version 1, a database's search screen (<WebZ_root>/htdocs/obiv1/html/search.html) contains a Term Finder tab if the database is configured for vocabulary-assisted searching. The tab bar gadget (ORG.oclc.gadgets.SearchTabbar) builds the tabs on the search screen. Patrons click the Term Finder tab to display the term finder screen (<WebZ_root>/htdocs/obiv1/html/termfindersearch.html) and begin a vocabulary-assisted search.

Comparing Vocabulary-Assisted Searches to Browse Searches

In a browse search, the patron specifies a search term and a database index to use for the search. The search results consist of an alphabetical list of terms that precede and follow the search term in the specified index. The terms displayed bear no other relationship to the search term.

With vocabulary-assisted searching, the patron specifies a search term. WebZ uses the search term in a query against the database's thesaurus (if there is one) or the database (using its Term Finder search index). The search results are list of alphabetical list of terms that are logically related to the search term. The terms come from the subject fields of records that satisfy the query.

Vocabulary-Assisted Searching Documentation

The following table lists other topics that provide more information about vocabulary-assisted searching.

See Also

Working with WebZ