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<h3>What is a Master Information Type? What is a Master Subject?</h3> |
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In the library world there are many, many different types of information. From encyclopedias |
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to maps, field guides to catalogs, the list is seemingly endless. The authors of LibData carefully |
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considered this reality when designing the system, hoping that they could categorize all these |
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different information types, allow for the easy addition of new information types, and allow for |
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the easy selection of information types when adding new resources. |
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The "Master Information Type" is the result of this effort. Let's say, for example, that you want |
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to add a new article index to the database. Rather than wade through 50 or more information types |
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before you came upon the correct one for your index, you could select "Periodical Indexes" at the |
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beginning and have the system limit your potential information types to only those that have to do |
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with Periodical Indexes. The other "Master Information Types" work the same way and allow the user |
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to limit the potential number of pertinent information types for his/her new resource. |
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The second problem the authors of LibData tried to alleviate is the problem of subject specific |
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information types. One example is Spectra. Spectra, and all its varieties, is an important |
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information type for science and engineering, but obviously not important in the humanities. Why |
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should users entering resources for the humanities have to see this information type? And why |
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should those in science and engineering have to see humanities specific information types? |
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The "Master Subject" is our attempt at alleviating this problem. The "Master Subject" designation |
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allows us to add very subject specific information types without cluttering up the system for users |
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that will never need those information types. Now, when a user knows he or she is adding a Spectra |
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resource, he or she will first select "Science and Engineering" from the "Master Subject" list to |
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be shown those information types, as well as all the standard information types. The |
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"Master Subject" concept will also allow us to add many new information types that we may have |
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rejected since we can keep subject specific information types sequestered from those users that |
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will never use them. |
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