Smart Subjects: Application Independent Subject Recommendations – Tito Sierra
2007 February 28
Smart Subjects: Application Independent Subject Recommendations – Tito Sierra
Concept
- Input – user search
- Output – A list of related library subjects
- Subject recommendation engine
Motivation
- Search log analysis
- What kinds of queries are people inserting into our search tool
- Lots of topical subject queries
- connect people to subject portal in a search environment
- Locally developed subject classification
- 100 subject notes in 12 top-level categories
- Subject influence by the university cirriculum
Smart Subject Applications
- Quick Search Integration
- Find article module
- Recommends a set of topical databases
- simple format for syndicating search results
How it Works
- Harvesting available institutional data
- Course catalog
- Course Descriptions
- Faculty Publication Repository
- Article citations
- Create text extract representation for each academic depart on campus
- Index the text extracts
- Retrieval interface queries indices
- Retrieval algorithm crosswalks academic departments to Library Subject Recommendations
Technology Used
- SWISH-E
- PHP
Strengths
- Application and collection independent
- Subject recommendations can be integrated in any library search application
- Encourages broadened, serendipitous resource discovery
Weaknesses
- False Positives
- Zero Hits
Future Plans
- Deploy new users of Smart Subject tool
- Database adviser
- article tables of contents data
- backlog of course descriptions