Playing Tag: Cataloging by the Crowd Elizabeth B. Thomsen Member Services Manager NOBLE: North of Boston Library Exchange [email_address]

Elizabeth B. Thomsen

Member Services Manager

NOBLE: North of Boston Library Exchange

[email_address]

Traditional Taxonomy "A Place for Everything, and Everything in Its Place" Shelf-oriented: We have to decide the primary subject for a work so we can put it somewhere There’s always a top-down hierarchy

"A Place for Everything, and Everything in Its Place"

Shelf-oriented: We have to decide the primary subject for a work so we can put it somewhere

There’s always a top-down hierarchy

Catalogers We strive for logic, order and consistency We provide access through authorized headings, controlled vocabulary and properly-constructed Library of Congress Subject Headings Learn the system, and then apply it to all new material

We strive for logic, order and consistency

We provide access through authorized headings, controlled vocabulary and properly-constructed Library of Congress Subject Headings

Learn the system, and then apply it to all new material

Not So Simple Many works are about more than one thing Many subjects are “point up” to two or more higher subjects Any decision is wrong for some of your users We mitigate by adding links and pointers: See and See Also references, added entries, keyword searching, etc.

Many works are about more than one thing

Many subjects are “point up” to two or more higher subjects

Any decision is wrong for some of your users

We mitigate by adding links and pointers: See and See Also references, added entries, keyword searching, etc.

Wikipedia Cataloging issues: establish a subject, redirect users from other terms A simple redirect can take users from the unauthorized term to the one being used

Cataloging issues: establish a subject, redirect users from other terms

A simple redirect can take users from the unauthorized term to the one being used

Disambiguation Pages Used when a subject has more than one meaning, including topics, geographic and personal names Disambiguation pages have organized, annotated lists of all the different topics using the same term Death Penalty

Used when a subject has more than one meaning, including topics, geographic and personal names

Disambiguation pages have organized, annotated lists of all the different topics using the same term

Death Penalty

Two Paths to Disambiguation Best Guess: If there is one article that is the most likely, Wikipedia will redirect the user to that article, but offer a link to the disambiguation page User Must Choose: If there is no most likely article, the user must choose Van Gogh | Mercury

Best Guess: If there is one article that is the most likely, Wikipedia will redirect the user to that article, but offer a link to the disambiguation page

User Must Choose: If there is no most likely article, the user must choose

Van Gogh | Mercury

Flickr Photosharing site Members tag their photos for their own convenience, but also to share them Members may allow others to add tags Groups use tags to create galleries Many informal games and projects use tags

Photosharing site

Members tag their photos for their own convenience, but also to share them

Members may allow others to add tags

Groups use tags to create galleries

Many informal games and projects use tags

Flickr Tags Most common tags: subjects and places Other tags: medium, technical details, mood, color, geotagging No synonym control Informal rules tend to develop at all levels Many members use multiple tags for the same concept: mass and massachusetts

Most common tags: subjects and places

Other tags: medium, technical details, mood, color, geotagging

No synonym control

Informal rules tend to develop at all levels

Many members use multiple tags for the same concept: mass and massachusetts

How Useful are Flickr Tags Aboutness more difficult to determine for photographs than text Place names: tag all by place taken, or use only when the place is significant? Use hierarchy for place names? What about tags like “me” and “cute”?

Aboutness more difficult to determine for photographs than text

Place names: tag all by place taken, or use only when the place is significant? Use hierarchy for place names?

What about tags like “me” and “cute”?

Flickr Examples Flickr Current Tags – This is the main tags page, with the most popular tags from the past few days, plus all the most popular tags My Tag Cloud – A member’s tag cloud Boston | Boston Clusters | Cute Clusters

Flickr Current Tags – This is the main tags page, with the most popular tags from the past few days, plus all the most popular tags

My Tag Cloud – A member’s tag cloud

Boston | Boston Clusters | Cute Clusters

Flickr: Exploration Flickr tags are useful for exploration and discovery You can’t find everything, and probably wouldn’t want to Tags have to be seen in context: groups, projects, contacts, clustering, interestingness, etc. Flickr search is weak

Flickr tags are useful for exploration and discovery

You can’t find everything, and probably wouldn’t want to

Tags have to be seen in context: groups, projects, contacts, clustering, interestingness, etc.

Flickr search is weak

del.icio.us Social bookmarking site Members save things here for their own use, share them and get recommendations Members tag items for their own convenience, but also to share and find additional resources

Social bookmarking site

Members save things here for their own use, share them and get recommendations

Members tag items for their own convenience, but also to share and find additional resources

del.icio.us Tag Features Recommend: When you tag an item, the system presents recommended tags based on what other people have used, one click to add those. Tends to reduce synonym and spelling errors Tag bundles: Members can create sets of related tags for their own use, adds a little hierarchy and organization

Recommend: When you tag an item, the system presents recommended tags based on what other people have used, one click to add those. Tends to reduce synonym and spelling errors

Tag bundles: Members can create sets of related tags for their own use, adds a little hierarchy and organization

del.icio.us Examples del.icio.us Main Page Main Tag Display Most Popular Tags Display of tag: opensource

del.icio.us Main Page

Main Tag Display

Most Popular Tags

Display of tag: opensource

CiteULike Academic social bookmarking site Similar to del.icio.us, Furl and others Members tag citations for articles, books, websites, etc. Broad folksonomy : Many people tagging the same citations CiteULike

Academic social bookmarking site

Similar to del.icio.us, Furl and others

Members tag citations for articles, books, websites, etc.

Broad folksonomy : Many people tagging the same citations

CiteULike

LibraryThing Social cataloging system for books Members catalog their personal book collections; can also be used for small organization libraries, booklists, etc. Imports cataloging from LC, Amazon and other sources Members add tags to books in their collection

Social cataloging system for books

Members catalog their personal book collections; can also be used for small organization libraries, booklists, etc.

Imports cataloging from LC, Amazon and other sources

Members add tags to books in their collection

LibraryThing Tags Members use tags for all sorts of things: subjects, genre, theme, location, gift notes, and designations like tbr (to be read) Tags are used to organize the member’s collection, and for exploration of the site as a whole

Members use tags for all sorts of things: subjects, genre, theme, location, gift notes, and designations like tbr (to be read)

Tags are used to organize the member’s collection, and for exploration of the site as a whole

LibraryThing Synonyms LibraryThing allows premium members to link duplicate tags Only affects the global view of the tags, not the actual tags Only true duplicates should be linked Linking is noted, and can be undone

LibraryThing allows premium members to link duplicate tags

Only affects the global view of the tags, not the actual tags

Only true duplicates should be linked

Linking is noted, and can be undone

LibraryThing Tag Examples Tag Cloud Author Cloud Zeitgeist Selected Tag: Complexity Synonyms: Cooking Tag Combining: Recipes

Tag Cloud

Author Cloud

Zeitgeist

Selected Tag: Complexity

Synonyms: Cooking

Tag Combining: Recipes

Future Directions More recommended tags based on tags on the same or similar works; the users own tags, etc. More spelling help: “Did you mean…” More synonym control for searching, as in LibraryThing Use of algorithms to assist in synonym control Translation tools for tag searching Private tags

More recommended tags based on tags on the same or similar works; the users own tags, etc.

More spelling help: “Did you mean…”

More synonym control for searching, as in LibraryThing

Use of algorithms to assist in synonym control

Translation tools for tag searching

Private tags

Library Catalog Ideas Use LibraryThing or something similar to allow library members to create and share their own tagged collections of titles. Allow members to determine their own privacy settings for sharing lists. Include a real name option, like Amazon Integrate social information into the catalog as an option

Use LibraryThing or something similar to allow library members to create and share their own tagged collections of titles.

Allow members to determine their own privacy settings for sharing lists. Include a real name option, like Amazon

Integrate social information into the catalog as an option

Library Ideas, Cont’d Encourage vendors to incorporate social bookmarking features into their personalization options Add tag searching as an option Harvest information from the social software for collection development, as website content, etc.

Encourage vendors to incorporate social bookmarking features into their personalization options

Add tag searching as an option

Harvest information from the social software for collection development, as website content, etc.

Questions? Elizabeth Thomsen [email_address]

Elizabeth Thomsen

[email_address]