Hi Melissa,

Here at Edinburgh University Library we are describing to item level and
using the <controlaccess> tag at every level used. Inside <controlaccess>
we record <persname>, <geogname>, <subject> and <corpname>. This
decision was taken to enable structured searches of entire collections and
cross-searches with other collections. We find this particularly useful for
collections of correspondence, as this level of indexing makes it possible to
identify relationships between people in the structured search. For scientific
material, which has been the focus of our cataloguing efforts to date,
subject indexing at every level helps identify where certain developments
were taking place. It also means that users undertaking a structured
search have access to the whole collection described, not just the higher
levels of description.

However, as you identify it is a lot of work and indexing seems to take up
an increasing amount of time. Every name or subject used has to be
tracked as an authority file, and allocated a unique reference number for the
"authfilenumber" attribute. We have been tracking these using databases,
but as the amount of authority information grows, and new projects start,
we are starting to look at less time consuming methods.

Quite a high percentage of time is spent indexing, however we believe it is
worth it for the enhanced access our users have to our collections.

You can see the results of structured searches across all levels and
different collections on the Navigational Aids for the History of Science
Technology and the Environment Project (NAHSTE) website

www.nahste.ac.uk

Sarah Higgins

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Sarah Higgins
Archivist
Rebuilding the City: the Percy Johnson-Marshall Collection
Edinburgh University Library Special Collections Division
George Square
Edinburgh
EH8 9LJ

Telephone: 0131 650 6824
http://www.johnson-marshall.lib.ed.ac.uk

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