Subject Indexing

[rosselton]

Summary

As for how images have been subject indexed, we have tried to satisfy the needs of those interested in them by striking a balance between the general and the specific. At one extreme there are general categories like ‘political propaganda’; at the other, specific details like ‘locks and keys’, or ‘sword fights’. But we have also tried to do justice to intermediate levels such as ‘conspiracy’ or ‘faction’. All this means that those who consult the interface can search for any topic that interests them either simply by entering a topic (which is automatically ‘translated’ to the preferred terminology if appropriate), or by browsing – by accessing the subject index with its hierarchies from the general to the specific, and locating the area that interests them -- or by a mixture of the two. The intention is not only to facilitate specific searching, but also, like all good iconographic systems, to encourage users to interrogate adjacent entries through which they are likely to find related material and topics of which they would otherwise have been unaware.

The main headings are as follows:

Agriculture, industry and commerce Society Buildings Learning and the arts Nature Places Human being Military and war Politics Religion and belief Bible Mythology Ideas and concepts Within these, users can follow the subject tree and locate subcategories as appropriate. For example: Society – Family – Marriage – Royal weddings. Alternatively, an alphabetical index of all subject entries is available; there is also a facility to enter a subject keyword.

What needs to be done?

This needs to be understood by the developer.

Who can help?

Adam Morton

Which user story does this task relate to?

2

[rosselton]

Subject information that can be used for searching lives in multiple tables including: bm_alias_as_name_full, subjectIndex, bm_alis_as_event and al_name.

[rosselton]

Complete