[OMP] Use of ONIX BIC/Thema subject categories

[bozana]

There was a request to provide autosuggestion of BIC subject categories codes in OMP 3.3. and to use them in ONIX export.

The ONIX export expects the BIC subject categories and subjects are labelled as being BIC subjects in the export (though they may not be).

However, we do not use BIC for the subject field or in the controlled vocabularies (Different from the field for languages, that provides the ONIX list of languages).

Currently we have:

• the BIC codes in pkp-lib
• classes that deal with code lists.
• classes for Subject and SubjectDAO.

But it seems that these were never implemented fully.

Furthermore, BIC codes are obsolete now. According to the FAQs: BIC codes are still valid when provided in ONIX, but the recommendation is to use Thema.

For 3.5 or 3.6 (version to be confirmed), we should implement Thema for subjects.

For 3.3/3.4, we can investigate what is required to fully implement BIC, but it may not be implemented if it is considered too large. Implementing BIC in previous releases also introduces issues around migration from BIC to Thema.

[kaitlinnewson]

Since BIC is obsolete as of February 2024 (and DOAB has moved away from it as well), it would make more sense to implement Thema subject categories in the autosuggestion and Onix export.

[asmecher]

Agreed, @kaitlinnewson -- but @bozana, it looks like your initial comment was cut off; can you review?

[bozana]

Hmmm... I do not know any more what I wanted to write there, and why is it not there :smile: Else, yes, I agree that we should rather implement Thema...