Classification from PRECIS: Some possibilities

Abstract

The PREserved Context Index System (PRECIS) developed for subject indexing for the British National Bibliography is discussed as a basis for various studies relating to classification which could be made from its initial phrases, strings, entries and back‐up structure. Specific possibilities include use of methodologies such as Goffman's “indirect method,” Fox's “characterization” of rules, derivation of empirical hyperbolic distributions, and lognormal distributions. The relationship of existing methods of subject analysis to each other through PRECIS is explored. Brief samples are included.

Knowledge organization trends in library and information studies: a preliminary comparison of the pre- and post-web eras

“…Another study looked at the need to provide more terms when indexing an object as this would enhance the user's chance of retrieval [120]. Devices, such as PRECIS (PREserved Context Index System) were also designed in order to help improve the subject indexing process at the British National Bibliography [121].…”

PRECIS; its Theory and Application — an Extended State-of-the-Art Review from the Beginning up to 1982

“…It is because, PRECIS has made more of an advance than has any other system of subject retrieval during such a short span of its existence (18). Richmond (69) has opened up a new line of research by showing that PRECIS could be used •as the basis for various studies relating to classification. As a result, a number of both English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries (74) including Canada (73), North-America (49,92), Denmark (51) and India (87) are making efforts in adopting PRECIS at the national level.…”

Queues and Reference Service: Some Implications for Staffing

“…to analyze the extent to which queues develop at a reference desk during peak periods, (2) to propose alternative staffing models to reduce queues, and (3) through the use of a costeffectiveness formula to examine the merits of the proposed alternatives.…”

“…These techniques, developed in business, industry, and science, have been widely used in such library areas as circulation, 1 library administration, 2 and technical services. 3 This particular case attempts to evaluate or "measure" reference services beyond the compilation of "reference statistics" that emphasize the evaluation of past performance or defend the value of a reference service. 4 The emphasis here is on present services and staffing requirements for optimizing that service within the budgetary constraints of a particular library.…”