Democratic Indexing: An approach to the retrieval of Fiction

Issue title: Electronic Access to Fiction

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Hidderley, Rob^a | Rafferty, Pauline^b

Affiliations: [a] School of Information Systems Management | [b] School of Information Studies, UCE in Birmingham, Perry Barr, Birmingham, UK. Tel.: 021 331 5676; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: This paper builds on work begun in the field of image indexing [5,7] and examines how an analytical framework to describe the contents of images may be extended to deal with time based materials like film and music. The indexing approach is then considered in relation to fiction. Our project evolved from an analysis of problems related to image retrieval and of solutions currently available [4]. A “levels of meanings” table has been developed by the authors and is being used as an “indexing template” for image retrieval purposes. An image database offers an opportunity to test the image retrieval innovations in a pilot study. Central to the project is the development of the concept of democratic indexing [6]. The authors argue that this concept could be used in many types of information retrieval. Democratic or user based indexing is intended for use in a dynamic retrieval system which would allow users to contribute to the indexing and retrieval process. By focusing on user interpretation, democratic indexing differs from traditional IR models which assume that retrieval mechanisms are constructed by the librarian/indexer. User groups might include newspaper journalists or researchers, but it is clear that the users would have to have something significant to gain from using the system. Users would need to feel that it is worthwhile to contribute as well as to receive. Our approach to image or pictorial information retrieval has incorporated a number of novel features: – the information which is to be recorded for each image includes descriptive cataloguing and subject indexing based on user perceptions of the image and objects within the image [4]; – the collection of user generated indexes will be used to compile a “public” index through a process which we have called “reconciliation”; and – the ability of individual users to record their private indexes offers a “democratic” approach to indexing.

DOI: 10.3233/ISU-1997-172-304

Journal: Information Services & Use, vol. 17, no. 2-3, pp. 101-109, 1997