The US Trade Representative (USTR) Trade Thesaurus: development, innovation and use

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Freiband, Susan J. | Burnum, Judy

Affiliations: Executive Office of the President, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20506, USA

Abstract: The background and context for the development of a trade related Thesaurus in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is described. Thesaurus construction and the approach to Thesaurus use in this government agency are discussed. During this process a strong end-user orientation has been emphasized. The online USTR Trade Thesaurus has been integrated into several different inhouse databases, including WordPerfect (WP), the USTR word processing system. A WordPerfect indexing card system permits users to assign up to five indexing terms from the Thesaurus during the normal WP exiting and saving procedure. Users may add proposed new terms directly into the system or suggest Thesaurus modifications directly online by completing an ‘add’ or ‘modify’ screen. Other options of the Thesaurus browse program are described. Thesaurus updating and maintenance are discussed. Thesaurus training has been incorporated into the overall staff training program for WordPerfect. Other Thesaurus issues are briefly noted.

DOI: 10.3233/ISU-1988-85-604

Journal: Information Services & Use, vol. 8, no. 5-6, pp. 239-248, 1988