Using Word Clouds to Assist with Collection
DevelopmentPresented by Librarians from Florida Atlantic University:
Ethan Fenichel, E-Resources Access Management Librarian
Sunghae Ress, Digital Projects Librarian
Zach English, Collection Development Librarian
Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
FAU Student Theses and Dissertations from 2007 to current
Legacy Student ETDs 1967-2006 – currently digitizing over 4000 volumes
FAU Faculty Theses and Dissertations
Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
An example: Student ETDs
2007 to present are born digital
Currently over 1770 ETDs
Use Student ETDs to illustrate how digital
library supports ETDs
Graduation requirement
Graduate students required to write ETDs to receive their masters and doctoral degrees
Guidelines set forth by FAU Graduate College
Students upload them to digital library
How digital library supports student ETDs
creation
use
dissemination
preservation
Process Digital Library receives the manuscript and verifies that all the paperwork is in
order
The ETD is processed for FAU Digital Collections
The ETD is then submitted to the publisher, ProQuest, along with associated forms and fees for publishing
If the student’s program requires hardbound copy of the thesis/dissertation, the library submits the paper copy to the bindery for binding
Upon receipt of the bound copies from the bindery, the library sends the copies to the colleges for distribution
Technical Services catalogues the ETD
creation
use
dissemination
preservation
Graduate College
TS
Getting a Picture of User Interests Sources:
Interlibrary Loan data
Call Number analysis
Department websites/Faculty publications
Review course catalog
Anecdotal feedback
Citation analyses
Scholarly LIS literature
Interdisciplinary Research is more Common
Linear Nonlinear
“My research is on…” “And I study it by using…”
Field behavioral ecology of birds Digital signal analysis and robotics
Human brain development and function Venom from cone snails
Wildfire and drought GIS and paleo-ecological reconstruction
Computer and telecom systems Statistical analysis
Nursing workplace interactions Ethnographic study techniques
Women’s health care Qualitative phenomenology
Subject Headings and Keywords
LCSH subject headings
Weaknesses:
Can be overly limiting in the digital age
Might not include cutting-edge terminology
Benefits:
Precision
Extract concepts deemed to be of most importance
Generality
Includes over 2,000 electronic theses and dissertations by FAU faculty and students
Each thesis or dissertation is cataloged and provided with LCSH subject headings
Excel spreadsheets from Digital Library site include:
Abstracts
Titles
Author name(s)
How We Create a Word Cloud
Go to ETD Collection through FAU Libraries website
Narrow the list by a search term or facet
For example, “Symbolism in literature”
The list should be large enough to be meaningful, but not so large that interesting details don’t appear
Convert the list into an Excel spreadsheet
Copy and paste the abstracts/titles into Wordle.net (or another word cloud tool)
Consult the word cloud, and search for usage of unfamiliar/unexpected words by ‘Ctrl – F’ function in Excel
Shows contexts of how terminology is used
Research to learn more about unfamiliar concepts on the fly
Examples of other Sources for Word Clouds
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses: Includesover 6,000 FAU works
Web of Science (Thomson Reuters): Search by Organization to find over 11,000 citations of journals/proceedings/etc. from FAU authors. Use RefWorks to manage citations and abstracts from WOS.
Wordle.net
Wordle.net
Interdisciplinary Snapshot of Abstracts in ETDs: The Word Cloud (example: “Geography”)
Word Cloud of Assigned Subject Headings for “Geography”
Combination Word Cloud: Abstracts, Titles & Assigned Subject Headings
Word Cloud: Web of Science & ETDs –Abstracts, Keywords and Titles: “Sensors”
Word Cloud from WOS: Applied Mathematics faculty citations (89)
Choosing Data: LCSH vs. Keywords Overlap between LCSH and Titles, Abstracts, & Keywords
(Author-Assigned Keywords versus Library of Congress Subject Headings by C. Rockelle Strader. 2009. ALCTS LRTS 53(4))
Choosing Data: LCSH vs. Keywords Overlap between LCSH and Titles, Abstracts, & Keywords
(Author-Assigned Keywords versus Library of Congress Subject Headings by C. Rockelle Strader. ALCTS LRTS 53(4))
Catalogers & Collection Development Literary Warrant > terms comes from the literature
User Warrant > terms from the users’ searches
Good feedback loop! Subject Headings
Collection Development
Keywords vs. Subject
Headings
Catalogers Analyses
Authorities
References
FAU Digital Library (2009). Electronic theses and dissertations collection. Retrieved from https://fau.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fau%3Aelectronictheses
Florida Atlantic University Graduate College (2014). Graduate thesis and dissertation guidelines. Retrieved from http://fau.edu/graduate/forms-and-procedures/degree-completion/thesis-and-dissertation/
Classroom Clipart (2016). Retrieved from classroomclipart.com
Tina Gross and Arlene G. Taylor, "“What Have We Got to Lose? The Effect of Controlled Vocabulary on Keyword Searching Results,”," College & Research Libraries (May 2005) 66, no. 3: 212–30.)
C. Rockelle Strader. Author-Assigned Keywords versus Library of Congress Subject Headings ALCTS LRTS 53(4))
