College and Research Libraries Recent Publications BOOK REVIEWS Markey, Karen, Subject Access to Visual Re- sources Collections: A Model for Computer Constructions of Thematic Catalogs. New York: Greenwood, 1986. 189p. $35 (ISBN 0-313-24031-0). LC 86-7658. The subtitle describes this book, based on the author's doctoral dissertation at the University of Syracuse, much better than the title. The book deals primarily with the important problem of constructing a the- matic catalog to a collection of art works and other images, and it is not a system- atic introduction to the problems of sub- ject access to such collections. A thematic catalog to art works links elements of pri- mary or natural subject matter (preicono- graphic description)-such as "male fig- ure with knife" or "female figure with a peach in her hand'' -to elements of sec- ondary or conventional subject matter or themes, which are identified through knowledgeable interpretation (icono- graphic description)-such as "St. Bartholomew'' or ''Personification of ve- racity.'' (This distinction was elucidated most clearly by Panofsy.) Thematic catalogs for broad realms of art works exist. (Among the standard works are James Hall, Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art, 2d ed. (London: J. Murray, 1979); Percy Preston, Dictionary of Pictorial Subjects from Classical Literature (New York: Scribner, 1983); and Maurice Drake and Wilfred Drake, Saints and Their Emblems (London: T. Werner Laurie, 1916). This work is cited in the book.) They are meant t . ' .-~ : ,. .1 ·~ .• ~, , ."Ji ~ j l "t· primarily as an aid in interpreting art works. This reviewer can also imagine a sophisticated retrieval system in which art works are indexed by primary subjects (this can be done cheaply by nonexperts) yet which makes it possible to search for a theme: the system translates the theme into a combination of its primary manifes- tations and that combination is searched. To carry this thought further, consider that iconographic interpretation is a spe- cial case of the ubiquitous problem of diag- nosis, which is a prime application of ex- pert systems. A thematic catalog can thus be seen as an embryonic knowledge base for an expert system for iconographic in- terpretation. The present book emphasizes another use. Most catalogs to art collections pro- vide access by themes, allowing the user to retrieve, for example, all paintings rep- resenting St. Bartholomew. Access by pri- mary subject, as in a search for depictions of a dagger, can only be indirect, through searching for themes whose representa- tion usually involves depiction of a dag- ger, as in a painting of St. Bartholomew. A thematic catalog enables the nonexpert user to identify the themes linked to her primary subject topic. The book provides no evidence for the size of this need. In any event, as the book points out, online catalogs make it possible to provide direct access to primary subject matter, should the need warrant it. This book focuses on a method for con- 473 474 College & Research Libraries structing a thematic catalog for a specific collection. The method involves prepar- ing preiconographic descriptions of the art works using a controlled vocabulary for objects, expressions, and events depicted. Using a computer program, the descrip- tors are then clustered; a cluster contains descriptors that tend to co-occur in de- scriptions. The descriptors in each cluster are augmented by the context(s) in which they occur, and these "clusters in con- text'' are submitted to iconographers who assign a theme where possible. This infor- mation is then arranged once by primary subject and once by themes to yield a two- part thematic catalog. This method is in- teresting, but the book does not present a rationale for the method in general or for the clustering step in particular. Nor does the book discuss such alternatives as drawing on existing general thematic cata- logs and augmenting them for the collec- tion at hand or using iconographers' as- signments of themes for every art work (for many works they may already exist) and consolidating the linkages from pri- September 1988 mary subj~cts to themes that result. The example given in the instructions to the in- dexers preparing the primary subject mat- ter descriptions includes Christ as a pri- mary subject, even though Christ (as are all named persons) is a secondary subject or theme as the book itself correctly states (p.58). The book launches into the discussion of thematic catalog construction after a brief explanation of the underlying concepts of art interpretation but without providing · the overall context of subject access to im- age collections from an information re- trieval point of view. The final chapter, "Present Methods and Future Direc- tions," is meant to make up for that but does not quite succeed. Subject Access to Visual Resources Collec- tions could have gained from more careful editing: the writing is repetitive and wordy, sometimes to the point of trying the reader's patience. Clarity could also be enhanced; for example the description of the clustering algorithm is thoroughly opaque.-Dagobert Soergel, College of Li- ~==================~.Jf~~================~ Now Available Online! THE BIOSIS CONNECTION™ YOUR DIRECT LINE TO BIOSISlf - Providing life science research information with low-priced access to a growing variety of databases . 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To find out more, contact BIOSIS Marketing Section , 2100 Arch Street, Philadelphia , PA 19103-1399 USA . Or telephone toll free 1-800-523-4806 (USA except PA) ; (215) 587-4800 worldwide ; Telex 831739 ; Fax (215) 587-2016. CRL9881DL brary and Information Services, ·University of Maryland, College Park. Other Publications Baird-Lange, Lorrayne Y ., and Hildegard Schnuttgen. A Bibliography of Chaucer 1974-1985. Hamden, Conn.: Shoe String, 1988. 345p. $39.50 (ISBN 0-208-02134-5). LC 87-35157. Canadian Almanac and Directory 1988. Detroit: Gale, 1988. 1,250p. $80 (ISBN 0-7730-4742-5). A Checklist of American Imprints for 1838: Items 48673-53805. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1988. 261p. $39.50 (ISBN 0-8108-2123-0). LC 64-11784. A Checklist of American Imprints for 1938: Items 53806-59415. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1988. 291p. $42.50 (ISBN 0-8108-2124-9). LC 64-11784. Connor, Billie M., and Helene Mochedlover. Ottemiller' s Index to Plays in Collections: An Au- thor and Title Index to Plays in Collections Pub- lished Between 1900 and 1985, 7th ed. Metu- chen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1988. 576p. $42.50 (ISBN 0-8108-2081-1). LC 87-34160. Recent Publications 475 Council on Tall Buildings & Urban Habitat: Second CenturyoftheSkyscraper. New York: VanNos- trand Reinhold, 1988. 1,109p. $82.95 (ISBN 0- 442-22116-9). LC 88-5577. Cummings, Paul. Dictionary of Contemporary American Artists. New York: St. Martin's 1988. 740p. $65 (ISBN 0-312-00232-7). LC 82- 7337. Directory of Social Science Information Courses. New York: St. Martin's, 1988. 145p. $50 (ISBN 0-85496-240-9). Encyclopedia of Legal Information Sources. Detroit: Gale, 1988. 634p. $140 (ISBN 0-8103-0245-4). LC 87-25901. Federal Statistical Data Bases: A Comprehensive Catalog of Current Machine-Readable and Online Files . Phoenix, Ariz . : Oryx, 1988. 670p. $125 (ISBN 0-89774-255-9) . LC 86-42609. Keener, James P ., Principles of Applied Mathemat- ics. Redwood City, Calif.: Addison-Wesley, 1988. 576p. $48.50 (ISBN 0-201-15674-1). LC 87-18630. Knowledge Industry 200. Detroit: Gale, 1988. 421p. $250 (ISBN 0-8103-4254-5). Law Books & Serials in Print 1988. New York: Bowker, 1988. 3,220p. $425/set (ISBN 0-8352- 2413-9). Loehlein, Patricia. Management, Information Sys- tems: An Information Sourcebook. Phoenix, BAIRRM HAS IT ALL! Over 1600 meetings, plus patents, books and more! CRL9881HIA With Biological Abstracts/RRM ® (Reports, Reviews, Meetings) you'll receive 260,000 entries for 1988 from over 9,000 serials and other publications from over 100 countries. No other reference publication provides you with comprehensive coverage of symposia papers, meeting abstracts, review publications, bibliographies, research communications, books, book chapters and U.S. patents. In three easy-to-use sections-Content Summaries, Books and Meetings. 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