College and Research Libraries


Efficiency of Indexing 
Systems 
ASLIB Cranfield Research Project, Report 

on the First Stage of an Investigation into 
the Comparative Efficiency of Indexing 
Systems. By Cyril W. Cleverdon, Cranfield, 
England, College of Aeronautics, 1960. 166 
P-

In 1957, the British National Science 
Foundation awarded a grant to ASLIB (Asso-
ciation of Special Libraries and Information 
Bureaux) to study the comparative efficiency 
of four indexing systems. T h e indexing sys-
tems selected were the Universal Decimal 
Classification, an alphabetic subject catalog, 
a faceted classification scheme, and a Uni-
term system of coordinate indexing. This 
report covers the first phase of this study, the 
indexing of eighteen thousand journal arti-
cles and reports in the field of aeronautics. 
T w o other variables were also selected foi 
this experiment: the training of the indexer 
(whether technical knowledge of the subject 
but no indexing experience, indexing experi-
ence in the subject field, indexing experience 
in another subject field, or theoretical knowl-
edge of indexing) and time allotted for in-
dexing a document. 

T h e detailed discussion of problems en-
countered in indexing should be required 
(though not easy) reading for anyone in-
volved with installing or revising indexing 
systems. T h e U.D.C., faceted classification 
system, and alphabetic subject catalog are 
discussed extensively. T h e alphabetic subject 
catalog, for example, is discussed in terms 
of cross references, structure, relationship 
among component parts, word order, and 
specificity of subject headings. Cleverdon's 
decision on one of these points, the indica-
tion of relationships among component parts 
of a subject heading, warrants further dis-
cussion. This point can best be illustrated 
with an example. If the subject of missiles 
controlled by gyroscopes were to be indexed, 
subject headings with and without indica-
tions of relationships among the subject 
heading's component parts would be: 

Missiles—controlled by—gyroscopes (with 
relationships) 

Missiles—gyroscopes (without relation-
ships). 

T h e recent history of indexing systems is 
not without its paradoxes. Advocates of tra-
ditional indexing systems have cited as one 
of their systems' advantages the fact that 
relationships among component parts of the 
index entry can be brought out. In recent 
years attempts have been made to bring out 
relationships among concepts in coordinate 
indexing systems, thereby reducing the co-
ordinate index's false drops (though also its 
flexibility). In this study Cleverdon decided 
to omit indications of relationships among 
component parts of the alphabetic subject 
headings in view of the difficulties involved. 
Whether an indication of relationships is 
required in either traditional or coordinate 
index entries will be answered at least in 
part in the second step of the study, the 
testing of the indexes with 1600 questions. 

While merits and faults of indexing sys-
tems are reported on at great length, com-
parative studies of indexing systems based 
on experimental work are rare. Cleverdon's 
work is such a study and is a real contribu-
tion to our knowledge of the subject.—Ger-
ald Jahoda, Esso Research and Engineering 
Company, Linden, N. J. 

Guide to Art 
Guide to Art Reference Books. By Mary W . 

Chamberlin. Chicago: ALA, 1959. xiv, 
418p. $10.00. 

Until the appearance of this excellent 
guide neither the librarian nor the student 
working in the burgeoning field of art his-
tory had available a satisfactory English-
language tool for finding the basic reference 
books and sources on the subject. 

Mary Chamberlin, fine arts librarian a l 
Columbia University, has surveyed the tre-
mendous volume of literature in the field 
and skillfully selected a large core of titles 
that will help both the beginner and the 
advanced scholar locate authoritative infor-
mation and materials. Her selection is based 
not only on long experience in art reference 
work during which she could observe actual 
use of the titles, but also on extensive per-
sonal use of American and European art 
libraries and on consultation with a consid-
erable number of distinguished specialists. 
Her interpretation of the term reference 
books is a broacl one and ranges all the way 

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