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National Library News |
By Michel Fournier,
Université Laval Library
Documentation published throughout the centuries reflects various facets of human thought. The topics broached are as varied as the terms used to describe them.
In an effort to help library users find a work (or works) on a certain topic when they do not know its title or author, librarians have designed classification systems and lists of subject headings. The Répertoire de vedettes-matière (RVM) is an encyclopedic thesaurus used by many librarians and documentation centres to index headings and facilitate access to documents. It was developed by a team at the Université Laval Library, and is based on the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), Canadian Subject Headings (CSH), and other more specialized lists.
Owing to the continual evolution of knowledge, it is necessary to integrate new concepts into the RVM and consequently, to change certain headings as language continues to evolve. The RVM draws its inspiration from new headings and is updated based on lists of changes implemented by the Library of Congress in the LCSH and also, in response to the needs expressed by cataloguers as they complete their indexing.
The subject headings found in these catalogues are the result of the application of the RVM and of the combinations of concepts it creates through the use of subdivisions by subject and format, as well as according to chronology and geography. Each subject heading assigned to a work normally corresponds to the most commonly used term or expression. Synonymous or quasi-synonymous terms and expressions are referred to via a "see" reference in the identified heading. This control over vocabulary allows the library user to locate documents on a sought topic.
Even if authors have used terms or expressions that vary, the user should find the documents under the same subject. For example, books published on the ruffled grouse, commonly known as the Canadian partridge or partridge (ruffled grouse), are found under the Gélinotte huppée heading. The "see" references (prefixed by "EP" in RVM), specifically the rejected French terms for partridge and Canadian partridge (ruffled grouse) guide the user to the correct heading.
Gélinotte huppée
To expand on what we have just explained, the following information includes specific examples. Most of the RVM headings comprise a network of specific terms (TS), associated terms (TA), generic terms (TG) and rejected terms (EP). These associations facilitate research by allowing the user to proceed to a related subject, as required. This is illustrated by the following examples:
Autochtones -- Canada
Through this example, the user can see that the Autochtone -- Canada heading for Natives peoples in Canada leads to the different groups of Natives, and that if he or she is looking for works on one of these groups, the group name should be used in the search, for example, Inuit -- Canada. Works on the Rebellion in Lower Canada and Upper Canada in 1837-1838 were grouped under the following subject heading:
Canada -- Histoire -- 1837-1838 (Rébellion)
Hence, even if a user is very familiar with the subject "rébellion des partiotes", using the "see" (i.e. EP) reference, he or she will easily be able to find the sought works.
The use of the RVM by Canadian libraries proves to be an effective tool for locating subjects and bridging the gap between the user and collections. Moreover, the link between the French and English headings that exists in the RVM notices, whether originating from the LCSH or the CSH, allows the user to switch easily from one language to the other, or to conduct both English and French searches at libraries which offer bilingual services.
RVM is available on microfiche, CD-ROM, FTP files and directly from the database on the Web. The Université Laval Library ensures the development, distribution and financing of the RVM. The National Library of Canada cooperates with the Université Laval Library and has contributed to the financing of RVM for the past 23 years.