Hello All,

Sarah Currier wrote:

> Hi Lynn et al.,
>
> Lynn's request re classification schemes for construction is the sort of
> discussion Phil intends to take place on the new LOM-CATALOGUING list he
> just announced. However, before that list gets properly under way, and
> to give people the idea of the kind of thing that is required in
> questions like this, I thought I'd send my response to Lynn to this list.
>
This is exactly the sort of question I had in mind, and there are all
already people on the lom-catalogiung list who aren't on the cetis-metadata
list which I why I'm cross posting this reply. The original post is at the
end of this message. (But be warned/re-assured cross posting between the
two lists isn't something I will encourage once the lom-cataloguing list is
fully up and running!)

> I have assumed that Phil replied off-list to Lynn about this based on
> his experience with FAILTE and EEVL, both engineering related services
> which catalogue resources. I would also recommend that Lynn seek advice
> from EEVL about relevant classification schemes, and from any academic
> or college librarian she can get in touch with locally where there is a
> construction, building or engineering dept. or faculty or course.
>
I didn't reply off list, I was waiting to see if someone else would send
that information for me (thanks Sarah!) The EEVL classification is a subset
of the Ei Thesaurus, so while the EEVL browse tree doesn't contain many
terms for construction presumably there are other narrower terms in Ei
which EEVL don't use. There are folk from EEVL on the LOM-cataloguing list,
I'm sure they'll tell me if Im wrong!

Phil.

> When she sent her request, I immediately sent an email to LIS-LINK, the
> JISCMAIL list for librarians across the UK. This list has 1000's of
> subscribers and you are always guaranteed to get a very helpful response.
>
> Responses were:
>
> 1. Someone referred me to a classification scheme called Classification
> for Building or CfB. There was no further information given but a quick
> Google seemed to indicate they were refering to the ASTM standard:
> "E1557-02 Standard Classification for Building Elements and Related
> Sitework-UNIFORMAT II". Scope notes etc. are given at:
> http://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/DATABASE.CART/REDLINE_PAGES/E1557.htm?L+mystore+mrhi4444
> However, this does not appear to be a classification scheme of the type
> used to classify information or learning resources.
>
> 2. An academic subject librarian said: "There are a couple of
> classification schemes in use. The first is a new one, Uniclass - the
> web page:
> http://www.productioninformation.org/Uniclass.html gives more detail.
> The second ... is the CI/SfB construction indexing manual / (edited by)
> Alan Ray-Jones and
> David C. - 3rd revised ed. - London : RIBA Publications, 1976. -
> 0900630515 (copied from our catalogue). It was a complicated,
> Scandinavian, I think, scheme for cataloguing products.
> For more detail, contact CIIG, at http://www.ciig.org.uk/  ... RIBA
> have a new ed. published 1991"
>
> 3. Another academic librarian gave this reference:
> "Corporate name: Property Services Agency.
> Title: Construction Industry Terms : A guide, based on the structural
> principles of the construction industry thesaurus(CIT)
> Publication info: London : Department of the Environment, 1979. "
>
> 4. A librarian from an FE college said:
> "I work in a small FE College specialising in construction and related
> subjects. We use Dewey for our book stock (about 20000 volumes) though
> there is a huge amount just at 690. Our subject headings have been
> developed "in-house" though we do not have a separate written thesaurus.
> (Some of the headings are generated by our catalogue system, Heritage,
> from the Dewey numbers but we usually add others.)
> There are several schemes for indexing product information or Trade
> Literature. These have an element of controlled vocabulary, and are
> particularly used in architects' practices. We use CI/SfB, but Uniclass
> is becoming widely used. Many companies include a code from one or both
> of these in their product information.
>
> (CI/SfB is the name of the standing committee which produced the scheme.
> It stands for "Construction Industry / Samarbetskommitten for
> Bygnadsfragor")"
>
> Best wishes
> Sarah
>
>
> Lynn Jaynes wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I met some of you for the first time at the CETIS metadata SIG in Hull
>> in December. Thanks to Phil for organising an informative and useful
>> event. Are there copies of the presentations available to this group?
>>
>>
>>
>> Quick question, do you know of a specialised classification system for
>> Construction resources, in the same way that MESH is for medical terms?
>>
>> I am engaged in a project with an FE college to meta-tag their
>> construction resources.
>>
>>
>>
>> Lynn Jaynes
>>
>> [log in to unmask]
>>
>> 01553 779535
>>

--
Phil Barker                            Learning Technology Adviser
      ICBL, School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences
      Mountbatten Building, Heriot-Watt University,
      Edinburgh, EH14 4AS
      Tel: 0131 451 3278    Fax: 0131 451 3327
      Web: http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/~philb/