16/06/11 UPDATE – Improving search
We have further developed our new taxonomy allowing users to filter search results using subject categories.
An automatic categorising tool allows individual document descriptions to be tagged using a list of subject categories (see below). Subject categorisation is no longer limited to collection level descriptions but now extends across metadata for files, boxes and bundles held by The National Archives. This has been achieved by building sophisticated boolean queries identifying which records should be tagged under different categories.
We have now exported the taxonomy and plugged it into a user interface, allowing testing and tuning to commence. So far, we have created over 10 million tags across The National Archives Catalogue data. Multiple tagging of one record is allowed within our framework, so we will focus on the breadth and depth of tagging during the testing process.
We welcome your feedback on these developments.
| HEADER | SUBJECT CATEGORY |
| Culture | Archives and libraries |
| Culture | Art, architecture and design |
| Culture | Events and exhibitions |
| Culture | Literature |
| Culture | Museums and galleries |
| Culture | Performing arts |
| Culture | Photography and film |
| Culture | Radio and television |
| Culture | Sports |
| Demographic | Census |
| Demographic | Migration |
| Demographic | Nationality |
| Demographic | Population |
| Demographic | Refugees |
| Emancipation | Chartism |
| Emancipation | Electoral reform |
| Emancipation | Slavery |
| Emancipation | Votes for women |
| Faith and belief | Religions |
| Faith and belief | Religious discrimination and persecution |
| Faith and belief | Witchcraft |
| Governance | Communism |
| Governance | Democracy |
| Governance | Devolution |
| Governance | Disasters and emergencies |
| Governance | Fascism |
| Governance | Intelligence |
| Governance | Royalty |
| Health and social welfare | Disability |
| Health and social welfare | Disease |
| Health and social welfare | Education |
| Health and social welfare | Hospitals |
| Health and social welfare | Housing |
| Health and social welfare | Medicine |
| Health and social welfare | Mental illness |
| Health and social welfare | National Health Service |
| Health and social welfare | Poverty |
| Health and social welfare | Sewerage |
| Health and social welfare | Welfare |
| Industry | Coal |
| Industry | Construction industries |
| Industry | Farming |
| Industry | Fishing |
| Industry | Forestry |
| Industry | Iron, steel and metals |
| Industry | Labour |
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Industry | Mining and quarrying |
| Industry | Nuclear energy |
| Industry | Oil and gas |
| Industry | Renewable energies |
| International | Aid and development |
| International | Conflict |
| International | Disarmament |
| International | International |
| International | Merchant seaman |
| International | Piracy and privateering |
| International | Treaties and alliances |
| Land and property | Common land |
| Land and property | Conveyancing |
| Land and property | Crown lands and estates |
| Land and property | Landed estates |
| Land and property | Manors |
| Land and property | Maps and plans |
| Land and property | Planning |
| Land and property | Royal Parks |
| Law and order | Conscientious objection |
| Law and order | Crime |
| Law and order | Internment |
| Law and order | Litigation |
| Law and order | Pardons |
| Law and order | Policing |
| Law and order | Prisons |
| Law and order | Public disorder |
| Law and order | Transportation |
| Law and order | Treason and rebellion |
| Military | Air Force |
| Military | Badges and insignia |
| Military | Medals |
| Military | Military personnel |
| Military | Navy |
| Military | Operations, battles and campaigns |
| Military | Regiments and Corps |
| Military | Weapons |
| Money | Banking |
| Money | Debt |
| Money | Government finances |
| Money | Inflation |
| Money | National debt |
| Money | Pay and pensions |
| Money | Taxation |
| Money | Tithes |
| Money | Trade and commerce |
| Science, technology and invention | Communications |
| Science, technology and invention | Computing |
| Science, technology and invention | Research |
| Science, technology and invention | Resources |
| Society | Charities |
| Society | Children |
| Society | Clothing |
| Society | Diaries |
| Society | Food and drink |
| Society | Freemasons |
| Society | Friendly societies |
| Society | Hunting |
| Society | Marriage and divorce |
| Society | Mutual societies |
| Society | Race relations |
| Society | Rationing |
| Society | Sex and gender |
| Society | Travel and tourism |
| Society | Wills and probate |
| Transport | Air transport |
| Transport | Canals and river transport |
| Transport | Railways |
| Transport | Road transport |
| Transport | Shipping |
I have made one visit to Kew with helpful and very good results.
I do struggle with on line research as it seems difficult to find the right keywords e.g.I wanted a Trade Directory for 1877 for East India Merchants in Leadenhall St but could not find a way in!
Hope this will make it easier
I have made several visits to TNA and one of the pleasures of my visits has been dealing with the most pleasant and helpful staff. Security, reception and resarch all first rate.
But I find the online facility somewhat daunting at times. I don’t think it is very intuitive. Once you get into the swing it is very good only I seem to have to re-learn the technique each time I go on. Maybe the ‘re-vamp’ will make it a little easier for folk like me!
Quite a daunting list – but seems to be a good summary of TNAs key subjects. A few initial comments: Will there be definitions eg what does “Research” mean in terms of the records but also for researchers. I think that piracy and privateers should be separate as they were different – one legal and the other illegal. Please don’t use abbreviations eg PoW = prisoners of war – but then PoWs could be military personnel. I can imagine how difficult it is to create subject headings for such a wide variety of records covering 1000 years of history and an empire.
David – really interested to see the proposals for extending the search, we are also looking at moving towards facet searching as part of our work with the Fedora digital repository.
Are these facets an integrated part of the catalogue? We are looking to develop our EAD finding aids and using subject and dates with-in the EAD context would appear to be the most obvious approach – is this what you have done?
There is an option to import the UK Archival Thesaurus into CALM but it appears that you have already identified a fixed number of broad terms to use.
If memory serves correctly the catalogue data is held slightly differently than with Record Offices using CALM and creating EAD-based finding aids.
Simon Wilson
Hull University Archives
Impossible to find a “personal name” with just a name and a date and no county!
I’m all in favour of making searching simpler but don’t forget to enable us to search under the class no eg WO 97 as well so that those of us who have already mastered the old system’s reference numbers and its categories don’t have to go all round the houses for the information we know is there somewhere because we looked at it six months ago but we can’t find it now.
Access2Archives for instance is now so difficult to use since we are no longer able to search by repository that it is almost useless.
Do you guys have any idea how difficult captcha codes are fro the visually impaired.
Most of us simply stop using the resource as soon as we come up against these damn things.
Regards,
Cliff
Your example is interesting, but the 1st Duke of Wellington was Arthur Wellesley. Will “Wellington” find entries for Wellesley?
This is a good start. Presumably multiple categories within a facet can be assigned if relevant. I agree with the earlier post – abbreviations must be avoided. I don’t think examples are useful in subject headings and suggest replacing Resources (e.g. Water) with “Energy Resources” and/or “Natural Resources”.
Am really interested to see the proposals for extending the search
, we are also looking at moving towards facet searching as part of our work with the Fedora digital repository.
Are these facets an integrated part of the catalogue? We are looking to develop our EAD finding aids and using subject and dates with-in the EAD context would appear to be the most obvious approach – is this what you have done?
There is an option to import the UK Archival Thesaurus into CALM but it appears that you have already identified a fixed number of broad terms to use.
If memory serves correctly the catalogue data is held slightly differently than with Record Offices using CALM and creating EAD-based finding aids.
Maria
Interesting Article! Thanks. I agree with Cliff reading Captchas are hard especially some of the google ones and my eyes are fine.
capcha’s are NOT accessible to some categories of people who may wish to use the service principally people with combined sight and hearing impairment will not be able to decipher the capcha information correctly. however set against that scanned documents that are taken from original handwritten material present the same(or similar) barriers.
Anything to improve the search is welcomed I have been trying to use this site off and on for two years or more and I have only ever found ONE item I have searched for and it cost me £2 to see if it was the correct one. This is not the National Archives but the Bank of National Secrets. If you want information look somewhere else.
Mick – thank you for your feedback, we are sorry to hear you have had problems with the search. Have you seen our research guidance on the website? http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guide-listing.htm You can search guides by topic, these may help you to find what you’re looking for.