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Dissertation Information for Sara Layne

NAME:
- Sara Layne

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- University of California, Los Angeles (USA) (1997)

ADVISORS:
- Elaine F. Svenonius

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Marcia J. Bates
- Michele Valerie Cloonan
- Ynez Viole O'Neill

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: Modelling relevance in art history: Identifying attributes that determine the relevance of art works, images, and primary text to art history research

Abstract: How can we ensure that relevant images and text are retrieved and displayed by the systems we design and implement? This dissertation looks at the problem of matching the information needs of art historians with Documents, defined here as art works, representations of art works, and primary materials, that might prove useful to those art historians in their research. In order to assist with this matching, the concept of research focus is introduced. Research focus is defined as consisting of three components: the Object of the art historian's research, the Purpose of the research, and the Emphasis of the research. The terms describing the Object of the research are categorized (e.g., Art Work--Material or Medium), the various Purposes are also categorized (e.g., Attribution), and the possibilities for Emphasis are enumerated (e.g., Emphasis on one or more Art Works with proper names). The attributes of Documents are also identified and categorized. A relevance model is then developed that uses the elements of the component parts of the research focus to establish the circumstances under which the various attributes of Documents are determinants of relevance for art history research.

A sample consisting of 239 abstracts in art history was coded, using content analysis techniques, to identify the frequencies with which the various elements of the research focus are present in art history research. Using the relevance model in conjunction with the data collected on the elements of the research focus, the frequencies with which various attributes, both singly and in association with each other, determine the relevance of Documents to art history research were calculated. The calculations suggest that, for example, with respect to Art Works, Document attributes that have relatively high frequencies for determination of relevance are, in addition to people attributes, kind of work, date of creation, subject, and place of location or creation. The frequencies with which Document attributes determine relevance to art history research have implications for vocabulary design and for system design as well as for cataloging and indexing.

MPACT Scores for Sara Layne

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:14:55

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