science

Schlagwortnormdatei

Schlagwortnormdatei is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Schlagwortnormdatei rather than just read about it. In short: The Schlagwortnormdatei or SWD (translated as Subject Headings Authority File) is a controlled vocabulary index term system used primarily for subject indexing in library catalogs. The SWD is managed by the German National Library (DNB) in cooperation with various library networks.

Key takeaways

Schlagwortnormdatei belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Schlagwortnormdatei to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Schlagwortnormdatei from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Schlagwortnormdatei or SWD (translated as Subject Headings Authority File) is a controlled vocabulary index term system used primarily for subject indexing in library catalogs. The SWD is managed by the German National Library (DNB) in cooperation with various library networks. The inclusion of keywords in the SWD is defined by Regeln für die Schlagwortkatalogisierung (RSWK) (English: Rules for the keyword catalogue). Similar authority systems in other languages include the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and the Répertoire d’autorité-matière encyclopédique et alphabétique unifié (RAMEAU). Since April 2012 the SWD is part of the Gemeinsame Normdatei (GND) (English: Integrated Authority File).

Scope The SWD has about 600,000 descriptors and 700,000 non-descriptors (synonyms and quasi-synonyms) as well as synonymous descriptor chains with references to a descriptor. Its growth rate is about 5.5% per year. About three-quarters of the descriptors refer to individual concepts (language identifier, person, entity, title, ethnography etc.) and a quarter are abstract concepts. Linking using hierarchical (about 115,000) and associative (26,000) relations is not very dense, so the SWD cannot be viewed as a thesaurus (as of mid-2003). The terms in the SWD are also arranged in a separate classification with nearly 500 classes in 36 main groups.

Structure The various terms are placed in a classification scheme and also contain references to sources, related terms, preferred term and to a lesser extent hierarchical links. But the SWD is probably not a complete thesaurus because of the low degree of linkage. The SWD is available online through the catalogue database ILTIS and is available for a fee as BIBLIODATA, together with the Personennamendatei (PND) (English: Name Authority File) and the Gemeinsame Körperschaftsdatei (GKD) (English: Corporate Bodies Authority File) on the standard data CD-ROM and the standard file TITAN. In both cases, the user interface of the SWD leaves much room for improvement. Instead of making SWD accessible as a user-friendly navigation tool, it assumes that users are familiar with SWD and its classification scheme and enter the appropriate descriptor in the correct form before running a search. Navigating the system or moving from one concept to another by means of hyperlinks is not possible. The strategy of the German Library to distribute authority records commercially makes the extended use of the SWD difficult, e.g. in other keyword systems. For the exchange of authority records, there is a separate machine exchange format for libraries called MAB-SWD. The head official of the Southwest German Library Network (SWB) offers online access (OSWD).

See also Schlagwortkatalog Faceted Application of Subject Terminology (FAST), a simplified syntax of LCSH Canadian Subject Headings (CSH)

References

External links Searching the OSWD Information pages of the DNB Archived 2012-06-14 at the Wayback Machine about the SWD Rules for the Keyword Catalogue (RSWK) 3rd edition, Deutsches Bibliotheksinstitut, 1998 Term paper on the SWD Archived 2010-04-23 at the Wayback Machine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Schlagwortnormdatei

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Schlagwortnormdatei claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Schlagwortnormdatei before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Schlagwortnormdatei ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Schlagwortnormdatei

In research: Schlagwortnormdatei appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Schlagwortnormdatei in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Schlagwortnormdatei is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2012 disestablishments in Germany, Identifiers, Library cataloging and classification, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Schlagwortnormdatei outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Schlagwortnormdatei in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Schlagwortnormdatei means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Schlagwortnormdatei out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Schlagwortnormdatei in simple terms?

Why does Schlagwortnormdatei matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Schlagwortnormdatei?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Schlagwortnormdatei.