#8 TAGGING

Mixed feelings.
There are advantages and downsides to tagging.
One can create a virtual bibliography of websites useful to oneself, and possibly to others.
One can even rate the websites, and access them from anywhere.
It is possible for a researcher to pursue the work of another in a chosen field, and follow the trail of (apparently) related sources, possibly stumbling onto missed information,and variations in a search not thought of.
A teacher can, (by tagging websites), create a product his students can be directed to follow thr ough, via username. Such a wisely created bibliography of websites can alleviate the inadequate searching skills (and even poor evaluation of hits scored), of a significant number of students.
An additional advantage of tagging can be that a person, expert in a particular subject, can evaluate the contents of a website, better than a search engine scoring mechanical key word hits.
Yet so much depends on the quality of the input of users.
There are obvious disadvantages and dangers in social bookmarking,in that people may tag websites only because numerous others have done so... everybodys tagging them, therefore they must be good!
The values of users obviously come into it; choice is not necessarily based on the objectivity and quality of the information in the website.
The absence of true hierarchical and controlled subject headings can lead to many irrelevant hits; after all,most social bookmarking is done by amateurs.
From the literature scanned, it appears a number of libraries are experimenting with dumbing down processes,because their users find subject classification ,and library catalogues in general ,too difficult.
Yet tagging is crude.
Bundling is some improvement on tagging alone,but does not attain the level of hierarchical subjact headings.
SLV CHAT tagging is in part organized by bundling.It is useful in the context of the service provided.
However , it does not appear SLV has much to gain from tagging/bundling schemes to replace the present classification in our catalogue.
Ours is a major reference and research library.
Our collection has many sophisticated and complicated items that cannot be adequately identified and pinpointed by popular buzzwords used in tags.
Our catalogue already allows users to click on author,subject and topic headings attached to each record, to arrive at related works.
Nor do we ned to "empower" our users by soliciting their comments (regarding individual items held) into our catalogues.
SLV is a major reference and research library.
It is not a suburban community centre. It does not have to" socialize" its books.
Umbopo says; No to technologically driven and politically correct dumbing down.