Is linking equivalent subject headings effective for providing subject access in a Japanese-American English bilingual catalogue?

Abstract

Currently, many online catalogues do not facilitate users who use different languages because these catalogues do not provide interfaces, data and access points in two or more languages. Linking equivalent subject headings between existing languages has been suggested to be optimal to provide subject access in such catalogues. Studies till now compared subject headings in European languages and concluded that they could link their subject terms. However, no study has tested English and Asian languages which have distinct linguistic and historical differences. This study compared meanings of the American-English subject headings (the Library of Congress Subject Heading) and the Japanese subject headings (the National Diet Library Subject Headings) that have already been assigned to Japanese language titles. Titles are selected from distinct areas of study, history, sociology and language. The study concluded that meanings of subject terms between these two languages were similar enough to link to each other regardless of the areas of study. This study also demonstrated that it was feasible to create new terms or add existing terms to solve the problems in partly equivalent subject headings.