Number Building / User Contribution Tool in WebDewey

Earlier today, the beta version of the number building / user contribution tool was installed in WebDewey.  This new WebDewey feature assists users in building numbers, assigning index terms to the resulting numbers, keeping the numbers as personal or sharing the numbers plus index terms with others at the same institution, and contributing the numbers plus index terms back to the Dewey user community. 

You’ll notice a new box, Create built number, associated with the record for any valid schedule or table entry:

(If you don't see the Create built number box, open Preferences from the top right menu, and click Reset under Screen Layout.)

Suppose we had an e-book about the history of game theory.  We already have the base number 519.3 Game theory in the Create built number box.  Clicking Start initiates the number building process.  Since there are no special add instructions associated with the chosen number, Table 1 appears in the hierarchy box.

Clicking on T1—09 in the hierarchy box features it as the selected number:

Clicking Add in the Create built number box adds the selected notation automatically to the number under construction:

 

If I’m satisfied with the number, clicking Save initiates the indexing process:

The indexing process currently uses captions as the default; in this case, I want to substitute “history” for the subheading.  I can edit the User term directly, or use the radio buttons to add the preferred parts.  I do the latter and click Update. 

Notice the number 519.309 appears in the hierarchy box along with the caption I selected and a single-person icon to indicate its visibility as a Personal number.  I can keep 519.309 as a Personal number, or choose Institutional (which would then be indicated by a double-person icon in the hierarchy box).  I’ve chosen to keep the number as Personal, so I don’t have to do anything else.  If I want to send the number plus index terms back to the Dewey editors, I click Contribute.

We’ve prepared a set of training materials illustrating how to build numbers in WebDewey using the new tool.  In addition, we have started an FAQ that we’ll add to as users pose questions and comments on the blog, tweet them to @DeweyTeam, or e-mail them to dewey@oclc.org.  Over the next few weeks, we’ll also be explaining more of the features of the number building tool in-depth here on the Dewey blog. 

Finally, remember I called the new tool “the beta version” at the outset—that’s because there are some known gaps in automatic assistance in the initial version that we plan to address in future versions.  In the meantime, we’ve developed some workarounds using Add local and Edit local that we’ll share over the next few days.

Start building and contributing!!!!

 

Comments

[Charlene Plunkett]

This is a great idea. I am having trouble reading the examples, is it possible to make them larger?

[Dewey]

You can enlarge any image in blog posts by double clicking on the image.