E.2. Construction of Synonyms Dictionary

dLibra system stores Synonyms Dictionary for attributes' values. This dictionary contains at least all those values used in bibliographic descriptions of library resources, but is not limited to those values and may contain phrases not used in a system. Separate dictionary is kept for each attribute and each language. dictionary contains at least all those values used in bibliographic descriptions of library resources, but is not limited to those values and may contain phrases not used in a system. Separate dictionary is kept for each attribute and each language.

For a given attribute and language the dictionary is divided into the groups of synonyms. Each group can contain one or more values. It is supposed that values belonging to the same group should either be synonyms, or words having the same meaning, or words in some other way connected with one another. In every group there is one marked value named base value. The group always takes it's name from it's base value. For a single attribute there may not exist more than one group having the same name. For a single group there may not exist more than one value having the same name, however values with the same name may exist in the separate groups for a single attribute.

Describing library element with a set of attributes means assigning these attributes concrete values taken from dictionary. One attribute may be assigned many different values. Such an approach causes that every modification of attribute value (for instance name change, deleting or moving value to a different group) influences bibliographic description of all resources being connected with this value. For example, if there are many Mickiewicz's publications in a system and all of them are connected with the same attribute's value, then fixing a mistake in this value will cause fixing description of all those publications.

Managing of Synonyms Dictionary is available in Library Manager application.