Subject search in modern library information retrieval systems

Abstract

The author reviews in brief the library catalogs as the origins of subject search in the modern search systems. He examines the concept of “subject search”, offers its definition (lacking in the state standards – GOSTs), specifies the types (subject search, search by keywords, systematic search) and characterizes them. The libraries use intensively all three types of subject search while the Internet-based search engines offer just one type, i.e. search by keywords. The universal search systems, like Google and Yandex, do not entail cataloguing, however the possibility of subject search by keywords is designed within html-code and tagging system. The author investigates into the application of systematic search on the Internet. He concludes that this search type emphasizes is intensively applied to the resources related to libraries or science and research (library e-catalogs, abstract databases, etc.). He suggests that in time tagging, the Internet popular subject search system, will tend to classifying and systematic search.