The US Trade Representative (USTR) Trade Thesaurus: development, innovation and use

Abstract

The background and context for the development of a trade related Thesaurus in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is described. Thesaurus construction and the approach to Thesaurus use in this government agency are discussed. During this process a strong end-user orientation has been emphasized. The online USTR Trade Thesaurus has been integrated into several different inhouse databases, including WordPerfect (WP), the USTR word processing system. A WordPerfect indexing card system permits users to assign up to five indexing terms from the Thesaurus during the normal WP exiting and saving procedure. Users may add proposed new terms directly into the system or suggest Thesaurus modifications directly online by completing an 'add' or 'modify' screen. Other options of the Thesaurus browse program are described. Thesaurus updating and maintenance are discussed. Thesaurus training has been incorporated into the overall staff training program for WordPerfect. Other Thesaurus issues are briefly noted. This paper outlines the development of the USTR Trade Thesaurus, highlights its special, unique features and innovations, and describes how the Thesaurus has been used in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). The USTR, part of the Executive Office of the President, is a relatively small government agency (under 200 persons) with a policy oriented staff responsible for coordinating trade policy among all federal agencies, as well as for negotiating U.S. trade agreements. The Thesaurus is a controlled subject vocabulary of terminology in fields of interest to the USTR. It was developed to provide a consistent guide for indexing and storing documents on the computer, as well as for searching and retrieving these documents by subject. It is an alphabetical listing of lead-in and preferred terms with term relationships (broader, narrower and related), and scope notes. Even before work on thesaurus construction began in the fall of 1985, the need for improved subject access to documents and information had become increas­ ingly important in the USTR with the implementation of office automation. The