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eHRAF
Tutorial: Browse
Subjects (or OCM)
by Christiane Cunnar,
Human Relations Area Files
(HRAF) at Yale University
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Browse Subjects: Overview
The Browse
Subjects section can be viewed as being the electronic equivalent to the
Outline of Cultural Materials (OCM). Browse Subjects consists of
three parts: The A-Z Index is the default and
the Browse Subject Categories gives you the all the OCM
categories (subject name and OCM subject code) in numerical order. Within each OCM category each
OCM subject code is linked to a detailed description.
Browse Subjects can be used to search for the
appropriate OCM Subject Codes, which, in turn, can be
used to search the full-text for information.
The OCM subject codes from the Outline of Cultural Materials (Murdock et al. 2000) are what make
the eHRAF Collection of Ethnography and the eHRAF Collection of Archaeology so unique and different from other full-text databases. The power of
the eHRAF databases is that the HRAF analysts code every paragraph in the eHRAF documents with OCM subject codes that relate to the subjects/topics discussed. The OCM subject codes
(OCMs for short) enable you to search the full-text of documents more effectively because you are not limited by certain wording (misspelled words or words in languages other than English).
Browse Subjects: A-Z Index
The A-Z Index is a word index with suggestions and references to OCM subject
categories. The words in upper
case are actual OCM Subject Codes. Words in lower case letters are
from every-day language associated with specific OCM Subject
Codes. Figure 11 shows an excerpt from the A-Z Index with the
term "MYTHOLOGY, 773" in all upper case as the
actual OCM
category. The lower case term "Mythical ages, 773" is an example of a phrase from every-day
language with reference to "773."
Using Terms from the A-Z Index in your Search
Click here to read how to use terms from the A-Z word
and OCM index.
In the eHRAF database click on the blue Browse tab
on top of the screen, and then on Browse
Subjects in the left-hand margin to enter the Browse Subjects
A-Z Index (see Figure 11). In the A-Z index click on the
letter M and scroll down to find the word "mythology."
While you are scrolling down the index, pay attention to
the terms in upper and lower case.
| Figure 11. The Browse
Subject: A-Z Index displaying an excerpt from the "M"
list. |
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OCM Subject Category
The 3-digit OCM subject code to the right of a term
links to the OCM category with its various sections
including a description, cross-references, and link to
the major OCM category (Figure 12). Cross-references consisting of terms
and OCM subject codes are listed below the
description. It is very important to read the
OCM description because you want to use the contents of
the description to determine whether or not you want to use the OCM
Subject Code for your search. Please note
that in
the OCM category window you could actually
launch a search for an OCM Subject Code by clicking on "eHRAF
Ethnography Documents with this OCM" (see Figure 12).
Any 3 or 4- digit OCM subject codes ending numbers other
than "0" represent OCM sub-categories. For
example, "Mythology, 773" is considered an
OCM sub-category while "Religious Beliefs, 770 "
is considered a major OCM category (see Figure
12).
In the eHRAF database click on the
three digit number 773 to the right of the word MYTHOLOGY
(see Figure 11) to the OCM category. Read the OCM
description and cross-references.
| Figure 12. OCM Category and
description for "773,Mythology." |
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A Major OCM Category and
Sub-Categories
The major OCM
category (see Figure 12) hyperlinks to a window containing the major OCM
category, its various sub-categories, and descriptions
for each sub-category (Figure 13).Any 3-digit OCM subject code
ending with "0" represents a "major" OCM category.
Note: When searching the database for information
it is better to use the OCM sub-categories (those OCM
subject codes ending with 1-10) rather than the major OCM
categories (those ending with "0"). Why? Because HRAF indexers
are instructed to try to use the most specific
categories whenever possible. Only information
that is not readily placed will be found in the major
OCM category (e.g., 770, Religious Beliefs, see Figure
13). If you want to search
all the sub-categories for a category in Text Search,
then use a truncated OCM subject code. For
example, if you want to search all religion categories
then use the
truncated OCM subject code "77*" in your
search.
In the eHRAF database click on the
Religious Beliefs, 770 in the OCM Category.
This opens up a window with a description for the major
OCM Category with all the sub-categories. Browse
the OCM descriptions and OCM subject codes. After viewing the
entire OCM Category click on Browse Subjects to
the left-hand side and then on Browse Subject
Categories on the left-hand side.
| Figure 13. The
Major OCM Category "Religious Beliefs"
with its Sub-Categories |
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I recommend that you use the A-Z
Index in conjunction with the Browse Subject Categories. Although
the Browse Subject A-Z Index is a very extensive list of
words and phrases, it is far from being complete and
does not contain every phrase or term. Not only
does the Browse Subject Category list all possible OCM
subject categories available, it also shows you the
hierarchical relationship between the major OCM
categories and sub-categories.
Browse Subject Categories
The 3- and 4 digit OCM Subject codes are classified into 83 major subject categories represented by the first two digits, which in turn, are further divided into sub-categories, represented by the following digits. The entire
OCM or Outline of Cultural Materials, has over 700 sub-categories.
In Browse Subject Categories you
will find OCM categories on all aspects of social and cultural life with
subjects ranging from food consumption to kin groups to sickness. Figure
14 shows a small excerpt from the list of major OCM and
sub-categories.
Let's look at an OCM
category more closely in context of the OCM hierarchy.
Any 3-digit OCM
category ending with "0" is considered a "major" OCM
category. For example, for the major OCM category "770
Religious Beliefs," the first two digits (e.g., 77)
indicate the general nature of the subject, whereas the third (and sometimes the
fourth) digit of the OCM
subject code indicate a more narrow aspect. For example, the OCM subject
codes 771 through 779 are sub-categories, belonging to
the major, more general category "770 Religious Beliefs."
The Browse Subject Categories lists all the OCM
Subject Codes and shows the structure of the OCM
category. I important to take time to study this list to
see how the different OCM subject codes can be used for
searching the documents in eHRAF.
In the database,
slowly scroll down the Browse Subject
Categories and explore the OCM subject categories. Locate the OCM
subject category for "mythology."
If you are a
faculty, you might want to think about how the various OCM categories can
be used for teaching and research. If you are a student, think about how
you can use the OCM categories for your research paper. If you are a
librarian, think about how the various OCM categories can be used for the
various disciplines and programs at your institution.
| Figure 14. Small excerpt from list of major OCM and subcategories in
Browse Subject Categories |
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This ends the section for Browse Subjects. Now let's put the OCM subject codes to work!
In the next section we will
explore Text Search and how the OCM subject codes can be used for powerful
searches.
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eHRAF
Tutorial Index
Introduction
Browse
Cultures
Culture
Files
Documents
Browse
Subjects
Text
Search
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