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\b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {\fs36 Thesaurus consultancy
\par }\pard\plain \qc\sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {Leonard Will, Willpower Information, Enfield, UK\line <http://www.willpowerinfo.co.uk/>
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {Abstract
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {
The role and functions of a consultant in thesaurus development are reviewed, with guidance given on when and how a consultant can be selected. The need for a contract is discussed, and the steps of a thesaurus project are outlined. The cost of thesaurus 
d
evelopment is seen to be subject to many variables which makes it difficult to estimate accurately, but some guidelines are given. Testing and feedback are important, and the use of a thesaurus requires an ongoing commitment from the client organisation t
o
 maintain and develop it to keep pace with change. Ways in which thesaurus development software can be used are discussed, and attention is drawn to the need for interaction between thesaurus developers and user interface designers to allow the benefits o
f a thesaurus-based information retrieval system to be fully realised.
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {Introduction
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {"A thesaurus is a growing organism", to adapt one of Ranganathan's "Laws of Library Science". Organisations have to learn that they cannot just ask a consultant to produce a
 thesaurus which they can then use in its original form for the foreseeable future. A thesaurus is a dynamic part of an organisation's information and knowledge management system, and it needs to be nurtured so that it can grow and change with the organis
ation itself. Only a committed internal owner can give it the continuing tender loving care it needs.
\par However, an external consultant can help an organisation to decide whether a thesaurus is appropriate and if so to set them on the right track to developin
g and using it effectively. We shall discuss some aspects of consultancy from the standpoints of both consultant and client. 
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {The role of a consultant
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {The term "consultant" is sometimes used where "contractor" would be more appropriate. Although there is o
ften no clear boundary, and a single person can perform both roles, it is useful to think of a consultant as someone who helps you to decide what should be done, whereas a contractor is someone who helps you to do it or does it for you.
\par It is probably too 
narrow to think of someone as a "thesaurus consultant", because the decision to use a thesaurus would not normally be made until after quite a lot of investigation and analysis of the organisation's needs. This investigation can benefit from the input of 
a
 consultant able to advise on the whole area of "information management". There are many different names for schemes of indexing and subject organisation, such as classifications, thesauri, taxonomies, ontologies, subject metadata, topic maps and semantic
 nets; these overlap in meaning and are not clearly defined \endash 
 terminology control in this area is seriously deficient! There are also important decisions to be made to achieve the right balance between relying on computer processing and categorisation of te
xt on the one hand and subject analysis and indexing by humans on the other. A consultant with a broad understanding of the underlying principles will help to cut through the hype and choose an appropriate and realistic solution.
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {What benefits can a consultant bring?
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {
A consultancy project will only be fully successful if it is seen as a cooperative commitment between the organisation and the consultant. The end result must be that, when the consultant leaves, the organisation is equipped with the staff, the
 knowledge and the tools to manage its information system effectively into the future. A consultant should not be seen as someone who can tell an organisation what they should do, but someone who can help them to clarify their needs and objectives and pla
n and implement a way forward. A consultant's role is to help the organisation to make informed decisions, not to make them for it. It would be very worrying for a consultant if his/her advice were to be followed in blind faith \endash 
 any recommendations need to be backed up by argument, and a consultancy report may well contain various options, with the arguments for and against each.
\par A consultant is nevertheless often expected to make a judgement between options, and this should be given due weight, as it embod
ies the greater breadth and depth of knowledge and experience which led to the consultant being engaged in the first place. In particular, a consultant can look at an organisation's needs with a fresh and objective approach, unhampered by assumptions abou
t "the way things have always been done". A consultant can also assess proposals in the knowledge of what has been tried elsewhere and how successful it was.
\par Different people within an organisation may have different views on what should be done; there may 
be conflicts or stresses between the priorities of different departments or functions. By avoiding taking sides, by listening to everyone with an open mind and by analysing the problems objectively, a consultant can bring these matters into the open and h
elp to reach agreement. Not least, an enthusiastic consultant can provide inspiration and encouragement to help an organisation not only to see that its problems are not insuperable but also to widen its horizons to greater challenges and opportunities.

\par As 
I have said, there is no clear dividing line between the role of a consultant and a contractor, and in many cases it may be desirable for a consultant to do some of the work rather than just advising. This would be the case where special skills are needed
,
 to accomplish a task more effectively or efficiently than internal staff could do it. Setting up the framework of a thesaurus or classification scheme, for example, and populating it with an initial set of concepts, would ensure that the structure was co
r
rect and consistent, and would act as a good set of examples of the principles on which staff could build as later change and development became necessary. Even when the internal staff have the skills and experience to do the work, they may not have the t
ime to undertake a major project, and then it is useful to be able in buy in extra resources to develop and implement a new system within a realistic time.
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {Decision to seek help
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {A project usually starts when an organisation decides that it needs help. This 
may be at a fairly early stage, when it decides to have a general look at its information policy, being aware of the developments elsewhere in information and knowledge management but not being sure where to start. On the other hand, it may occur after so
me basic decisions have been made \endash  a computer system selected and installed and some material catalogued \endash 
 when the organisation realises that they are not quite sure what they should do to implement the thesaurus module of the package they have bought. So
metimes there are many different and incompatible systems that have been developed in the past by various parts of the organisation, and someone thinks that it would be a good idea if these could be integrated.
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {Finding a consultant
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {Consultants are often ch
osen on the basis of personal recommendation from people who have used the consultants in the past or know of them through professional contacts, publications or reputation. From the consultant's point of view, this indicates the importance of becoming kn
o
wn, contributing usefully to professional discussions at conferences and on electronic newsgroups and mailing lists, and of publishing regularly. Thesaurus consultants may come from various different backgrounds, including librarianship, information scien
c
e, indexing, and computing. They may have worked for libraries, museums, archives or business organisations. Generally it is more important to find someone who has a good all-round background and understanding of the principles of information management a
n
d who is prepared to listen and grasp your needs quickly, than to insist on someone who already has a knowledge of your special subject field. A client normally has plenty of people with subject knowledge, but it is the complementary skills that are neede
d.
\par Depending on personal recommendations makes it more difficult for a new consultant to enter the profession. Most people probably gain experience through employment, where they can develop a professional reputation, before setting up on their own. One pos
sibility is to join an established firm of consultants, whose reputation will underpin the work of the individual. Some professional bodies maintain directories of consultants, and membership of such a body may provide some assurance about professional co
mpetence and compliance with a code of ethics.
\par For substantial projects, particularly those paid for from public funds, a formal process of advertised competitive tendering may be used. Although this requires additional work by the client and the consultant
, it has some benefits: it gives an opportunity for new entrants to the profession to compete with more established players and does not limit the field to those consultants whom the client already knows. The necessity to prepare a statement of requiremen
t
s makes the client think carefully about what is really needed, but this can have disadvantages if it embodies the requirement for a particular type of solution, as the client may not be best able to judge what this should be. It might then be better to s
plit the project into two parts: first an analysis and feasibility study phase to investigate the problem and determine a way forward, and second an implementation phase to put the agreed solution into place.
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {Scope of the project
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {Initial discussions with a 
consultant can be very useful before deciding the precise scope of a project, because a thesaurus cannot be developed in isolation. It should take account of the actual material which it the thesaurus}{\b\i  }{
will be used to index, the people who will use it for i
ndexing and retrieval, and the systems within which it will be implemented. A consultant should help an organisation to take a broader view, considering not just the immediate problem but also how things might develop in future, including the integration 
o
f the information system with other systems within the organisation and with external resources. It might be appropriate for an information audit to be carried out to review existing information resources, needs and use. It might be desirable to have the 
c
onsultant provide some discussion and training sessions for staff who will use and develop the thesaurus, so as to ensure that they understand how it is constructed and how to use it effectively. This high level system design and project planning may well
 take more time than the development of the thesaurus itself. Graef}{\cs17\super {\*\bkmkstart _Ref11927375}\chftn {\footnote\ftnalt \pard\plain \s16\sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs20\lang2057\cgrid {\cs17\super \chftn }{ Jean Graef. }{\i 
Taxonomy consultants : what they do, where to find them}{. - Montague Institute Review, 2001. <http://www.montague.com/E1/society/review/consultants.html}{\lang1033 >. Restricte
d by password to members of the Society of Knowledge Base Publishers. An abstract is publicly available at <http://www.montague.com/review/consultants.html>.}}}{{\*\bkmkend _Ref11927375}
 quotes a typical time frame of four to fourteen months at a cost of US$150,000 or more for this stage.
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {Contracts
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {
Once the scope of the project has been decided, it is highly desirable that this should be embodied in a written contract. This is not just a formality but the way to ensure an effective and satisfactory relationship between con
sultant and client, making sure that they both know what they have undertaken to do. A good contract will also answer many "what if" questions in advance, so that if anything unexpected happens there will be no need to try to negotiate an agreement after 
difficulties have arisen. Some points that the contract should cover are: 
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\fs22\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li360\sa120\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls5\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls5\adjustright {
The work the consultant will do, the time when it will be done, and the amount to be charged. 
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\fs22\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li360\sa120\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls5\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls5\adjustright {
Liability for tax and payment of expenses. 
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\fs22\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li360\sa120\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls5\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls5\adjustright {Obligations of the consultant in c
arrying out the work. 
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\fs22\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li360\sa120\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls5\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls5\adjustright {
Obligations of the client, including making information and documents available and responding to the consultant's enquiries. 
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\fs22\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li360\sa120\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls5\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls5\adjustright {
Confidentiality of information, including whether th
e consultant may publicise the project and discuss it with colleagues and other organisations. Allowing such discussion will generally help the consultant to use a wider range of information sources and thus give better advice.
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\fs22\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li360\sa120\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls5\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls5\adjustright {Copyright and ownership o
f products, including the moral rights of the consultant to be identified as the author of the thesaurus and of any accompanying report, and restricting the publication of modified versions without the consultant's approval.
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\fs22\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li360\sa120\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls5\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls5\adjustright {Conditions on which the cont
ract can be terminated by either party. 
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\fs22\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li360\sa120\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls5\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls5\adjustright {
Calculation of the fee payable if the project is terminated before completion. 
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\fs22\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li360\sa120\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls5\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls5\adjustright {
Force majeure: excusing either party from obligations under the contract due to circumstances beyond their control. 
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\fs22\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li360\sa120\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls5\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls5\adjustright {Arrangeme
nts for variations to the contract after commencement, including possible adjustment of the fee to be paid. 
\par {\pntext\pard\plain\f3\fs22\cgrid \loch\af3\dbch\af0\hich\f3 \'b7\tab}}\pard \fi-360\li360\sa120\widctlpar\jclisttab\tx360{\*\pn \pnlvlblt\ilvl0\ls5\pnrnot0\pnf3\pnindent360\pnhang{\pntxtb \'b7}}\ls5\adjustright {
Arbitration or other arrangements for resolving disputes. 
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {Thesaurus compilation
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {The actual work of thesaurus compilation can be broken down into the following stages.
\par }\pard\plain \s2\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel1\adjustright \b\i\f1\lang2057\cgrid {Definition of style and scope
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {
Initial discussions will have to determine what kind of thesaurus is required, and the ways in which it is to be presented. What will be the depth and breadth of its coverage? Will the users be subject 
specialists, the general public, or both? Roughly how many terms are expected to be needed? Will the main use be for retrieval of specific subjects, or for browsing around an area? Will terms need to be arranged within subject fields as well as in hierarc
h
ies under primary facets? Will this amount to a classification scheme, requiring a notation? Will there need to be provision for the creation of pre-coordinated subject headings, either as strings of terms or as synthesised class numbers? What standards w
ill be followed? Can any departure from these standards be justified? Does the software on which it will be used impose any constraints, such as not supporting polyhierarchy or not handling facet and subfacet indicators?
\par }\pard\plain \s2\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel1\adjustright \b\i\f1\lang2057\cgrid {Starting points
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {Has anyone else prod
uced a thesaurus that can be adopted, or are there pre-existing lists of terms that can be used as a basis for a new one? These may be in the form of a previous subject organisation scheme, a list of document titles or object names, or a glossary or dicti
o
nary. In practice, account often has to be taken of all of these. If concepts are not clearly defined, then much discussion may be required to draw up scope notes that are acceptable to all parties and to obtain agreement on the most appropriate term to u
s
e for each concept. Tact is necessary in explaining the artificial nature of an indexing language; it may be necessary to persuade members of staff that designating their favourite term as "non-preferred" does not imply that it is "wrong" or that it canno
t be used to retrieve information when searching. 
\par }\pard\plain \s2\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel1\adjustright \b\i\f1\lang2057\cgrid {Building the thesaurus
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {Once terms have been identified, the work of creating relationships can begin. Concepts have to be analysed into facets and built into hierarchies; overlaps of meaning have to be reso
lved and associative relationships identified. The time required for this varies greatly from one project to another, but personal experience indicates that a list of straightforward, understandable terms can be built into a hierarchy at an average rate o
f
 about 25 terms per hour. On the other hand, when investigation of scope and definitions is necessary the number of terms that can be processed per day can reduce to 10 to 20 or fewer. This figure, and estimates of the time required for the other elements
 of thesaurus construction, are contained in an Excel spreadsheet prepared by the Data Standards Unit of English Heritage and available from them}{\cs17\super \chftn {\footnote\ftnalt \pard\plain \s16\sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs20\lang2057\cgrid {
\cs17\super \chftn }{\lang1031  Edmund Lee. }{\i RE: Cost/benefit of controlled vocabularies}{. Contribution to discussion on the NKOS mailing list, 2001. <http://orc.dev.oclc.org:5103/nkos/msg00201.html>}}}{. Graef}{\field{\*\fldinst {\super 
 NOTEREF _Ref11927375 \\h }{\super {\*\datafield 08d0c9ea79f9bace118c8200aa004ba90b02000000080000000d0000005f00520065006600310031003900320037003300370035000000}}{\super  \\* MERGEFORMAT }}{\fldrslt {\super 1}}}{
 indicates a typical time frame for developing a thesaurus structure as 1 week to 3 months, at a cost of US$5,000 +.
\par }\pard\plain \s2\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel1\adjustright \b\i\f1\lang2057\cgrid {Reviewing and amending draft
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {O
nce a draft thesaurus has been prepared an introduction has to be written that explains the principles on which it has been constructed, the decisions that have been taken about options, and how it should be used and maintained.
\par Then it has to be reviewed by potential users and subject experts and their feedback used to prepare a revised version. Only then will it be ready to put into use.
\par }\pard\plain \s2\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel1\adjustright \b\i\f1\lang2057\cgrid {Maintenance and development
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {A consultant may be retained to advise from time to time on the ongoing maintenance of a th
esaurus, but the actual work of doing this should normally be the responsibility of a permanent member of the client's staff There needs to be someone within the organisation who can give immediate informed help to users. When the thesaurus is used candid
a
te terms will be submitted by users and these need to be considered and dealt with promptly and accurately if confidence in the system is to be maintained. It is desirable that the thesaurus should be evaluated more fully to ensure that it meets users' ne
eds, that they understand it and are able to use it effectively. Evaluation of thesauri is discussed in an article by Pauline Cochrane and Leslie Owens elsewhere in this issue.
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {Costs
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {Consultants may contract to work on a project for a fixed fee, or may be p
aid an agreed rate per day for the work that they do. Typical rates would be in the region of US$500 to $1000 per day, though these can vary greatly. These may seem high compared with the daily rate for a permanent employee, but a consultant cannot expect
 continuous employment and must spend quite an amount of non-paid time on keeping up to date with developments, professional contacts and business administration as well as having to cover overhead costs.
\par With a fixed fee the consultant has to estimate the 
time the project will take, and takes the risk that it will turn out more complicated than expected. The work and the deliverables have to be clearly defined, and the consultant has to have substantial control of the project so that delays or changes by t
he clients do not affect the time required. The clients know what they will get, when they will get it and what it will cost, with a minimum of uncertainty. 
\par If the work cannot be clearly defined at the outset, or if the project is being managed by the clie
nt with the consultant called in from time to time to give advice or to do parts of the work, then payment for the time taken will be more appropriate. There is less risk for the consultant in this case, though the need to record the time used for each pa
r
t of the work is an increased burden. "Thinking time" and background reading is hard to account for on this basis. If the project is not under the consultant's control, it will be more difficult to predict when he/she will be needed, so there are constrai
nts on his/her ability to schedule other work. The client may have to accept that the consultant may not be available when needed, or else may have to pay a retainer fee to guarantee a certain amount of time per week or per month. 
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {Thesaurus software
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {There are many software packages that can be used for thesaurus development}{\cs17\super \chftn {\footnote\ftnalt \pard\plain \s16\sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs20\lang2057\cgrid {
\cs17\super \chftn }{ Leonard Will. }{\i Software for building and editing thesauri}{. Web page. 2002. <http://www.willpowerinfo.co.uk/thessoft.htm>.}}}{
, and consultants may wish to use one that they are familiar with and have installed on their own computers. On the other hand, if a thesaurus module of an integrated information storage and retrieval system is to be used, it may be preferable for the con
s
ultant to do the thesaurus development work using the client's system. This may mean working on the client's premises; remote electronic access would often be more convenient but IT departments are often reluctant to arrange this because of security conce
r
ns. Some thesaurus software development systems allow for distributed access and cooperative thesaurus development by many people simultaneously. In this case thesauri may be hosted on the Web site of a software provider, who takes responsibility for the 
security aspects. Such systems are generally designed and priced with large corporate organisations in mind
\par However the thesaurus is developed, it may need to be transferred from one software system to another. There is as yet no standard exchange format for thesaurus data, though some are being developed and tested using XML}{\cs17\super \chftn 
{\footnote\ftnalt \pard\plain \s16\sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs20\lang2057\cgrid {\cs17\super \chftn }{ Mike Taylor }{\i Zthes: a Z39.50 profile for thesaurus navigation}{
. Version 0.4. Washington, DC : Library of Congress. Z39.50 International Standard Maintenance Agency, 1999. <http://lcweb.loc.gov/z3950/agency/profiles/zthes-04.html>}}}{\super ,}{\cs17\super \chftn {\footnote\ftnalt \pard\plain 
\s16\sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs20\lang2057\cgrid {\cs17\super \chftn }{ Joseph Busch. }{\i Vocabulary ML: metacode strawman DTD}{. MS Word document 2000. <http://nkos.slis.kent.edu/VOCML-1.DOC>}}}{
. However, most thesaurus software packages can import and export thesaurus data in a tagged
 text format, essentially the same as the normal alphabetical presentation of the thesaurus designed for human use. In any thesaurus development project, it is important to clarify in what format the thesaurus is to be delivered and whether the consultant
 will be responsible for loading it into the client's computer system.
\par If the thesaurus is to be made accessible through a Web browser interface, there may be a need for the thesaurus consultant to collaborate with the Web page designers, so as to ensure th
at an appropriate level of thesaurus functionality is made available to the users. Many users do not understand the structure of a thesaurus or how to use one effectively, and often do not take time to read explanatory "help" pages. By working together wi
t
h the software developers, a thesaurus consultant can help to embody some tutorial help in the interface itself. A good system can emulate the "reference interview" that would be conducted by a live librarian, asking questions such as "You have asked for 
X; we have this in the following contexts \endash which do you want?" "Would you also be interested in Y?" "That is a very broad topic. Can you be more specific \endash 
 would one or more of the following narrower terms reflect your need more accurately?" "Do you mean '(A or B) and C' or do you mean 'A or (B and C)'?
\par Similarly, if the interface is not fixed in an existing system, it might be possible to work with the client to allow queries to be progressively refined by combining terms from different facets of a thesauru
s or classification, as is done in experimental systems such as }{\i Flamenco}{\cs17\i\super \chftn {\footnote\ftnalt \pard\plain \s16\sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs20\lang2057\cgrid {\cs17\super \chftn }{ BAILANDO projects. }{\i FLAMENCO}{
. Berkeley : University of California, 2002. <http://bailando.sims.berkeley.edu/flamenco.html>}}}{ and }{\i No zero match}{\cs17\super \chftn {\footnote\ftnalt \pard\plain \s16\sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs20\lang2057\cgrid {\cs17\super \chftn }{ }{
\i No zero match (NZM).}{ Bristol : University of Bristol. Design Information Group, 2002. <http://nzm.dig.bris.ac.uk/index.html>}}}{
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {Conclusion
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {Thesauri and faceted classifications are powerful resources which are being rediscovered as adjuncts to the techniques of text searching and automatic catego
risation. Information providers and users do not yet understand and use them as widely and effectively as they might. Thesaurus consultants can help to spread the word and make these tools available to the many organisations and their users who can benefi
t from them.
\par }\pard\plain \s1\sb240\sa60\keepn\widctlpar\outlinelevel0\adjustright \b\f1\fs28\lang2057\kerning28\cgrid {Acknowledgement
\par }\pard\plain \sa120\widctlpar\adjustright \f1\fs22\lang2057\cgrid {I am grateful to Stella Dextre Clarke for her interesting comments on this topic.
\par }}