Edit thesaurus terms and add relationships

The role of Zine Thesaurus editors is to:

Review terms that have been added to the Thesaurus by zine cataloguers and terms that have been suggested by users
Decide if they are good terms to include in the Thesaurus
Create full term records for them if they are
Delete or replace them if they are not
Add brand new Thesaurus term records as needed

These instructions explain how new terms are added to the Thesaurus, how the Thesaurus integrates with the Anchor Archive Zine Library catalogue, how to create new terms and full term records, and how to delete terms.

How terms are added the Zine Thesaurus

The Zine Subject Thesaurus is on the Anchor Archive Zine Library website and is integrated into the Anchor Archive catalogue. The Subject Terms field in catalogue zine records is made up of terms from the Zine Thesaurus.

Most of the terms in the Thesaurus come from the Anchor Archive catalogue records but terms can also be added separately from a catalogue record.

Terms from Anchor Archive catalogue records

When an Anchor Archive cataloguer is cataloguing a zine, they can enter subject terms in the Subjects field. If they enter a term that is already in the Thesaurus, that term will be referenced in the Thesaurus and added to the zine record. If the term is not already in the Thesaurus, it will get added automatically to the Thesaurus.

Ideally an Anchor Archive cataloguer will reference the Thesaurus as they're choosing subject terms, but sometimes they don't and they will add a synonym of a preferred term to the Thesaurus or spell something wrong, which will need to be corrected. Or they will choose a new term that isn't the best term and needs to be changed. Even when a cataloguer adds a "good" new term to the Thesaurus, someone needs to review the term and create a full thesaurus term record for it (add broader terms or narrower terms, related terms, etc.).

We run a report of new terms added by cataloguers regularly and add the terms to the Zine Thesaurus Editing Task List spreadsheet, in the tab called "Terms from Zine Records."

It's important to remember that when you edit a term in the Thesaurus, that term will also change in any zine records it is part of. So if you delete a term from the Thesaurus, it will disappear from zine records. This means that sometimes you will need to edit the subject terms in zine records at the zine time that you're editing Thesaurus term records. For example, you may need to add another subject term to a zine record if you delete a "bad" subject term from the Thesaurus. This explained more below.

Terms added independently

As you're reviewing new terms and editing term records, you might think of new terms to add to the Thesaurus. For example, if you're editing the term if you're editing the term "autumn," you may want to add "seasons" as a broader term to the record and the Thesaurus as a whole, if "seasons" is not already in the Thesaurus.

It is totally ok to add new subject terms to the Thesaurus that are not currently associated with a zine catalogue record, as long as you can imagine the subject being discussed in other zines. If you're unsure, ask other editors for input. Instructions on how to add new terms are below.

Terms suggested by Thesaurus users

On the Anchor Archive / Zine Thesaurus website, there is a form that users can fill out to suggest a term to add to the Zine Thesaurus. These are then added to the Zine Thesaurus Editing Task List spreadsheet as well, to be reviewed by editors and usually added to the Thesaurus.

Find a term to edit or add

When you attend an Editathon or are otherwise editing the Thesaurus, you can open the Zine Thesaurus Editing Task List spreadsheet to see lists of terms that have been added by cataloguers and need to be edited, terms that have been suggested by users, and terms that need deep review by someone with specialized subject knowledge or interest in the topic (these require more in-depth thinking, discussion, and possibly additional research and consultation).

Find a term or set of terms on one of these sheets that does not yet have a name beside it in the Edited by column. Add your name to that column and begin working on the term, following the instructions below.

Steps in editing terms and creating full term records

Log in

First, log in to the Anchor Archive website with your Thesaurus Editor user account.

If you don't have an account yet or have problems logging in, contact Amanda.

Open the term record

If the term you're editing is already in the Thesaurus:

Go to Zine Thesaurus > Search Thesaurus or this page.
Find the term you want to edit by searching or browsing
When you click on the term, the term record will display to the right of the alphabetical list. If you click on the term that displays, a separate page for the term record will open and you will also see any zines that have been assigned the term displayed below the term record.

If the term you're editing has been suggested by a user, look at the proposed record on the spreadsheet.

Check if the term or concept is already in the Thesaurus

If the term was suggested by a user:

Go to Zine Thesaurus > Search Thesaurus or this page and search for the term.
Think about terms with similar meanings and search for those in the Thesaurus, to make sure the concept is not already in the Thesaurus.
If you find the exact term or a similar term, make a note in the spreadsheet in the "Added?" column that that the term is already in the Thesaurus so someone can inform the person who suggested the term.

If the term was added by a cataloguer, the cataloguer would not be able to add an exact duplicate term, but they may have accidentally added a near duplicate term by spelling a term wrong or capitalizing a word that shouldn't have been capitalized.

Check the alphabetical listing page and make sure the cataloguer didn't add a near duplicate term.
Think about terms with similar meanings and search for those in the Thesaurus, to make sure the concept is not already in the Thesaurus.
If you find the exact term or a similar term:
1. Open the zine record(s) that the new term was added to
2. Edit the zine record(s)
3. Add the original terms to the Subject Terms field.
4. Go back to the new Thesaurus term record.
5. Delete the new Thesaurus term
Update the spreadsheet record by making a note in the Action taken column that the term or a similar term was already in the Thesaurus and you deleted the new term and updated the catalogue records.

Decide if the term is a "good term" that should be in the Thesaurus

This can be a difficult assessment to make and it can be helpful to ask other Thesaurus editors for input if you're not sure. The fact that a cataloguer or the person suggesting the term found this topic covered in a zine is a good reason to include it in the Thesaurus. However, sometimes the term they choose is too broad or specific or falls outside the scope of the Thesaurus.

Here are some examples of "bad terms" we may delete or alter:

Proper noun, such as the name of a person. In some special situations we include these in the Thesaurus, but usually the proper noun should be added to the Summary field so it's still retrievable in search but not in the Thesaurus.
A term that is no longer current and needs to be updated or changed
A term that is too broad or too specific
Wrong form of term is used (such as singular instead of plural)

On this page of instructions for cataloguers, you can find guidance on choosing good terms, including how specific to be, what form the word should be, what to do about proper nouns, and choosing from different words that mean the same thing. You can also see our in-progress Thesaurus Policies.

The Anchor Archive catalogue is a useful body of material that can be referenced in assessing and choosing subject terms. For example, if there are a couple of different words you could use as the preferred term and you're wondering what typical zine readers might use, you can see which words Anchor Archive cataloguers have chosen in the past. Or if you're wondering whether a term should be included in the Thesaurus, you can check whether there are any zines in the Anchor Archive catalogue about that topic.

In some cases the "bad" term can simply be deleted but often it needs to be replaced or edited instead, so that a better term is added to the catalogue record and/or thesaurus. When you find a "bad" term, you can decide which approach is best and then follow the instructions below.

Delete or replace a term

If the term is a "bad term and d