Project MUSE News: MUSE introduces linked subject headings

[Melanie Schaffner <melanie@muse.jhu.edu>]

Of potential interest to liblicense subscribers; please excuse 
cross-posting.

Project MUSE introduces linked subject headings

In April 2008, Project MUSE began releasing current journal 
issues and articles in a new, enhanced format, reflecting our 
transition to a new XML workflow. Users of articles and Tables of 
Contents in the new format may have noticed an additional feature 
clickable subject headings for each article, allowing fast and 
easy connections to related content in Project MUSE. Built upon 
the rich controlled vocabulary classification of all MUSE 
articles and reviews with Library of Congress Subject Headings 
(LCSH) by our in-house professional cataloging staff, this new 
functionality quickly connects scholars to additional relevant 
content to enhance their research.

Linked subject headings are a powerful discovery tool for users. 
Following a subject heading link brings the user to an 
alphabetical listing of all current subject headings utilized for 
MUSE articles, with the selected heading as the entry point in 
the list. The researcher may then view additional articles that 
share the same subject heading, or peruse further articles with 
related headings. The list of subject headings is annotated with 
the current number of MUSE articles and reviews to which that 
heading is assigned.

One of the many benefits of the linked subject headings is the 
ability to refine a research topic when articles with a more 
specific focus are needed. Conversely, the linked subject 
headings can guide a user to articles with a broader approach 
when the assignment requires a more general discussion of the 
research topic.

MUSE has always assigned LC subject headings to articles to help 
users identify the topics discussed within an article and in 
turn, to select articles most suitable to their research. Now, by 
simply clicking on a subject heading, users can move from subject 
to subject, article to article, exploring topics and articles 
related to their search topic.

The new journal issue and article formats are forerunners to a 
significant redesign of Project MUSE's complete web presence at 
http://muse.jhu.edu, due to launch in August 2008. Among the 
goals of the redesign are more intuitive navigation among and 
within both content and informational pages, compatibility with 
emerging web standards, support for selected Web 2.0 
functionality, and an enhanced online experience for users and 
librarians utilizing MUSE in teaching and research. All new MUSE 
content produced since mid-April 2008 reflects elements of the 
new design and offers the linked subject headings functionality; 
as older content is converted to the new format, the feature will 
also become available for archival articles, reviews, and Tables 
of Contents. Please "pardon our dust" as we begin the process of 
enhancing and improving our web presence. We welcome comments, 
questions, and feedback to muse@press.jhu.edu.

Melanie B. Schaffner
Marketing and Sales Manager, Project MUSE
c/o The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21218 USA
melanie@muse.jhu.edu