User-generated Social Tags Versus Librarian-generated SLSH Terms: A Comparative Analysis in Social Science

Abstract

The present study tries to evaluate user-generated social tags with librarian-generated SLSH terms in three subjects Economics, History and Sociology under Social Science. The study reveals that both social tag vocabulary and SLSH term vocabulary are not the same for all three subjects but are comparatively large in History. Even the study found a terminological difference between both social taggers and the librarian. Social taggers mostly use single-word-based general subject terms, whereas the librarian uses multi-word-based specific subject terms for all subjects. Again, it is found that social taggers use SLSH terms as tags under three subjects but comparatively use all SLSH terms in major books under Economics. Besides, it is also found that social taggers use more terms from book titles than from the librarian. Social taggers use more title-based terms under History than other subjects. Overall, the present study suggests a combination of social tag and SLSH terms that can enhance the accessibility of social science books.