[Koha] Requesting opinions on proposed change to AuthDisplayHierarchy

[Owen Leonard]

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on my question about the cataloging
interface. I have another one:

If the AuthDisplayHierarchy system preference is turned on,
hierarchies of authority records are displayed via a JavaScript plugin
which makes a collapsible tree of authority links. I propose that this
be replaced with a static, CSS-styled tree. Doing so would cut one
JavaScript plugin dependency.

From the bug report
(https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=21128)
here's a screenshot of the updated OPAC view:

https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/attachment.cgi?id=77307

And in the staff client:

https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/attachment.cgi?id=77308

At my library we don't use this feature, so I don't really know how it
is used in production.

Are authority hierarchies often so "deep" that having a collapsible
display is preferred?

If so, could clicking to show or hide the entire tree be a viable alternative?

Thanks,

Owen

[Heather Hernandez]

Hi, Owen--

Sorry for the delay in my reply, but I finally had a quiet moment to really
look at this!

Although our AuthDisplayHierarchy syspref is set to "Display" (with Koha
17.11.07), our authorities displays don't look like this, but I like it! I
think having the trees automatically display open is best, with the
click/select on a heading executing a search. We have a very complex (and
messy) authority file that I'm cleaning up, so I've been looking at our
authorities & their relationships a lot, and I think that as long as a user
gets to see at least one broad and/or narrow and/or related term, they can
click/select around to get to a desired heading. I think it's less
desirable to click/select to expand or collapse the hierarchy--I think that
the click/select action should execute the search & the user can then
navigate to the desired heading that way & then eventually click/select the
biblios.

If you have an example of a related term (rather than a broader/narrower
relationship), I'd find that interesting to see.

Hope this is helpful! Cheerio,
h2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heather Hernandez
Technical Services Librarian
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Research Center
2 Marina Blvd., Bldg. E, 3rd floor, San Francisco, CA 94123-1284
415-561-7032, ***@nps.gov
Library catalog: http://keys.bywatersolutions.com/
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Koha mailing list http://koha-community.org
***@lists.katipo.co.nz
https:

[Elaine Bradtke]

It's a feature that would be useful in a very specialized library for
subject / topical terms. That said, our very specialized library doesn't
use it. Because of the history of our database (having been converted from
numerous small databases) the hierarchy is built into an individual
record's terms eg. Display dance / Step dance / Clog dance / Solo dance,
rather than having them as subordinate / related terms in the authority
file. But, if I were to do it all from scratch, a hierarchical system
would be the way to go.
CSS sounds like the logical step, the key is the ability to browse up and
down the hierarchy and back and forth across related terms.

Elaine Bradtke
VWML
English Folk Dance and Song Society | http://www.efdss.org
Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park Road, London NW1 7AY
Tel [phone] (This number is for the English Folk Dance and
Song Society in London, England. If you wish to phone me personally, send
an e-mail first. I work off site)
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"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture"
--Elvis Costello (Musician magazine No. 60 (October 1983), p. 52)

Post by Heather Hernandez
Hi, Owen--
Sorry for the delay in my reply, but I finally had a quiet moment to really
look at this!
Although our AuthDisplayHierarchy syspref is set to "Display" (with Koha
17.11.07), our authorities displays don't look like this, but I like it! I
think having the trees automatically display open is best, with the
click/select on a heading executing a search. We have a very complex (and
messy) authority file that I'm cleaning up, so I've been looking at our
authorities & their relationships a lot, and I think that as long as a user
gets to see at least one broad and/or narrow and/or related term, they can
click/select around to get to a desired heading. I think it's less
desirable to click/select to expand or collapse the hierarchy--I think that
the click/select action should execute the search & the user can then
navigate to the desired heading that way & then eventually click/select the
biblios.
If you have an example of a related term (rather than a broader/narrower
relationship), I'd find that interesting to see.
Hope this is helpful! Cheerio,
h2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heather Hernandez
Technical Services Librarian
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Research Center
2 Marina Blvd., Bldg. E, 3rd floor, San Francisco, CA 94123-1284
Library catalog: http://keys.bywatersolutions.com/
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Koha mailing list http://koha-community.org
https://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha

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