Belly Dancing Costumes: A Thesaurus


Introduction Review of Existing Indexing Languages Structure of Indexing Language
About Us Thesaurus: Alphabetical Display Thesaurus: Hierarchical Display of Top Terms

Introduction

The Thesaurus of Bellydancing (ThoBe), designed by the League of Bellydancing Librarians , Indexers, and Archivists (LoBeLIA) is intended to be as user friendly as possible. LoBeLIA will maintain, update and expand the Thesaurus over time, so users will not need to know how to index terms for the Thesaurus. To accommodate lay users, the completed version of ThoBe will incorporate a fully functional search feature. This search feature will enable any user, regardless of background or knowledge base, to conduct key word searches of the terms contained in the Thesaurus. 

It is also possible for users to access terms by following the structure and hierarchies of the controlled language of the Thesaurus. Users may search for the desired term and read the result returned for the term. If the search term is a non-preferred term, then users should search by using the supplied preferred term. 

If the search term is a preferred term, then users might check the scope note (if one is provided) to determine whether the term is suitable to their needs. Also, users should refer to any other terms supplied in the Thesaurus entry as these terms may help them to find other useful items and concepts. For example: 

  • Use the scope note to check that you have found what you are looking for:

    •    
    head decorations 
        SN:   Any accessories or coverings worn on the head. 
     
  • For a non-preferred term, use the given preferred term (identified by USE):


    • ankle chains 
      USE:  anklets
     

  • Consider the broader term (BT) to find related but more general concepts:

    •   
    beads
        BT:   decorations 
    Top
  •  Consider the narrower terms (NT) to find related but more specific concepts:

    •  
    textiles 
     NT:   assiute 
              cotton 
              polyester 
              rayon 
              silk 
     
  • Consider the related terms (RT) to find semantically or conceptually related terms:
     shawls 
      RT:   scarves 
               veils 
     
  • In the entry for a preferred term, you may see the non-preferred terms that people sometimes use to search for that concept:


    • torso covers 
    UF:   midriff covers