LCSH study: Concept mapping

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A partial look at what LCSH tells us about concept mapping:

(I have not traced all four of Concept mapping’s BTs)

Differential invariants
has narrower subject term
Transformations (Mathematics)
has narrower subject term
Mappings (Mathematics)
has narrower subject term
Concept mapping

~~~

Each of the subject terms
Differential equations, Mathematical analysis, Mathematics, Numbers, Complex, and Set theory
has the narrower subject term
Functions
has narrower subject term
Mappings (Mathematics)
has narrower subject term
Concept mapping

A partial look at what all the libraries that contribute to WorldCat have about concept mapping:

  • Concept lattice analysis for annotation objects $h [electronic resource] / $c by Wenting Yi.

    This is also about: Data structures (Computer science), Genetics–Data processing, and Ontologies (Information retrieval).

    That seems to fit.

  • Concept mapping $h [videorecording] : $b a quantitative method for analyzing qualitative data / $c Cuyahoga County Community Mental Health Research Institute, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University.

    This is also about Research–Methodology.

    It’s a quantitative method, and probably involves fancy math. Seems to fit with what LCSH told us about Concept mapping.

  • Experimente und Computersimulationen im naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht : $b ein empirischer Vergleich / $c Priit Reiska.

    This is also about: Science–Data processing and Science–Study and teaching–Data processing.

    I don’t know German but I see “Computersimulationen” and I know computers do fancy maths, especially when processing scientific data.

  • Understanding the nursing process : concept mapping and care planning for students / Lynda Juall Carpenito-Moyet.

    This is also about: Nursing assessment and Nursing diagnosis.

    Something seems different here…

  • Concept mapping in kindergarten : scaffolding task understanding and metacognitive affordances in a design-based study / by Amy E. Cassata-Widera.

    Well, this is not actually about Concept mapping. It’s about Concept mapping–Case studies (i.e. the work consists of case studies about concept mapping). It’s also about: Metacognition in children–Northeastern States–Case studies, Child development–Northeastern States–Case studies, and Kindergarten–Northeastern States–Case studies.

    They do concept mapping in kindergarten? Surely this “concept mapping” isn’t the same “concept mapping” involved somehow with concept lattice analysis for annotation objects.

  • Concept mapping : learning how to make them, use them, and teach them to others / by Laine Gurley

    This is also about: Concept mapping–Study and teaching.

    Really, I just wanted to be snarky about the title. What is worse: that the author, the editor, the publisher, or some schmo running the press didn’t notice that someone forgot to change “mapping” to “maps,” or that the cataloger transcribing the title proper incorrectly? I’m going to trust the cataloger…

  • A comparative study of note-taking, outlining and concept mapping learning strategies on National Taipei Teachers College students’ understanding of heat and temperature / by Hsiao-Tseng Keng.

    This is also about: Heat–Study and teaching–Taiwan, Temperature–Study and teaching–Taiwan, Science–Study and teaching–Taiwan, Note-taking, and Outlines.

    Here it is, explicitly. This book has nothing to do with any mathematical function or transformation called concept mapping. This book is about the learning strategy called concept mapping.

It would seem we need two LCSHs: Concept mapping (Mathematical technique) and Concept mapping (Learning strategy). Or something like that. It has been a while since I read the guidelines on the language to use when establishing headings.

Now that I’ve belabored that point, one more item, supposedly about Concept mapping, from WorldCat:

  • Women’s experiences of infertility / $c by Rachel Lynn Stege.

    This item is also about: Infertility, Female $x Psychological aspects.

    Ok, this is an M.Ed. Thesis. The author probably used concept mapping in some manner in the methodology. Perhaps even 20% of the thesis dwells on concept mapping. Following the guidelines strictly, you could make an argument for bringing out the topic of concept mapping using a subject heading.

    But the question that should be asked at every subject analysis decision is “What is most useful to the user?” Is it useful for the user who is looking up things on the subject of concept mapping to be presented with a thesis about women’s experiences of infertility? Hard to really argue without the item in hand. Maybe it contains a lot of good examples of concept maps. Still, that doesn’t mean it is about concept mapping—that’s form/genre.

There are 53 disparate items in WorldCat that are ostensibly about Concept mapping. Maybe that is a small enough number for someone to easily wade through. It still makes my cataloger soul feel itchy.

Here is what is worse. This concept mapping that used as a thinking and learning strategy is also popularly known as “mind mapping.” Technically, there are some differences in the concept mapping and mind mapping techniques, but if we’re lumping kindergarten concept mapping in with scientific data processing, it’s probably ok to call them synonyms. There is no heading for Mind mapping, and there is no reference to Concept mapping from Mind mapping, Mindmapping, or Mind-mapping. Nothing under Mind maps and its variants, either.

Perhaps the most well known proponent of mind mapping is Tony Buzan, who has written many books on the subject. Let’s take a look to see what catalogers have decided some of these are “about.”

Depending on how your library has it cataloged, The mind map book is about:

  • Intellect | Thought and thinking
  • Thought and thinking | Intellect | Creative thinking | Cognitive science | Verbal ability
  • Cognition | Thought and thinking | Creative thinking | Learning | Mnemonics | Note-taking
  • Cognition | Thought and thinking | Mnemonics | Note-taking
  • Intellect | Brain | Thought and thinking
  • Mnemonics | Thought and thinking
  • Creative ability | Memory | Brain

Mind map handbook is about:

  • Thought and thinking | Intellect
  • Creative Intelligence (coded as LCSH, but isn’t a heading) | Creative thinking

Mind mapping is about

  • Cognition | Thought and thinking | Creative thinking | Learning | Mnemonics | Note-taking

Mind maps at work is about:

  • Success in business | Creative ability in business | Thought and thinking
  • Success in business–Handbooks, manuals, etc. | Job satisfaction–Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Jamie Nast’s Idea Mapping : ǂb How to Access Your Hidden Brain Power, Learn Faster, Remember More, and Achieve Success in Business is about:

  • Creative ability in business (source of heading not specified)

And so on. No “concept mapping,” that’s for sure. The only possible linkage is from mind-mapping to Note-taking (which appears in relatively few records) to Concept mapping (which appeared with Note-taking in one record). What a mess. It makes the baby Melvil Dui cry.

2 thoughts on “LCSH study: Concept mapping”

  1. My infernal forensic epistemology (“what the hell were they thinking?”) suggests that there might have been “Conception.” at some point in the fool chain. “Misconception” would be better.

  2. Google translates that German title as “Experiments and computer simulations in science education: an empirical comparison”. That fits with the kindegarteners.

    What fits less well is that the first book listed for Concept Mapping, in just a few pages of google preview, managed to expose me to “fishy smelling vaginal discharge”. Band name?

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