Thank you Betsy!
I was just about to send that very same query to Medlib-l. Does anyone
have any ideas?
MASH
Mary A Hyde, MSLS AHIP ([log in to unmask])
Director
Resource Center
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
409 12th St SW
Washington DC 20024
202-863-2518 (ref desk) 202-484-1595 (fax)
>>> Betsy Hageman <[log in to unmask]> 4/3/2008 2:13 PM >>>
Hmm, it definitely looks like Abortion is not available as a natural
language term. Typing Abortion into Subject, Keyword, or Title, results
in zero records. However, pulling the term from the index returns just
under 25,000 records for Subject and Keyword.
http://db.jhuccp.org/ics-wpd/popweb/expert.html
So the question is, why make it a stop word, but leave it in your
index?
- Betsy
-----Original Message-----
From: Medical Libraries Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Burns, Liz
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 1:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [sla-dbio] Fwd: POPLINE - 'abortion' is now a stopword
That's what I've been thinking.
-----Original Message-----
From: Medical Libraries Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of CJ Bryant
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 12:06 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [sla-dbio] Fwd: POPLINE - 'abortion' is now a stopword
Are we sure this isn't an April Fool's joke belated by forwarding?
Sure sounds like one to me, folks.
CJ Bryant
Clinical Reference Librarian
Lister Hill Library at University Hospital
West Pavilion P235D
(205)934-2275
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Medical Libraries Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Foster, Jan
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 11:59 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [sla-dbio] Fwd: POPLINE - 'abortion' is now a stopword
I certainly agree!
JAN
Jan Foster
Health Sciences Librarian
Saint Joseph Medical Center
1000 Carondelet Dr.
Kansas City, MO
816.943.2160
fax 816.943.2592
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Medical Libraries Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Patty Kahn
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 10:31 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [sla-dbio] Fwd: POPLINE - 'abortion' is now a stopword
" As a federally funded project, we decided this was best for now. "
This is an appalling example of government interference in science and
the continuing erosion of the separation of church and state. How can
we address this? I think this requires attention from MLA.
Patty Kahn
Patricia Kahn, MS, AHIP
Niles Perkins Health Science Library
Penobscot Bay Medical Center
Six Glen Cove Drive
Rockport ME 04856
(207) 596-8456 voice
(207) 593-5281 fax
[log in to unmask]
www.pbmc.org/library
>>> Julie Stielstra <[log in to unmask]> 4/3/08 10:34 AM >>>
This takes my breath away. For a database that bills itself as:
POPLINEÂ(R)(POPulation information onLINE), the world's largest
database on reproductive health, containing citations with abstracts to
scientific articles, reports, books, and unpublished reports in the
field of population, family planning, and related health issues.
and its tagline on the website:
*
Your connection to the world's reproductive health literature *And
"abortion" is a stop word?! Does that include miscarriages, which are
sometimes described as "spontaneous aborton"? I imagine NOW, NARAL and
some other people might be interested in hearing about this.
Is it November 4 yet?
On 4/3/08, Mary Hyde <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> I don't believe I have seen this thread on MEDLIB-L but I thought I
> would forward these messages from SLA-DBIO to my colleagues on
MEDLIB-L.
> My thoughts are how can abortion be a stop word? Does that mean that
> MEDLARS will not be using abortion as a MeSH term? How can we get
> POPLINE to change their policy?
>
> See forwarded messages below!
>
> MASH
>
> >>> Jo Anne Boorkman <[log in to unmask]> 4/2/2008 6:11 PM >>>
> Hello All,
> The message string below addresses the decision by POPLINE managers
to
> make 'abortion' a stop word in that database...
> Jo Anne
>
> ----- Forwarded Message -----
> From: "Gloria Won" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Cc: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask],
[log in to unmask],
> [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask], "San Francisco
> Biomedical Library Network" <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 12:48:09 PM (GMT-0800)
> America/Los_Angeles
> Subject: POPLINE - 'abortion' is now a stopword
> To: Debra L. Dickson
> POPLINE Database Manager/Administrator INFO Project
> 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, MD 21202 [log in to unmask]
> Tel: 410-659-6300 / Fax: 410-659-6266
>
> Hi Debbie *
>
> Thank you for your quick response to my e-mail. I have forwarded
your
> e-mail to researchers with whom I am working; I suspect they will be
as
> puzzled as I about the decision to make "all abortion terms stop
> words" in the government funded, publically available "POPLINE"
> database. Even more troubling is the implications for the average
user
> * eliminating this term essentially blocks access to the reports in
> the database and ultimately to information about abortion.
"Unwanted
> w2 pregnancy" is not a synonym for abortion.
>
> My colleague, Gail Sorrough and I are also forwarding this e-mail to
> several organizations whose members are primarily medical
librarians.
> We suspect they will also be puzzled by the notion that a perfectly
good
> noun such as "abortion" should for no apparent reason be classified
as
> a "stop word" and equated with "a", "an", "the".
>
> A better explanation is deserved * the explanation should also be
> posted on the website for all users to know, e.g., "The POPLINE
> database producers have decided to ignore "abortion" as a searchable
> to term because **. ?
>
> We look forward to a better explanation for why this term has been
> eliminated; all of the users of POPLINE deserve to know.
>
> Regards,
>
> Gail Sorrough, Director of Medical Library Services and Gloria Won,
> Librarian H.M. Fishbon Memorial Library UCSF Medical Center at Mount
> Zion 1600 Divisadero St, Rm A116 San Francisco, CA 94115
> 415 885-7378
> [log in to unmask]
> [log in to unmask]
>
> _______
> From: Dickson, Debbie L. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 7:26 AM
> To: Won, Gloria
> Subject: RE: Popline retrieval discrepancy
>
> Hi Gloria,
>
> Yes we did make a change in POPLINE. We recently made all abortion
> terms stop words. As a federally funded project, we decided this was
> best for now. In addition to the terms you're already using, you
> could try using 'Fertility Control, Postconception'. This is the
> broader term to our 'Abortion' terms and most records have both in
the
> keyword fields. Also, adding 'unwanted w2 pregnancy' in place of
> aborti*. We have a keyword Pregnancy, Unwanted and there are 2517
> records with aborti* & unwanted w2 pregnancy
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Debbie
>
> From: Won, Gloria [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Monday, March 31, 2008 3:51 PM
> To: Dickson, Debbie L.
> Subject: RE: Popline retrieval discrepancy
>
> Hello Debbie:
>
> I left a message on your voice mail today regarding POPLINE, but
> didn't explain the problem I'm encountering, so here is an email
> follow-up.
>
> When I ran this strategy on Jan 18, 2008, POPLINE retrieved 1684
refs;
> when I re-ran the same strategy today, POPLINE retrieved fewer refs,
ie,
> 1478 refs. Usually, when a search is re-run at a later date, the
total
> number of references retrieved is more, not less. Has POPLINE
> undergone some major change in the past few months that might
explain
> the decreased retrieval? What can account for this discrepancy?
>
> (strategy removed)
>
> I also tested a second strategy that was developed in Jan 2008 and
had
> similar results, ie, fewer refs retrieved this time than previous.
> Puzzling?!?
>
> Appreciate a prompt response --
>
> Thank you, Gloria
>
> Gloria Won, MLIS
> H.M. Fishbon Memorial Library
> UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion
> 1600 Divisadero Street, Room A116
> San Francisco, CA 94115
> 415 885-7378
>
>
>
> Mary A Hyde, MSLS AHIP ([log in to unmask]) Director Resource Center
> American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
> 409 12th St SW
> Washington DC 20024
> 202-863-2518 (ref desk) 202-484-1595 (fax)
>
--
Julie Stielstra, MLS
Supervisor, Knowledge Resource Library
Central DuPage Hospital
25 N Winfield Rd
Winfield, IL 60190
phone 630-933-4536
fax 630-933-4530
email jstielstra [ at ] gmail.com
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