title: The preconstructed vocabulary: a Procrustean bed.
abstract: The mechanization of bibliographic services has imposed a change from the retrospective to the prospective approach to vocabulary development. This results in vocabularies rigidly structured to serve a variety of purposes which are not always mutually compatible. The user suffers from the inflexibility of the basic framework, the dearth of cross-references, and the overspecificity of many subject headings. Computer technology and our knowledge of its application have advanced to the point that we should begin to reclaim some of the bibliographic conveniences which no longer have to be sacrificed.
mesh_terms: D007256:Information Systems; D009317:National Library of Medicine (U.S.); D013358:Subject Headings; D014481:United States