Discusses detailed classification systems, sophisticated alphabetical indexing systems and reasons for the abandonment of complex indexing systems. The suggested structure for indexing the Internet or other large electronic collections of documents is based on that of book indexes: specific headings with coined modifications. (Author/AEF)

Describes the design of an expert system developed using VP-Expert for document delivery decision making in a law library. Presents methods used in knowledge acquisition and knowledge representation after a brief review of the literature on expert system use in libraries. An appendix includes the rules of the expert system. (Author/AEF)

Suggests an alternative document representation method based on "exemplary documents," those that describe or exhibit the intellectual structure of a particular field of interest. Exemplary documents provide both an indexing vocabulary for that area and a narrative context in which the indexing terms have a clearer meaning. It is much…

Reviews the characteristics of the Cheshire II system that is being used to implement full-text and fielded searching of bibliographic information for the University of California Berkeley Digital Library Initiative. Examines its performance when applied to a collection of large full-text documents in the TREC Interactive Retrieval Track and its…

Demonstrates that if the similarity function of a retrieval system leads to a (pseudo-) metric, the retrieval, similarity and Everett-Cater metric topology coincide and are different from the discrete topology; this is the case if documents are represented by lists, using the Jaccard similarity measure. The corresponding metric is the…

Explores the potential and impact of an innovative information environment in enhancing user activities in using electronic documents for various tasks, and to support the value-adding of these e-documents. Discusses the conceptual design and prototyping of a proposed environment, PROPIE. Presents an empirical and formative evaluation of the…

Great increases in the availability of full-text publications on the Internet has posed many problems for librarians who must secure licenses to provide the online versions of these journals to their clients. Discussion includes steps taken to minimize the impact of these problems and maximize availability of online resources, as well as the…

Discusses the appropriateness of the newspaper metaphor for electronic news and highlights different approaches to the electronic delivery of news. Presents the editorial and presentational functionality of the Electronic News Delivery system project and provides an overview of the system architecture. Describes some of the prototype systems…

Describes some of the products displayed at the United Kingdom's largest document management, imaging and workflow exhibition (Document 97, Birmingham, England, October 7-9, 1997). Includes recognition technologies; document delivery; scanning; document warehousing; document management and retrieval software; workflow systems; Internet software;…

Examines key management issues involved in delivering geographic information services on the World Wide Web, using the Geographic Information Center (GIC) program at the University of Virginia Library as a reference. Highlights include integrating the Web into services; building collections for Web delivery; and evaluating spatial information…

Proposes principles for the design of effective document retrieval (DR) systems incorporating users' cognitive behaviors. Addresses three issues: (1) effective representations for documents to enable users' relevance judgments and decision making; (2) efficient presentations of documents to facilitate users' information processing and decision…

Reviews the literature on the development of full-text electronic libraries in the academic setting. Organizational factors can have impact on electronic library development and ultimate usability. Topics include strategic management, planning and implementation; system specification and design; document provision; user support and training; and…

Describes the Vermont Automated Libraries System and the use of information technology. Topics include rural public library access; software; multitype library cooperation, including public, school, academic, and special libraries; Internet access; government information; public user access; system design; document delivery capabilities; and…